I feel like there is a lot of stigma attached to vocal injury, since it is associated with having bad technique. However, athletes still get injured even if they have excellent technique.
My singing teacher was having a conversation with us about this, whether or not we should normalize vocal injuries the same way we normalize injuries with athletes
Isabel Meyer We should. When a dancer gets injured they’ll get their rest time with almost no problem. Singers for too long have had to fight for ours. Our vocal folds ARE muscles, just like any other and as such, can also get injured. It’s the stigma of, because it’s not one of our five appendages or core, too many seems to think it’s not a real. A muscle is a muscle.
I felt like I was on the edge of my seat watch this video! As a singer and teacher myself, I couldn’t imagine the fear of not having access to my voice. I’m so glad you took care of yourself! No shame around vocal injuries! It can happen to anyone! 💗
THANK YOU, Natalie! Classical singer and voice teacher here and a big fan of yours. When successful singers like you "come out" about voice injuries, you change the culture of shame and silence for all of us. Brava!
As a future speech therapist/throat specialist and as a fan I say this: PLEASE continue to take of that voice so you can bring these AMAZING moments. I love you, and love your GIFT! It takes a lot of courage to tell everybody about vocal injuries, specially when you are a vocal coach. I'm glad it's all good and healthy!
when you said "i need to pull you out for two shows" my first reaction was "yes girl, like a football player you are injured lose two shows of the season get better" very happy you mentioned it later, performers are athletes
between 2017 - 2018 i lost my voice for a WHOLE YEAR, from August 2017 to September 2018. Don't know why. I saw different doctors, i was so inflamed and swollen that my vocal chords couldn't properly stretch or vibrate past a certain point, but no doctor knew the cause of this inflammation.I tried everything but nothing worked. I've been singing since i was 3 i think, and from the age of 13 I sing everyday. Some days for hours if I'm recording something complex, and I've never lost my voice, never had nodules. I was devastated, I had more than 1 octave completely gone, above F4 it was just air, and singing easy notes like Cs or Ds would take extreme effort. Singing is my whole life and i had to learn how to live a life without singing. One day my voice simply came back, out of nowhere. In august 2017 my mother was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer, i think the stress caused this. Don't know why telling my story could mean something, but I wanted to share lol For singers singing is not just a hobby, is life.
I'm so sorry to hear that. I wouldn't know what to do if I were in your situation. I'm worried because I feel like my larynx is moving unnecessarily too much. Even when I'm talking normally. I'm scared that it might take a toll on my voice. 😥
This happened to me! I had to quit singing professionally for almost 2 years. Then suddenly it came back, I was in tears PRAYING literally praying to God that my voice never leaves me again, I've been working hard and it's now stronger than ever!
Dude thank u for sharing, i honestly need to feel like its not only me and i'll get better and my life is not over by losing my ability to sing, wish u and ur mother health🙏
I lost my voice (a whole octave from it!) last year and had to have 6 weeks of vocal rest. It was terrifying and shook my whole world and my whole identity. And it was, without doubt, an impact of grief. I lost my father shockingly and suddenly the year before and had to go back to work (singing), but I was forcing myself to sing through the shock and grief that was in my body which caused so much tension, which I again I forced myself to sing through. Unconsciously I wasn't using my diagram and I was not letting my larynx go into the "cry position" or tilt because I knew if I did I might not make it through the session... It took a lot of gentleness, softening and going back to basics (and if I'm honest, crying) to come back to my voice again.
Wow we have very similar stories. I started about the same time as you but had vocal issues from 16-19 Sounds like you may have had severe acid reflux. I had that and could barely talk for about 1-3 years. I feel ya bro it sucks.
I had a big vocal injury 20 years ago as an actor. I got a surgery on my vocal cords. The doctor said to me: you must find a very good voice teacher if you want to keep working as an actor. Luckily, life puts Lucette Tremblay in my life, a very great teacher in Montreal. We worked together 2 to 3 times a week at the beginning. I literally had to relearned how to speak, because my “technique” was really wrong… Not only was I able to play again as an actor, but I also became an opera and musicals singers! So yes, injury’s happened, and sometimes, if you take time to see why it happened, it can be for the best! Love your work Natalie, thanks for sharing that! :)
OMG: I hemorrhaged my right vocal cord when I was going thru my divorce. I totally relate to this. Mine was from crying! Singing was my only source of income at the time & I had 2 little kids. It was the scariest thing. So glad you are ok.
