Shania Twain On Her Open Throat Surgery And How It Altered Her Voice

No country music-loving household – or any household at that – wouldn’t know the name Shania Twain. Twain, who started her career in 1993, charmed everyone who heard her voice and eventually building her name into one of the most influential female figures in country music history. But her success did not come without challenges. 

In 2003, the singer contracted Lyme disease, a tick-borne illness, which also caused her to temporarily lose her voice and, unfortunately, damage it (due to effects of dysphonia). And to regain her voice, she underwent multiple invasive surgeries. According to the singer, the procedure was an open-throat operation to ‘stabilize the weakness in her vocal cord function,’ which is very different from the usual vocal cord operation. And aside from the risks of any surgery, she also had to embrace the fact that her voice would never be the same as before.

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As a singer, and especially in a caliber like Twain’s, this is the single most terrifying thing that she could ever probably experience because her voice is a big part of her identity. But she eventually came to terms with losing her old voice and rediscovering her new one. Though just like losing anything, especially a part of yourself, the recovery was still a big challenge for her that she had to step away from the limelight for over a decade. 

People were looking for her and wondering what had happened to her, but no one could give any answers. 

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Shania Twain was scared that she would never sing again, but she got through that moment and found her own way with the help of lengthy warmups and very difficult physical therapy. And in 2012, she made her long-awaited comeback, gracing the stage of The Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. Then in 2017, she finally made her full-length return with her fifth studio album titled Now. It was her first after 15 years. 

In an interview, the “Queen of Country Pop” acknowledged that some of the vocal damage was permanent, it could get worse in time, and that she may need future readjustments. But that didn’t stop her from having a positive outlook. She didn’t want to give up, so she was willing to change and accept that she wouldn’t always be the same. And as time passed by, she grew to love her new voice more. She said that it gave her more room to play – she has more power and character – and the gravel is kind of sexy. In fact, speaking was much more difficult for her than singing which she was okay with. 

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And now, Shania Twain is gearing up to take the stage of Zappos Theater at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino. The 14-show Las Vegas residency will run from December 2-12 and February 11-26, 2022.