Fans of Shakira may be more than a bit concerned about the singer's latest news.
Last month, the Colombian crooner revealed that she needed surgery after doctors uncovered a hemorrhage on her vocal cords. The 40-year-old mother of two announced on Instagram that her 2018 concert dates would be rescheduled because of the surgery.
“I then went on vocal rest as recommended by the specialists in an attempt to recover in time for my first show in Cologne,” she said in her statement. “Unfortunately the hemorrhage doesn’t appear to have reabsorbed and my nightmare continues. At the moment I find myself in a difficult battle as I try to fully recover.”
Since that announcement, the "Hips Don't Lie" singer shared an update about her recovery, letting fans in on the unfortunate news that her "El Dorado World Tour" has been postponed until June of 2018.
"To my dear fans and friends, I wanted to write one more letter to express my gratitude to all of you for the immeasurable love and support that you have sent me these past few weeks," she said in a statement.
“Though I very much hoped to be able to recover my vocal cords in time to pick the tour back up in January,” she continued, “and after exploring many options to that effect, I have accepted that this is an injury that simply needs more time and care to heal. I feel for all of you who planned ahead to come to these shows and who have been so patient as I took the time needed to figure out the best course of action with my doctors.”
Shakira joins a long list of musical heavyweights who have gone silent as a result of vocal cord surgeries.
British singers Sam Smith and Adele both underwent the risky surgery in 2014 and 2011, respectively, while postponing several tour dates to recover. Similarly, Meghan Trainor, Ariana Grande and John Mayer all suffered through damage to their voices.
"The Sound of Music's" Julie Andrews underwent the scary surgery back in 1997, but unlike the majority of singers, a botched surgery to repair noncancerous nodules on her chords lead to a devastating loss of her well-known soprano voice — although it led to her being the modern star we know today.
"If it had happened earlier, it would have been really devastating. As it was, it was devastating," she told People magazine in 2015. "I thought at the time [of the surgery,] my voice was what I am. But it seems it's not all that I am."
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