I've honestly been too scared to go in and get my voice checked out, and I've been doing the exact same things you did. Coming up with SO MANY bizarre excuses especially during rehearsals of my show in February- the weather, the room, my diet. This is a wake up call 😂. I'll schedule an appointment as soon as quarantine is over.
But use lockdown as an excuse to go on vocal rest for a week. I will be amazed if you don't see any changes. Honestly its amazing. Do not speak, or make any sound at all from your voice, or drink caffeine or alcohol or smoke for 4 days and see how u feel after (go slowly the first day back speaking!) X
Thank you so much for sharing!! And there’s definitely no shame you or anyone should feel about this. Although, of course it’s so so scary. I’m so glad your chords are back to normal :)
Thanks for sharing your story! It’s so important to hear stories like this and remind yourself that you haven’t done anything wrong if this happens to you. So glad you’re back and blessing us with your beautiful voice! Xx
Natalie that's so emotional u literally made me cry, I'm so happy ure good now! oh Gosh this seems like a tough time to go through and also made me think that I should sing more carefully and take care of my voice. hope you're staying safe too ✨✨
Thank you for this! It's so scary to get vocal injuries. I just finished my final year in a music theatre performance program and right before our auditions for our final shows AND our showcase for agents I got bronchitis and could barely speak. I even sprained a rib coughing! Recovery time sucks so much, but if you give it your full attention and take it seriously, you can get back to normal, and it felt so good when I did ❤️ I'm so glad you caught it and recovered so quickly too. Love listening to you sing! 😊
So glad to hear you’re doing well and moved through the injury with grace, vulnerability and resilience. Musicians are absolutely athletes! Thanks so much for sharing.
I'm so glad that you've recovered! You have an incredible voice and I've learned SO much from your videos. Vocal injuries are super scary and I hope you never have to go through anything like that again!
Ugh thank you so much for talking about this Natalie! I have the exact same fear...literally anything shifts and I'm worried I'll never sing again. It sounds so intense that you had to go through this, it must have been so stressful but I'm glad you came out stronger the other side. Sending you so much love X
Thank You sooooo much for sharing this. I wish more singers shared stories like this. I also had some similar vocal issues and it all came to a head 2 years ago when i found out i had to have surgery and was scared that i would never sing again or that my voice would be completely different. I had the surgery Jan 2019 and even though everything went great I completely lost my confidence with my voice and I didn't sing again until March of this year. Hearing you talk about how your voice is literally everything is how a lot of us singers feel, i unfortunately couldn't get over my fears quick enough but I tell all my friends that sing to take care of their instruments and to always trust their body, if something feels off get checked. Thank You again!! ❤️
Thank you for sharing your story! As singers or musical performers we have to accept that injuries can happen. You ‘re great Natalie! Love from Italy ❤️🇮🇹
This is the MOST HELPFUL VIDEO EVER. Thank you so much for sharing. Being that you are a voice teacher, it’s so so important that you tell us these things and expose us to this kind of information about all vocal possibilities, and it was very brave of you to do so. Thank you, I’m glad you’re doing well now :)
Appreciate you Natalie! Thank you for opening up about this. Knowing how hard vocal injuries are, not only physically but almost more so mentally, it's nice to be reminded sometimes that we are not the only person in the world who has dealt with them, and that there can be a light at the end injury of the tunnel
Thank you for sharing and I'm so glad you healed in a relatively short period of time. I had vocal nodules years ago that took months to heal. I cried when I could finally sing at my highest register again. Love your videos!
Thank you for posting this. Your story is really inspiring. I'm a pianist and I injured my hand and it still isn't better. I'm really worried about my career. But hearing others go through similar things gives me hope.
Thank you so much for sharing this. What you described your voice as when you were younger sounds just like what I’m going through. I used to have no head voice, just air, and then I developed it but all of the sudden in the past couple of months, my voice is producing two notes at the same time, the technique that has always worked for me doesn’t feel right, I feel out of control of my voice. It’s so so scary, especially now because I’m a senior about to go to college for MT, and I can’t get to a doctor because of the lockdown. It’s comforting to know someone as talented as you has gone through this and to hear that it’s not necessarily my fault. I would LOVE to hear you talk more about vocal health in the future!
Thank you for sharing your story! Very impactful and really relatable when it comes to the feeling of not being able to sing at your best. I have vasovagal too and I feel a lot better knowing I have this in common with one of the best singers out there!
