When voice loss happens while the world is watching

Cynthia Erivo has dazzled in her portrayal of Elphaba in Wicked and Wicked: For Good. 

​Just before the NYC premiere, she lost her voice.

Voice loss can happen to any of us, at any time. 

Whether you use your voice for your livelihood, speaking or singing or both, the risk for voice injury is higher because the amount of use is higher. 

Add to that a multitude of variables, like stress, laryngitis or other illness, travel and/or change in environments, or poor sleep, and the risk can increase.  There is consistent monitoring needed to minimize the impact.  That’s why strategic, preventative voice care protocols matter. 
But life happens. And when voice loss strikes, mere days before a keynote speech, or an important presentation at the office, during an audiobook recording, or a movie premiere with insane tour schedules, it can be heartbreaking, frustrating, and worrisome. 
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The sound quality can be reduced to a mere squeak, barely a whisper, or a combination of a breathy and raspy weak tone that sounds (and feels) extra effortful & pushed to produce. 
When the listener hears a voice quality change, most of the time, there is a response of understanding, sympathy, or patience in communication.  

But of course, the opposite reactions are still too prevalent:  For some voice professionals, voice loss is brushed off as no big deal, “just push through, you’ll be fine”, judged or shamed as if “they should have known better” or “she’s just putting it on as a trend”, even reinforced as “sexy, sultry or desirable” all of which can introduce a whole host of misconceptions and additional emotional load. 
Even more curious:  How often are men chastised for the way their voice sounds? 
(spoiler alert: rarely).  

The comments on IG about Cynthia's ordeal really showed who gets it, and who clearly doesn't.   My comments hopefully brought perspective.

 
​We all have unique auditory preferences - what sounds pleasing to us, and what doesn't.  Yet, I would never want a young girl to hear the first 15 seconds of this interview of Cynthia Erivo on Jimmy Fallon and think “oh! That is a sound that is popular and will be acceptable?  I’ll try to sound like that!’  ​

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Yes, there are ways to sound sultry, husky and sexy with your voice without it stemming from swollen vocal folds or tissue damage.  But ask yourself, what is your motivation?    

I guarantee Cynthia has a stellar Laryngology medical team supporting her recovery. The way she is speaking in this interview is the max of what her voice capacity is at that moment, and she’s not trying to push or force, which is the exact correct choice.
Between all the dry, tiring airplane trips back and forth from NY to London, the strategic interviews to reduce her overall amount of speaking, and the extra activities she needs to do in order to triage her voice throughout this voice loss period, it is imperative that she prioritizes this asset in her neck.  

Ten days after the Wicked For Good premiere, Cynthia opened the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade, and sang Feeling Good by Nina Simone (in that incredible cranberry fit! So fabulous!).  While there is still audible breathiness and rasp in her tone, and she had to push a bit to reach some of the higher pitches, this was a strategic song choice given the lower range and pacing that can allow her to navigate through the areas where her voice had already greatly recovered.  She is a highly-trained singer with the physical and vocal conditioning to achieve this type of wonderful performance without jeopardizing her voice further. 

Between illness (like laryngitis) and insane press tours, so many performers are at increased risk for voice loss.  She was smart to not give any interviews at the NYC premier.  

Yet people say "But I'm not a professional singer."  True, but, if you require your speaking voice to do your job, you are a voice professional.  Take it a step further - just as an athlete trains and conditions for their sport, you are a Vocal Athlete who can train and condition your voice to withstand the intensity and frequency of how much you speak in order to support your livelihood.  

During my clinical voice career, I’ve been in the room assessing and scoping the throats of this caliber of singer, and speakers alike, and even with the best care, the best prognosis, 99% of the time the person has fears:
‘Will my voice ever fully return?”  
“Will I be able to speak as much as I used to?” 
“What happens if I can’t belt out that battle cry or ballad?”  
"What if I have to cancel that speaking engagement?" 

Your voice is an asset. Without it, would you be as successful in your career? 

Would your income be limited without a reliable, healthy voice? 

The way each professional manages their voice can be unique, but there are a few myths that need to be addressed:    

1. Whispering is harmful for your voice: It can be wiser to whisper gently in some situations. Harsh or forced whisper is the harmful version to avoid. 
2. Just be silent until your voice returns; This is situation specific - 3 days of voice rest is a typical duration at onset of voice loss (for example, Justin Timberlake was on voice rest during Jimmy Fallon interview in 2018) or after certain voice surgeries, but beyond that, staying silent will not necessarily improve recovery and being silent too long can have a de-conditioning effect (similar to a muscle de-conditioning from lack of use).  
3. Drink lemon tea & honey and take lots of steamy showers: This can be incredibly soothing as it is extremely important to keep the delicate tissues of the nose and throat hydrated with increased moisture, but, remember: what you drink doesn’t touch your vocal folds, and, inhaling steam is only 1 piece of the recovery puzzle. 

What each of these myths fails to capture is the fact that, similar to that runner who has sprained their ankle, the muscle and tissue layers of the vocal folds benefit from mobility to regain full function - gentle, specific and effective exercises in certain timing and duration that encourage the healing properties of voice mechanism to recover faster. 
​From the basketball player circling their ankles, to vocal folds vibrating with hums, buzzing, lips trills and more, your dedication to voice care as soon as the symptoms arise will result in restoration of function sooner, and, peace of mind that your resilient instrument will once again thrive.​

Voice Emergency Kit

​p.s. When voice loss strikes, recover more effectively with the Voice Emergency Kit - an evidence-based protocol that can start you on the healing path, with the option to add 1:1 custom support by Brienne to maximize & expedite results.  

p.p.s. If you know your speaking voice needs to be trained like an athlete to remain reliable, clear and sound you’re very best in any situation, then book your Voice Clarity Call.  We will discuss your speaking voice needs, you can ask me any questions and you'll receive a summary with recommendations and ways to work together to keep your voice vibrant and healthy for years to come!