I’ve had an unexpected few days at home and it’s been wonderful.
Nothing beats relaxing on your sofa, eating home-made food and sleeping in your own bed.
We had to cancel the final few shows of the tour because Lewis was really unwell with bronchitis and all that coughing makes it impossible to sing.
He is such a lovely man who didn’t want to let his fans down and kept performing until he was just too unwell to continue. I really felt for him.
Back in the day on a much smaller scale of course, I had to let understudies take over from me for a few performances when I was ill.
I remember once having a dreadful chest infection and having to miss opening night.
Opening night in the opera world is when the critics and the press come and it’s the most important show of the run.
I remember being so upset, as at that point in my life my career was just taking off and it was such a blow. It’s a horrible thing to have to do. No singer wants to miss a performance they have rehearsed for.
Solo performance
However, in contrast I remember being a soloist in Handel’s Messiah in Basingstoke (I used to travel around the country singing with choral societies).
Anyway, on this particular night, the cold I had been fighting off just set in as the day went on and by the time of the show it was too late to cancel or get a replacement.
I think an announcement was made that I was unwell but I’m sure most of the audience just though I was a bad singer.
That really zapped my confidence for a long time and the fact I still remember it clearly today shows just how much it affected me.
Potential damage to vocal cords
Illness can strike any performer but as a singer it’s a whole different ball game when it affects your throat.
And of course, there is also the issue of potentially damaging the vocal cords.
Many high-profile singers have of course had to have operations for nodules or bleeds.
These are usually caused by straining, singing badly, partying too much or just not looking after your voice but they can also be caused by singing on an infection.
This is the last thing that a singer wants.
Many have recovered well and their careers have got back on track after a few months of silence but it’s always a risk.
Look at Julie Andrews for example who was never able to sing again after her surgery.
My job is of course to train singers not to strain their voices and to use them in a safe way.
I make my singers think like athletes. But when illness strikes it’s so much harder to sing safely.
Singing on an infection or a bad cold can be dangerous for the voice so any singers out there unsure whether to carry on when ill, just think, is this one gig worth risking your voice long term?
It’s always best to err on the side of caution if you can. Of course, some singers just mime if they can’t perform.
It only really works with pop or dance acts though and sometimes people just mime the high notes or a difficult song.
Of course, my lips are sealed as to which acts I have worked with who do this!
One thing’s for sure Lewis Capaldi isn’t one of them! He is as live as you get. As many TV shows who have had to beep out his swearing know!
Back in London
Anyway, for now I’m back to work in London and I’m even quite happy to be doing the commute.
Well I’m saying that as I write this on the way in. My mood might have changed by the time I get home.
Yet again there are strikes taking place on the London Underground which means a very long walk from St Pancras where my train arrives, to Chelsea where I am working.
By long I mean an hour and a half on foot. I’ve put my trainers on and I’m ready.
I think I told you that I’ve been enjoying getting to know many European cities in the past few weeks by walking for miles. So why not do the same here I thought.
It makes the day very long though. I definitely will have a spring in my step on the way to work but I might be a bit less enthusiastic on the way back to St Pancras.
But after over three hours of walking, I will be feeling pretty smug with my step count.
Have a good week,
Yvie x
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