Thank you so much for sharing this. I am in CONSTANT fear of a vocal injury even though I am singing properly, so to hear that you made it through this is so reassuring. I am so happy your voice is back to normal❤️ again, thank you for sharing this
Omg thank you for this feedback, I learned 2 months ago that i have some vocal issues, i'm a singer and I teach singing too. I was thinking that i will never get back my voice and never be able to teach ! Your message gives me hope again, thank you for that :) ! I'm glad you recovered your beautiful and amazing voice. Kiss from France :)
That must of been so scary to go through. I’m glad everything turned out okay! 💙 (also....obsessed with that riff around 5:16😍 and was wondering if I could make a track/song with it...already have a beat in my head, so hoping it’s okay).
I’m so sorry that happened to you, losing your voice is the SCARIEST thing, I lost my voice 100% right before our opening night for putnam county spelling bee and i was playing chip and olives dad, so the two most high belty obnoxious characters in the show and when it started all i could do was cry. My voice and singing has been something that has literally saved my life and I get depressed thinking about life without singing. So on top of my already rough mental state i new we were opening the show in 2 days but! my vocal teacher gave me throat coat and i was silent for those 2 days and out of some miracle my voice was perfect opening night, I went from having no voice to hitting a C5 in Pandemonium (one of the best songs in the show tbh) but it really does go to show how staying completely silent for a few days can really do wonders for a voice. MUCH LOVE !! you are so brave for sharing this with us and I hope you never have to experience something like that again 💕💕💕💕
You are my role-model and hero and to know that you have a similar vocal history to me (I also never stopped talking as a kid and had nodules at 13 due to bad training), is so reassuring for me as an artist and aspiring vocalist. Thank you so much for all that you do and for who you are ❤️
Thank you so, SO much for sharing this story! Back when I was in high school, I started having some vocal issues (scratchy throat, hoarseness, etc.) and I was TERRIFIED I would lose my voice forever. On top of that, my parents refused to pay for voice lessons so that and any kind of visit to an ENT was out of the question. I have a lot of anxiety and always jump to the worst conclusion, so of course I made myself sick worrying and thinking I would soon never sing again. Jump forward to now and I have been able to finally invest in my own voice lessons. I feel so confident with my voice, and now I understand that injuries can happen, and it is all about balance and respecting your body. No need to immediately worry and think the world is ending, just take care of yourself and do what you can to heal! I’m glad to hear your voice is back to 100% Natalie. Keep killing it!
Thank you for sharing. Vocal teachers talk about being careful and taking care of the voice but no one ever explains what actually happens if you don't. Thank you for the description. I've heard singers being called vocal athletes but now have an appreciation for what that means from your description and how to better rest the voice. So glad you got through that ok.
Gripping and relatable. Thanks for sharing it. You've encouraged me to get checked out. I've had bad whooping cough and then corona and my voice just isn't getting better.
Thank you so much for sharing this. I'm so glad I saw this video. I knew something wasnt right a few months ago and went to my doctor to be on the waiting list to see a specialist ENT. I'm still waiting but I definitely carry a lot of shame around my voice, around singing and just constantly feel inadequate or like I've peaked. So thank you for affirming the light at the end of it all💖
I also just want to say thank you for sharing. It's good and important to get the big (and smaller) stories out there. I've also had some voice injury due to overworking my voice. We heal, if we take care
Wow, I really applaud your honesty and vulnerability in sharing your experience. Having a strong support system can make such a difference in how one processes something like this. As a professional singer, I completely empathize with all the rollercoaster feelings that came up. Hearing your story is inspiring for me as I always think that I've "lost it" when anything goes wrong vocally. I think you are going to help a lot of other singers who have experienced anything like this. Thank you for sharing your story. I think you are a great singer and teacher and incredibly brave.
Thank you so much for this, i really needed this motivation!! Im 16 and i have partially hardened vocal nodules and its been pretty tough dealing with them for as long as i have. My voice was my everything and had only just started my work with theatre a singing lessons then suddenly i lost two whole octaves, i felt like my world was just melting away. Your story is really inspiring and i hope i will recover just like you did!!
Thank you for being so vulnerable with us. I’m sure that this was a difficult experience for you, I can’t even imagine. I am so happy that you made a full recovery. You’re incredible, Natalie. We love you ♥️♥️
Thank you for sharing! We all completely understand your freak out and near melt down. I panic sometimes when my allergies are flaring that I'll never sing again and I'm not even a pro.
