A couple weeks ago, R&B singer Alicia Keys was forced to cancel a performance in Cleveland, OH. The show was scheduled to take place on April 26th before Keys decided to cancel. Earlier last week, Keys canceled another show. That one was supposed to be held in Pittsburgh, PA.

Why did she cancel, you might ask? Keys was suffering from swollen vocal chords, making it impossible for her to sing.

Of course, Keys isn’t the only one that has suffered from swollen vocal chords. Former “American Idol” winner and current pop star Jordin Sparks suffered a similar problem recently. Ironically, Sparks was the opening act on Alicia Keys’ tour. She was forced to miss several shows because of her illness.

Most people see concerts or watch artists perform on TV, and don’t realize the enormous pressures of being a singer. It seems like a glamorous life, because as a viewer, you’re only seeing this person for five minutes as they sing on “Saturday Night Live” or “Letterman” or “Good Morning America.” But the effort that goes into those five minutes is incredible. Singers are constantly singing. They do tons of interviews and performances. You just never see/hear most of them because they’re on programs you don’t watch, or confined to certain markets where you don’t live. Singers go on tour and perform 2-hour sets every night for months straight. That’s two straight hours of intense singing, because after all, they want to give their best effort every night. When they aren’t on stage, they often doing vocal warm-ups backstage. Warm-ups don’t require the energy of a live performance, but they do add to the constant tension on one’s vocal chords. It’s something that’s hard to imagine if you haven’t been there.

And it’s not just singing. We all know that the keys to being healthy are getting proper rest and maintaining a low-stress lifestyle. Neither of these things come to fruition when you live the life of a pop star. Between practice, recording, press and performances, singers are often putting in 12-hour days. It’s not uncommon for a huge pop star to get only a couple hours of sleep a night, which is devastating on the vocal chords. And then of course we’ve all heard about the partying that goes on. But even without the partying, there are constant stress factors that affect a singer’s health.

That’s why you see this sort of thing all the time. It’s not just Alicia Keys and Jordin Sparks. Bono of U2, a veteran who’s been doing this almost 30 years, still has to use an oxygen tank and try not to talk on U2’s off-days. Chester Bennington of Linkin Park, known for having one of the most intense and loudest voices on the planet, has spent his share of time in the hospital. Nearly everyone who has worked as a singer has suffered a vocal chord injury of illness at some point.

So if you’re one of the people who was supposed to see Alicia Keys, only to have it canceled, you’re probably upset. Try to see it from the singer’s standpoint. They need to rest those vocal chords in order to give great performances. After all, a singer can’t survive off ringtones alone.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/music-articles/most-people-dont-understand-the-stress-of-being-a-singer-404131.html

Jason Gluckman is a freelance writer specializing in music, entertainment, social issues and self-improvement. He occasionally contributes to Shoutmouth.com.