Sam Smith: Could Vocal Hemorrhage End Singer’s Career?
After a meteoric rise to fame in 2014, British singer Sam Smith is having a tough time. Smith has recently cancelled a host of performances, including his Australian tour and a number of high profile festival appearances, as a result of a vocal hemorrhage. The 22-year-old “Stay With Me” singer recently revealed that 10 days of complete vocal rest had not cured the problem and that he will now have to undergo surgery to save his voice.
Sam took to social media platform Twitter a few days ago to let his fans know that he had not recovered from the vocal hemorrhage and to apologize to fans for “missing all the shows and events” he had planned. Smith did say that he hoped to be back performing some 6 – 8 weeks from now.
— SAM SMITH (@samsmith) May 7, 2015
According to the Telegraph, it is believed that Smith, a four time Grammy award winner, has already flown to the U.S., where he will have the potentially career saving surgery later this week. After surgery it is believed that Smith will not be allowed to speak or sing for at least three weeks to ensure that his vocal chords can heal without scarring.
According to Sound Spike, Smith told The Sun that he’s nervous about the surgery and has developed a rash as a result of the stress it has caused him. Sam said, “I’ve been itching all over my body for the past week from stress.”
According to the Guardian, a vocal hemorrhage is caused by the bursting of a small blood vessel within the vocal fold. Essentially, they are bruises of the vocal chord. Smith’s fans will be pleased to see that Sam took action quickly because, if the voice is not immediately rested, the vocal fold can be scarred, resulting in long-term damage to the voice.
It is likely that in Smith’s case the vocal hemorrhage was caused by forceful singing, or by overuse or incorrect use of the voice. In Smith’s case his sudden rise to stardom has lead to huge demand and it may well be that Sam’s vocal chords were just not getting enough time to recover properly.
Fans of Sam Smith’s music will be relieved to know that many other singers, including Ariana Grande, John Mayer, and Adele have suffered from vocal hemorrhages in the past and with suitable treatment have recovered fully. By taking immediate action and following medical advice, Smith should recover from his surgery and be back singing in a couple of months time.
Smith is obviously confident that he will make a full recovery. Sam told his fans on Instagram that “in 8 weeks time I’m gonna be able to sing like never before so it’s worth it.”
[Photo by Dave J Hogan/Getty Images]