Thank you so much for sharing Natalie, I admire you now even more than ever and I'll always look up to you as a singer and a teacher, one of the very few great ones...love from Argentina!
This was such a beneficial story to hear. You are absolutely incredible and such an inspiration to me. I am more than happy to have heard your story. Thank you so much for sharing!
Thank you for sharing your story so grateful you're better and please believe me YOURE A BADASS SUPERWOMAN the bravery to not only share with us but to have gone through that and come out the other side with a new outlook so proud to be following such an example of a human thank you Natalie hope you stay safe and healthy too cant wait to see you perform anywhere live again ♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️
Thank you so much for sharing your story Natalie! I felt so much relief watching this because I felt like your experience helped me feel like I wasn’t alone. I would try to explain myself to friends and family, but they wouldn’t understand because they don’t use their voice, like I do. I noticed songs I would normally sing, I could barely get through, and all that came out would be air (even when I tried to switch to my head voice, I felt like I couldn’t get enough air in my lungs to support it). Singing became so uncomfortable and I would get upset because I felt like I finally found my voice and it was being taken away before I could do anything with it. Currently, I’m learning how to vocal rest and use correct technique to sustain and preserve my voice. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate you and your wisdom. It makes me feel less ashamed and more hopeful. Your story inspires me and gives me hope that there is another side to this struggle, even though I can’t see it, it’s there. ❤️❤️❤️
Thank you for sharing your experience with vocal injuries. It is true that shame seems to play a big part when we get sick or injured. There's a lot of anxiety involved so it's good that people like you share their stories to show that it's normal to feel all those feelings but at the end of the day what is most important is to take care, take a moment, regroup, heal before coming back. And having a support system is everything. I'm glad that you're better now. Stay safe, we love you!!
Thanks for this. This happened to me back in 2013 and I also had to vocal rest and re-train my voice. No singer knows what it is like until you experience it. But you can get better and you can be even better after it. I appreciate you sharing this!
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I feel like there is a lot of stigma attached to vocal injury, since it is associated with having bad technique. However, athletes still get injured even if they have excellent technique.
so so so true
Especially hemorrhages do not seem to correlate to technique issues.
My singing teacher was having a conversation with us about this, whether or not we should normalize vocal injuries the same way we normalize injuries with athletes
+ bad technique or not, vocal injuries can be devastating. we just need to have more empathy
Isabel Meyer We should. When a dancer gets injured they’ll get their rest time with almost no problem. Singers for too long have had to fight for ours. Our vocal folds ARE muscles, just like any other and as such, can also get injured. It’s the stigma of, because it’s not one of our five appendages or core, too many seems to think it’s not a real. A muscle is a muscle.
people really don’t understand that when we lose our voices our whole world is over, but thank you for showing that it’s not Natalie 💙
I felt like I was on the edge of my seat watch this video! As a singer and teacher myself, I couldn’t imagine the fear of not having access to my voice. I’m so glad you took care of yourself! No shame around vocal injuries! It can happen to anyone! 💗
You're wonderful. Vulnerability is strength 👍🌷 thank you for sharing
Yes singers support singers 😍
when she started “act” crying, I really thought she was really crying. Unless she was really crying, that acting is amazing
she’s an actress
THANK YOU, Natalie! Classical singer and voice teacher here and a big fan of yours. When successful singers like you "come out" about voice injuries, you change the culture of shame and silence for all of us. Brava!
As a future speech therapist/throat specialist and as a fan I say this: PLEASE continue to take of that voice so you can bring these AMAZING moments. I love you, and love your GIFT! It takes a lot of courage to tell everybody about vocal injuries, specially when you are a vocal coach. I'm glad it's all good and healthy!
I’m soo glad you got though this. Sending you my love. Stay stafe xxx
Honest Vocal Coach hello!!!! I love your channel
I literally gasped so loudly when you said "haemorrhage." I was totally not expecting that. I'm so glad you're better now!!
when you said "i need to pull you out for two shows" my first reaction was "yes girl, like a football player you are injured lose two shows of the season get better" very happy you mentioned it later, performers are athletes
between 2017 - 2018 i lost my voice for a WHOLE YEAR, from August 2017 to September 2018. Don't know why. I saw different doctors, i was so inflamed and swollen that my vocal chords couldn't properly stretch or vibrate past a certain point, but no doctor knew the cause of this inflammation.I tried everything but nothing worked. I've been singing since i was 3 i think, and from the age of 13 I sing everyday. Some days for hours if I'm recording something complex, and I've never lost my voice, never had nodules. I was devastated, I had more than 1 octave completely gone, above F4 it was just air, and singing easy notes like Cs or Ds would take extreme effort. Singing is my whole life and i had to learn how to live a life without singing. One day my voice simply came back, out of nowhere. In august 2017 my mother was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer, i think the stress caused this. Don't know why telling my story could mean something, but I wanted to share lol For singers singing is not just a hobby, is life.
