Here’s more proof that voice is the hardest ‘instrument’ to play. Now, fast-rising r&b superstar SZA is battling serious vocal cord issues.
We first caught wind of a problem when SZA departed the TDE Championship Tour. SZA, aka Solána Imani Rowe, cited issues with her vocal cords as the reason for the unexpected exit.
But the artist stormed back, rejoining TDE and recently performing at Madison Square Garden. But that ‘triumphant return’ may be short-lived: according to the singer, the MSG performance highlighted some serious injuries.
In a series of now-deleted tweets, SZA (inked to Top Dawg/RCA) declared that ‘my voice is permanently injured,’ citing the MSG performance as proof.
“My voice is permanently injured,” SZA tweeted last night. “Tonight was the test. That settles that. ??”
In a subsequent tweet, the singer eluded to a possible break from the spotlight. “I just wanna be left alone my priorities are fucked up. They been fucked up. I need space goodbye.”
The tweets are now gone, but were captured by Vulture.
Apparently, this isn’t a brand-new situation. Earlier this month, the artist revealed that she’d been taking steroids and other methods to revive her voice. “I’ve been touring for 11 months,” Rowe stated. “This didn’t happen overnight. I’ve been troubleshooting for a while now and usually steroids and pushing through help.”
“They don’t this time . I’m not sick my voice just won’t fucking work? ??♀️. If I don’t pause now I’ll be forced to pause permanently.”
Here’s a quick video of the performance at Madison Square Garden from last night.
Whether the damage is permanent is unclear, though SZA could be over-exaggerating. Actually, fans are hoping that’s the case. Of course, this isn’t the first time a big artist has experienced vocal cord problems, though extended rest is often required for full recuperation.