A pop and a hiss': What happens to a singer when they lose their voice?

"Joanna Newsom described what happened to her in early 2009, when she discovered that she had developed vocal cord nodules due to excessive concerts and a lack of vocal technique. Instead of opting for surgery, her decision was to remain silent. She spent two months without speaking or singing. And, when she reappeared in 2010 with her third album, Have One on Me, the change in her vocal register was evident in the songs."

"A vocalist's greatest fear is losing their voice. And, for a multitude of artists, for decades, this nightmare has come true countless times. The case of Julie Andrews is particularly noteworthy, as she was renowned for her pure and crystalline voice. In 1997, an operation to remove polyps (benign growths) from her vocal chords left Andrews unable to sing."

"The actress sued the doctors who operated on her for negligence, claiming they had unnecessarily operated on both sides of her throat and that she had never suffered from nodules, but rather from muscle striations caused by overuse of her voice. Andrews had been forced to withdraw from the musical Victor/Victoria and admitted to prioritizing bright, happy songs in her repertoire, which led her to overuse her high register."

"Although the lawsuit against Mount Sinai Hospital in New York was settled in 2000 for an undisclosed sum, there were far greater repercussions than solely monetary ones: Andrews had to abandon music and focus instead on acting and writing children's books. She managed to reinvent her career, to the point that many who saw her, for example, in The Princess Diaries (2001), are unaware of this sad episode in her profes"

Joanna Newsom described a sudden voice change in early 2009, caused by vocal cord nodules linked to excessive concerts and insufficient vocal technique. She chose not to undergo surgery, instead remaining silent for two months. When she returned in 2010 with Have One on Me, her vocal register had shifted, moving from wild singing to a more restrained approach. Her decision reflects a common fear among vocalists: losing their voice. Julie Andrews experienced a major career disruption after surgery in 1997 to remove polyps, which left her unable to sing. She sued for negligence, claiming the operation was unnecessary and that her issue was muscle striations from overuse. The settlement did not prevent lasting consequences, including abandoning music and focusing on acting and writing.

Read at english.elpais.com