Sam Smith Needs Surgery

[JackCee]

Hey guys, if you do not know Sam Smith he is a super awesome pop/r&b singer - I thought he had an amazing technique but now I found out he has to undergo surgery. He has been singing with a vocal hemorrhage and is going to need surgery. The doctors have told him to rest until his voice is fully healed or it can become a long term issue. I personally thought he had a wonderful technique able to sing in either register very easy and not sacrifice his lower notes. Not sure why the bleeding on his vocal cords occured maybe he overwork himself or simply is singing in a way he should not be. You can read more about it here http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/sam-smith-to-undergo-vocal-cord-surgery-following-hemorrhage-20150507 . What do you guys think? Hopefully all goes well for Sam he is a great artist and unfortunately had to cancel his Australian tour. 

[Jarom]

My guess was that he didn't warm up and warm down before and after shows.......that would cause problems even with good technique during the shows, but could that really cause serious damage? I know steven tyler had to get surgery because he got in an argument after a show and didn't warm down.... maybe its something similar to that

[VideoHere]

Sadly, good technique does not guarantee immunity from vocal ailments.  When I had my polyp, I was shit scared and studied and searched like a madman for answers.  The doctors and the speech therapist both said that it could be a sudden "anything" such as a severe cough, a scream or yell, and it can happen to anyone at any time. 

Incorrect voice use is not limited to singing, it has a lot to with how you speak....

Whether you speak in the best pitch center, whether you allow inflection or speak more monotone, whether you support your speaking,  all the same stuff, are you too breathy a speaker?........,...... 

These are wounds, just like any blister or scrape....

Plus you have to maintain consistent hydration so the folds stay supple and more cushiony ....hydration is like support...it's importance gets underemphasized sometimes.

 

 

[ronws]

Listen to Bob. He suffered a vocal malady and the easy answer was to think he was singing wrong. But sometimes, feces occurs, even with good technique.

Learn from the lessons of Tom Kiefer from Cinderella. He had problems and thought he had developed polyps, and even he assumed it was a technical issue. Uncountable visits to get scoped showed no polyps. Finally, he found a doctor that thought of something else. Turns out he has paresis on the left side. So, yes, he did take lessons, after taking lessons with so many others, with Ron Anderson. A way of training around the paresis problem because there is no cure or corrective surgery. That being said, he did get laser surgery to get rid of bleeders.

So, for Sam Smith to have surgery does not automatically mean that he has had bad technique. There could be other underlying issues that finally came to the forefront and I would hesitate to say that a pro singing career speeded it up, though that could be a possiblity.

I don't care how good your technique is at what you do, whether it is electrical work or singing. You can work yourself so much and get exhausted and incur physical injury, regardless of technique. 

Maybe some day Sam will talk about it.

[Owen Korzec]

I've talked with several singers and coaches about this, the general consensus is that we don't know. It's pretty peculiar considering he didn't sound like he pushed much and his schedule leading up to his hemorrhage was NOT intense.

[Owen Korzec]

I know steven tyler had to get surgery because he got in an argument after a show and didn't warm down.... maybe its something similar to that

​Where did you hear that? that's insteresting

[Jarom]

I know steven tyler had to get surgery because he got in an argument after a show and didn't warm down.... maybe its something similar to that

​Where did you hear that? that's insteresting

​i don't remember i think i heard it in an interview 

[Gsoul82]

Hey guys, if you do not know Sam Smith he is a super awesome pop/r&b singer - I thought he had an amazing technique but now I found out he has to undergo surgery. He has been singing with a vocal hemorrhage and is going to need surgery. The doctors have told him to rest until his voice is fully healed or it can become a long term issue. I personally thought he had a wonderful technique able to sing in either register very easy and not sacrifice his lower notes. Not sure why the bleeding on his vocal cords occured maybe he overwork himself or simply is singing in a way he should not be. You can read more about it here http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/sam-smith-to-undergo-vocal-cord-surgery-following-hemorrhage-20150507 . What do you guys think? Hopefully all goes well for Sam he is a great artist and unfortunately had to cancel his Australian tour. 

​

Yeah, he got the surgery already. There was an awards show on last night where he won something, but they said he was recovering from surgery, so he couldn't be there. They then brought him up on the big screen and he accepted using big note cards.

Who really knows if it was bad technique or he overworked. He just got big last year, so maybe he wasn't used to touring.

[D.Starr]

• Alcohol
• Drugs
• Shouting
• Warm up/down
• Dry cords
• Excessive/Abrasive talking
• Screaming or yelling
• Singing loudly
• Coughing
• Hydration

The list goes on. We as outsiders cannot comment on his behaviour or technique.

The pressure to perform every night can push you past your normal point, late nights, alcohol, drug abuse. It all factors in.

 

Just because he can smash those notes out doesn't mean he has perfect technique. Look at Adele & Michael Jackson, both had on and off days.

[Elvis]

I can think of another thing why his cords were bleeeding but i wont be that impolite xD

 

Also i dont think anything Steven Tyler did was good technique so im not very surprised about his vocal cords dmg

[Danielformica]

It's not bad technique... It's called being on tour for a couple years straight and recording and doing interviews. If you stay in your bedroom and sing everyday even with awful technique you will most likely be fine. But if you get out on the road and get no sleep shitty food, no rest, stress, etc. even with the greatest of great technique you could end up with problems. 

Pop stars don't get to rest. Look at any famous opera singers schedule you will see 1 day on 3 off. And they even end up with problems. 