I'm so sorry to hear that. I wouldn't know what to do if I were in your situation. I'm worried because I feel like my larynx is moving unnecessarily too much. Even when I'm talking normally. I'm scared that it might take a toll on my voice. 😥
This happened to me! I had to quit singing professionally for almost 2 years. Then suddenly it came back, I was in tears PRAYING literally praying to God that my voice never leaves me again, I've been working hard and it's now stronger than ever!
Dude thank u for sharing, i honestly need to feel like its not only me and i'll get better and my life is not over by losing my ability to sing, wish u and ur mother health🙏
I lost my voice (a whole octave from it!) last year and had to have 6 weeks of vocal rest. It was terrifying and shook my whole world and my whole identity. And it was, without doubt, an impact of grief. I lost my father shockingly and suddenly the year before and had to go back to work (singing), but I was forcing myself to sing through the shock and grief that was in my body which caused so much tension, which I again I forced myself to sing through. Unconsciously I wasn't using my diagram and I was not letting my larynx go into the "cry position" or tilt because I knew if I did I might not make it through the session... It took a lot of gentleness, softening and going back to basics (and if I'm honest, crying) to come back to my voice again.
Wow we have very similar stories. I started about the same time as you but had vocal issues from 16-19 Sounds like you may have had severe acid reflux. I had that and could barely talk for about 1-3 years. I feel ya bro it sucks.
5:22 both those riffs still sounded great though lol.
This story is heart breaking, I don't know how I'd have got through this
I had a big vocal injury 20 years ago as an actor. I got a surgery on my vocal cords. The doctor said to me: you must find a very good voice teacher if you want to keep working as an actor. Luckily, life puts Lucette Tremblay in my life, a very great teacher in Montreal. We worked together 2 to 3 times a week at the beginning. I literally had to relearned how to speak, because my “technique” was really wrong… Not only was I able to play again as an actor, but I also became an opera and musicals singers! So yes, injury’s happened, and sometimes, if you take time to see why it happened, it can be for the best! Love your work Natalie, thanks for sharing that! :)
OMG: I hemorrhaged my right vocal cord when I was going thru my divorce. I totally relate to this. Mine was from crying! Singing was my only source of income at the time & I had 2 little kids. It was the scariest thing. So glad you are ok.
Oh my, is there anything you did that helped with your voice?
I've honestly been too scared to go in and get my voice checked out, and I've been doing the exact same things you did. Coming up with SO MANY bizarre excuses especially during rehearsals of my show in February- the weather, the room, my diet. This is a wake up call 😂. I'll schedule an appointment as soon as quarantine is over.
But use lockdown as an excuse to go on vocal rest for a week. I will be amazed if you don't see any changes. Honestly its amazing. Do not speak, or make any sound at all from your voice, or drink caffeine or alcohol or smoke for 4 days and see how u feel after (go slowly the first day back speaking!) X
This was so inspiring and I'm so glad you're okay!
I’m honestly really proud of you and how you stayed strong during such a hard time ❤️
thank you for sharing this story it's so important and it helps a lot of people!
i'm so sorry you had to go through this😩glad you are better now!! you're the best ❤️
You’re too awesome 🖤 thank you for sharing with us, Natalie!!
OMG ... thank you so much for posting this and being so transparent.. this is very helpful !!
Thank you so much for sharing!! And there’s definitely no shame you or anyone should feel about this. Although, of course it’s so so scary. I’m so glad your chords are back to normal :)
Omg, I'm glad that you got through it! You are like my favorite singer and vocal teacher, take care!
You are so strong! Thank you for sharing this with your fellow singers Natalie!!
I'm literally SO HARD ON MYSELF when I'm not at 100%, so hearing you say this was really reassuring as a performer! Thank you for that
this was honestly so amazing to watch! made me emotional.
