‘I thought I’d never be able to sing again’: Shania Twain opens up about ‘invasive’ throat surgery

The singer contracted Lyme disease in 2003

Shania Twain has said that she feared she would never be able to sing again after suffering nerve damage to her vocal cords.

Appearing on Friday’s instalment of The Graham Norton Show (10 February), the “Man! I Feel Like a Woman!” singer opened up about losing her voice and her recovery.

Twain’s latest album Queen of Me is the first project she has debuted since she underwent open throat surgery in 2018.

Explaining why she had the surgery, Twain, 57, revealed that her voice had been disappearing for seven years.

“But I had Lyme disease, I knew that, but I didn’t know it would be associated to the voice,” she said.

Lyme disease is an infection caught from the bite of an infected tick. The singer contracted the illness in 2003, and her voice was damaged by the effects of dysphonia – a term to describe disorders of the voice – as a result of the disease.

“So in the end, if it’s your voice, you go to a voice doctor, but I never thought of going to a neurologist,” she explained, saying that she later found out it was nerve damage to her vocal cords.

“So not actually related to the vocal cords but nerve damage [of them],” she clarified.

The musician feared never singing again after seven years of now knowing why she was losing her voice (Lorraine/ITV)

The “You’re Still The One” musician said that her voice has completely changed since the surgery.

“You can hear my raspy, airy sexy voice now,” she told the audience. “it’s a very different voice”

“It was a discovery [after surgery]. I can get really loud now. I won’t do it now because I distort every microphone I have,” she quipped. Twain said she was “happy” to have her voice back, even if it is slightly altered.

Explaining the procedure, she revealed she had to remain awake during the surgery, which she described as “invasive”.

Addressing the audience, she pulled aside her clothing to reveal the scar she has been left with on her neck.

“I’ve got this scar but I’m fine with it, I’m very happy to have scar instead of no voice,” she said.

“I’m just grateful, honestly. I went a long time thinking I’d never be able to sing again or thinking I wouldn’t be able to cheer at a sports game really loud.”

Host Graham Norton then quipped: “It robbed your pleasure in swearing,” to which she jokingly replied: “Oh yes, I can now swear very loud.”