[Robert Lunte]

It's not bad technique... It's called being on tour for a couple years straight and recording and doing interviews. If you stay in your bedroom and sing everyday even with awful technique you will most likely be fine. But if you get out on the road and get no sleep shitty food, no rest, stress, etc. even with the greatest of great technique you could end up with problems. 

Pop stars don't get to rest. Look at any famous opera singers schedule you will see 1 day on 3 off. And they even end up with problems. 

​Yes, this is true... but... 

We are not talking about Bruce Dickinson here? Sam Smith sings so light... I am not convinced that someone that sings that light has to BLEED and have vocal surgery on their voice. What amount of , lack of rest and bad food and performing... would make your voice bleed... especially if your a light mass crooner like Smith? 

I don't know... my gut tells me there is more to the story here... 

[Danielformica]

its the same injury adele had and a few others from american idol it has nothing to do with how 'thick' a singer sounds.  think of it like curling 5lbs all day with only a couple hours putting it down and while you are doing this elements like heat,cold air,low moisture,drying etc are not helping..  the blood vessels swell up and come more to the surface where the cords are touching and swelling and if they don't get a chance to chill the hemorrhage

[Danielformica]

even the great caruso had a hemorrhage

[Danielformica]

one more thing to add.. there are always exceptions to every rule meaning certain singers will never have issues ..Randy Couture a famous MMA athlete never had injuries. he fought well into his 40's. Most guys have injuries in their 20's but he is a freak. So Bruce could very well just be an exception to the rule as I know many other like my friends who sing great with no lessons, scream into a pillow to maybe warm up and have had no issues whatsoever and they are reaching 60 if not 60 and still sing 5 days a week. and sing Dio etc

[Owen Korzec]

I just heard recently around this time Sam Smith lost 14 pounds in 14 days and that sudden weight loss it might have something to do with the injury. It makes sense too...that change is so sudden, how the heck could you sing the same way and not get hurt while on what was probably a borderline starvation diet or pill?

[Felipe Carvalho]

Dan, did you ever had hemorrhage?

[Danielformica]

No never had anything accept some swelling.. Recently have seen 3 specialists all three said I have "beautiful cords" ????

[ronws]

its the same injury adele had and a few others from american idol it has nothing to do with how 'thick' a singer sounds.  think of it like curling 5lbs all day with only a couple hours putting it down and while you are doing this elements like heat,cold air,low moisture,drying etc are not helping..  the blood vessels swell up and come more to the surface where the cords are touching and swelling and if they don't get a chance to chill the hemorrhage

​A football coach could find himself looking for a job if he played his starters straight through the entire game without a rest. Even professionally trained athletes, with warm-up and everything, can be overworked.

 

[Felipe Carvalho]

No never had anything accept some swelling.. Recently have seen 3 specialists all three said I have "beautiful cords" ????

Why not? Luck?

[JohnnyL]

The list goes on. We as outsiders cannot comment on his behaviour or technique.

The pressure to perform every night can push you past your normal point, late nights, alcohol, drug abuse. It all factors in.

​This. 

A good diet is important. For example - I stopped drinking beer when I've started singing - last time I tried singing after drinking beer made me literally burp the notes when I tried to sing them and left me with a stomach-ache. I became a "taster" as opposed to "drinker" in the last year. Sam Smith might party hard, he is in the age when that's what most of us do. 

Also, as a professional pop singer he might not get a night off when he's not feeling well enough to sing. On an intense tour it must have an impact. 

I'm not sure how and why it might happen to someone - but really, I don't think that good technique can protect you beyond a certain limit. 

[Felipe Carvalho]

You can learn how to protect your voice, you can also manage to rest under demand, you can choose to NOT use drugs and drink, etc.

Of course, if I pierce my larynx with a drill it will bleed, but its something that I surely can avoid. It does not matter if your choices are going to take a longer time to achieve it  , it IS up to you.

[Robert Lunte]

I found this online:

Hemorrhage 

 

A vocal cord hemorrhage occurs when blood collects within the layers of the vocal cord after a blood vessel breakes. Vocal cord hemorrhages are essentially bruises of the vocal cord.  Singers and others who use their voices often who experience a sudden change in the voice should be concerned for a hemorrhage, and evaluated immediately to prevent long term damage.

Vocal cord hemorrhages occur after a traumatic voice event such as:

• Screaming or yelling
• Singing loudly
• Coughing
• Voice overuse or misuse.

Symptoms of vocal cord hemorrhage include:

• Hoarseness
• Rough voice
• Vocal fatigue, or tiring with overuse

Diagnosis of a vocal cord hemorrhage:

Diagnosis of vocal fold hemorrhage is made during laryngoscopy and stroboscopy. Diagnosis of a vocal fold hemorrhage is very important; if one continues to sing or talk with a hemorrhage, scarring of the vocal fold layers and permanent voice changes may occur.

Treatments:

A vocal fold hemorrhage is treated with voice rest. Hemorrhage can worsen if the voice is continually used, potentially causing irreversible vocal fold scar. Close follow up with laryngoscopy is important to ensure that the hemorrhage resolves.

At times, after the hemorrhage resolves an irregular vessel may be identified as the cause of a hemorrhage. Microlaryngoscopy and laser surgery may be used to ablate irregular vessels, preventing future hemorrhage from occurring.

See Red on the Left Fold

[VideoHere]

Dan is right....it depends on the individual.  Some voices can withstand more abuse than others.

And believe me when I tell you, it can be one unsupported, violent scream, just one and you can end up in trouble.

Both my E.N.T. and the speech therapist told me many times it has to do with many factors and how you speak is a big one. 

 

[Felipe Carvalho]

And why abuse or misuse to begin with? Thats what I dont understand.