Yes! Congratulations on getting through that! Thank you for sharing your story
You have no idea how much I needed to hear this today xx
Thanks for sharing your story! It’s so important to hear stories like this and remind yourself that you haven’t done anything wrong if this happens to you. So glad you’re back and blessing us with your beautiful voice! Xx
Your voice is my medicine! So glad you're fine now!
Btw the makeup looks really nice on you :)
thank you!!!!! shedding light on mariah's situation too 🥺🥺
So happy you are okay. Thank you for sharing your story. You are such an inspiration! ❤️💜
You are literally such an inspiration! Been a fan for a really long time! Glad you’re better! Rock on.
thank you for sharing this, you can't believe how uplifting this was
It’s so important to hear messages like this. Thank you for being vulnerable. Thank you for posting.
Thanks for sharing this Natalie!! So brave of you!
Natalie that's so emotional u literally made me cry, I'm so happy ure good now! oh Gosh this seems like a tough time to go through and also made me think that I should sing more carefully and take care of my voice. hope you're staying safe too ✨✨
Thank you for your honesty, you're awesome!!!
Glad you were able to recover, me and my wife would totally miss your singing and training, Love your videos.
Thank you for this! It's so scary to get vocal injuries. I just finished my final year in a music theatre performance program and right before our auditions for our final shows AND our showcase for agents I got bronchitis and could barely speak. I even sprained a rib coughing! Recovery time sucks so much, but if you give it your full attention and take it seriously, you can get back to normal, and it felt so good when I did ❤️ I'm so glad you caught it and recovered so quickly too. Love listening to you sing! 😊
YES QUEEN! Thanks for sharing your story with us
So glad to hear you’re doing well and moved through the injury with grace, vulnerability and resilience. Musicians are absolutely athletes! Thanks so much for sharing.
wowwwww, loved this video. so glad you're feeling better. I can't imagine how scary that must be. Our vocals are literally our identity
I'm so glad that you've recovered! You have an incredible voice and I've learned SO much from your videos. Vocal injuries are super scary and I hope you never have to go through anything like that again!
thank you for sharing, very brave and strong of you. glad to hear you're on the mend now. we love you x
OMG this is so helpful. Thank you so much for sharing this & happy you're back in action!
Natalie, you are amazing in every way. Thank you for sharing and I am so happy you got through the challenges.
Thank you for sharing all these processes! I am really impressed 🙏🏻♥️♥️
Thank you for sharing this. This is very encouraging and mind opening for us singers!
Thank you for sharing your vocal journey!!! #endthestigmaofvocalinjury
Ugh thank you so much for talking about this Natalie! I have the exact same fear...literally anything shifts and I'm worried I'll never sing again. It sounds so intense that you had to go through this, it must have been so stressful but I'm glad you came out stronger the other side. Sending you so much love X
Thank you for sharing that with us. It's very important to take care of our instrument. And I am soooo happy that you're better!
omg Im so glad you recovered! Vocal injuries are so scary
Thank you for this. We need more of this honestly and vulnerability.
thank you for being so honest with us, Natalie! don't forget to take care of yourself. the world needs your voice and so do we.
Thank You sooooo much for sharing this. I wish more singers shared stories like this. I also had some similar vocal issues and it all came to a head 2 years ago when i found out i had to have surgery and was scared that i would never sing again or that my voice would be completely different. I had the surgery Jan 2019 and even though everything went great I completely lost my confidence with my voice and I didn't sing again until March of this year. Hearing you talk about how your voice is literally everything is how a lot of us singers feel, i unfortunately couldn't get over my fears quick enough but I tell all my friends that sing to take care of their instruments and to always trust their body, if something feels off get checked. Thank You again!! ❤️
You’re in an inspiration! Thank God you’re fully recovered! The world 🌎 needs your voice! Be well always! Blessings 🙏
That was so sensitive and humble... Is really brave to talk about this topic as a singer.
Thank you for sharing your story! As singers or musical performers we have to accept that injuries can happen. You ‘re great Natalie! Love from Italy ❤️🇮🇹
This is the MOST HELPFUL VIDEO EVER. Thank you so much for sharing. Being that you are a voice teacher, it’s so so important that you tell us these things and expose us to this kind of information about all vocal possibilities, and it was very brave of you to do so. Thank you, I’m glad you’re doing well now :)
Appreciate you Natalie! Thank you for opening up about this. Knowing how hard vocal injuries are, not only physically but almost more so mentally, it's nice to be reminded sometimes that we are not the only person in the world who has dealt with them, and that there can be a light at the end injury of the tunnel
Thank you for sharing and I'm so glad you healed in a relatively short period of time. I had vocal nodules years ago that took months to heal. I cried when I could finally sing at my highest register again. Love your videos!
Thank you for posting this. Your story is really inspiring. I'm a pianist and I injured my hand and it still isn't better. I'm really worried about my career. But hearing others go through similar things gives me hope.
Thank you so much for sharing this. What you described your voice as when you were younger sounds just like what I’m going through. I used to have no head voice, just air, and then I developed it but all of the sudden in the past couple of months, my voice is producing two notes at the same time, the technique that has always worked for me doesn’t feel right, I feel out of control of my voice. It’s so so scary, especially now because I’m a senior about to go to college for MT, and I can’t get to a doctor because of the lockdown. It’s comforting to know someone as talented as you has gone through this and to hear that it’s not necessarily my fault. I would LOVE to hear you talk more about vocal health in the future!
Thank you for your sincerity on this subject! Means a lot to us fellow singers. Good luck 🍀
Thank you so much for sharing, Natalie. Your vulnerability and advice are appreciated
Insane that you went through that!!! I'd absolutely die if it happened to me. I'm so glad you were able to heal in time for the premier.
Thank you for sharing your story! Very impactful and really relatable when it comes to the feeling of not being able to sing at your best. I have vasovagal too and I feel a lot better knowing I have this in common with one of the best singers out there!
Thank you so much for sharing this. It helps me learn a lot as a singer and rare countertenor.
Thank you for sharing. This is so important! I'll never forget ""We are athletes as singers."
Truth!
I'm so happy that you got through this Natalie.
Thank you so much for sharing this. I am in CONSTANT fear of a vocal injury even though I am singing properly, so to hear that you made it through this is so reassuring. I am so happy your voice is back to normal❤️ again, thank you for sharing this
Omg thank you for this feedback, I learned 2 months ago that i have some vocal issues, i'm a singer and I teach singing too. I was thinking that i will never get back my voice and never be able to teach ! Your message gives me hope again, thank you for that :) ! I'm glad you recovered your beautiful and amazing voice. Kiss from France :)
thank you so much for sharing! I can relate. By sharing your story, you help others and that is why we are here. You are just fabulous.
That must of been so scary to go through. I’m glad everything turned out okay! 💙 (also....obsessed with that riff around 5:16😍 and was wondering if I could make a track/song with it...already have a beat in my head, so hoping it’s okay).
I’m so sorry that happened to you, losing your voice is the SCARIEST thing, I lost my voice 100% right before our opening night for putnam county spelling bee and i was playing chip and olives dad, so the two most high belty obnoxious characters in the show and when it started all i could do was cry. My voice and singing has been something that has literally saved my life and I get depressed thinking about life without singing. So on top of my already rough mental state i new we were opening the show in 2 days but! my vocal teacher gave me throat coat and i was silent for those 2 days and out of some miracle my voice was perfect opening night, I went from having no voice to hitting a C5 in Pandemonium (one of the best songs in the show tbh) but it really does go to show how staying completely silent for a few days can really do wonders for a voice. MUCH LOVE !! you are so brave for sharing this with us and I hope you never have to experience something like that again 💕💕💕💕
You are my role-model and hero and to know that you have a similar vocal history to me (I also never stopped talking as a kid and had nodules at 13 due to bad training), is so reassuring for me as an artist and aspiring vocalist. Thank you so much for all that you do and for who you are ❤️
I really needed to hear this. Thank you so much.
Thank you so, SO much for sharing this story! Back when I was in high school, I started having some vocal issues (scratchy throat, hoarseness, etc.) and I was TERRIFIED I would lose my voice forever. On top of that, my parents refused to pay for voice lessons so that and any kind of visit to an ENT was out of the question. I have a lot of anxiety and always jump to the worst conclusion, so of course I made myself sick worrying and thinking I would soon never sing again.
Jump forward to now and I have been able to finally invest in my own voice lessons. I feel so confident with my voice, and now I understand that injuries can happen, and it is all about balance and respecting your body. No need to immediately worry and think the world is ending, just take care of yourself and do what you can to heal!
I’m glad to hear your voice is back to 100% Natalie. Keep killing it!
Thank you for sharing your storie, Natalie, and helping to end the stigma around vocal injuries! You are a champion.
Thank you for sharing. Vocal teachers talk about being careful and taking care of the voice but no one ever explains what actually happens if you don't. Thank you for the description. I've heard singers being called vocal athletes but now have an appreciation for what that means from your description and how to better rest the voice. So glad you got through that ok.
Gripping and relatable.
Thanks for sharing it.
You've encouraged me to get checked out. I've had bad whooping cough and then corona and my voice just isn't getting better.
Thank you so much for sharing this. I'm so glad I saw this video. I knew something wasnt right a few months ago and went to my doctor to be on the waiting list to see a specialist ENT. I'm still waiting but I definitely carry a lot of shame around my voice, around singing and just constantly feel inadequate or like I've peaked. So thank you for affirming the light at the end of it all💖
I also just want to say thank you for sharing. It's good and important to get the big (and smaller) stories out there. I've also had some voice injury due to overworking my voice. We heal, if we take care
Wow, I really applaud your honesty and vulnerability in sharing your experience. Having a strong support system can make such a difference in how one processes something like this. As a professional singer, I completely empathize with all the rollercoaster feelings that came up. Hearing your story is inspiring for me as I always think that I've "lost it" when anything goes wrong vocally. I think you are going to help a lot of other singers who have experienced anything like this. Thank you for sharing your story. I think you are a great singer and teacher and incredibly brave.
Thank you so much for this, i really needed this motivation!! Im 16 and i have partially hardened vocal nodules and its been pretty tough dealing with them for as long as i have. My voice was my everything and had only just started my work with theatre a singing lessons then suddenly i lost two whole octaves, i felt like my world was just melting away. Your story is really inspiring and i hope i will recover just like you did!!
Thank you for being so vulnerable with us. I’m sure that this was a difficult experience for you, I can’t even imagine. I am so happy that you made a full recovery. You’re incredible, Natalie. We love you ♥️♥️
Thank you for sharing! We all completely understand your freak out and near melt down. I panic sometimes when my allergies are flaring that I'll never sing again and I'm not even a pro.
Thank you so much for sharing Natalie, I admire you now even more than ever and I'll always look up to you as a singer and a teacher, one of the very few great ones...love from Argentina!
This was such a beneficial story to hear. You are absolutely incredible and such an inspiration to me. I am more than happy to have heard your story. Thank you so much for sharing!
Thank you for sharing your story so grateful you're better and please believe me YOURE A BADASS SUPERWOMAN the bravery to not only share with us but to have gone through that and come out the other side with a new outlook so proud to be following such an example of a human thank you Natalie hope you stay safe and healthy too cant wait to see you perform anywhere live again ♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️
Thank you so much for sharing your story Natalie! I felt so much relief watching this because I felt like your experience helped me feel like I wasn’t alone. I would try to explain myself to friends and family, but they wouldn’t understand because they don’t use their voice, like I do. I noticed songs I would normally sing, I could barely get through, and all that came out would be air (even when I tried to switch to my head voice, I felt like I couldn’t get enough air in my lungs to support it). Singing became so uncomfortable and I would get upset because I felt like I finally found my voice and it was being taken away before I could do anything with it. Currently, I’m learning how to vocal rest and use correct technique to sustain and preserve my voice. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate you and your wisdom. It makes me feel less ashamed and more hopeful. Your story inspires me and gives me hope that there is another side to this struggle, even though I can’t see it, it’s there. ❤️❤️❤️
The vasovagal is so real! I felt it for a second when you mentioned the feeling. Not TMI at all but so so real especially in doctor's offices
Amazingly i stayed and finished your video. Such a great talker.
Thank you for sharing this. Very insightful. Much love from the UK 🇬🇧
Thank you for sharing your experience with vocal injuries. It is true that shame seems to play a big part when we get sick or injured. There's a lot of anxiety involved so it's good that people like you share their stories to show that it's normal to feel all those feelings but at the end of the day what is most important is to take care, take a moment, regroup, heal before coming back. And having a support system is everything. I'm glad that you're better now. Stay safe, we love you!!
Thanks for this. This happened to me back in 2013 and I also had to vocal rest and re-train my voice. No singer knows what it is like until you experience it. But you can get better and you can be even better after it. I appreciate you sharing this!
Omg thank you for speaking up. Imagine how Mariah feels. 😭😭😭
Natalie: thank you for sharing this. It is really REALLY helpful and necessary to talk about this subject. Thank you