Jessie J Emotionally Reveals Dramatic Throat Condition Battle
In an emotional Instagram post on Friday, singer Jessie J opened up about a throat condition that [...]
In an emotional Instagram post on Friday, singer Jessie J opened up about a throat condition that has required her to see a speech therapist. The 33-year-old singer, whose real name is Jessica Cornish, revealed that she was diagnosed with acid reflux earlier this year and that made it difficult for her to sing. This also had an impact on her overall health, especially since singing is "literally my lifeline and my happiness," she said.
Jessie posted a video of herself softly singing her latest single, "I Want Love." She filmed the video for her speech therapist so she could hear Jessie J's voice. Hearing herself singing "I Want Love" made her "feel so vulnerable whilst singing brought me to tears," she wrote. She has not been able to sing the new song since she recorded it because of the pain. "Man it's been hard not singing. It's literally my lifeline and my happiness," she wrote. "Being quiet is not something I'm good at. Or makes me feel like myself. Lord knows I'm loud af."
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The moment she realized she could not sing was the same moment she realized she had to be "honest with myself and honest with" her fans about her health. "To be totally real, to have your support and love would help me get through this faster I'm sure," she wrote. "I've always been honest however hard it feels. It's important to be strong enough to be weak. Especially on a platform like this."
This was just the start of Jessie's comments though, as she posted a longer statement in her Instagram Stories. She revealed that she considered never opening up about her acid reflux because she thought it would be solved by now. "But it is not," she wrote. "And I owe it to you all (that have been asking many a valid question) and to myself to be honest with what I have been going through for the past 4-5 months behind the scenes."
The issues began in February when she felt her throat "burn" constantly. At first, Jessie thought this was just fatigue, but her doctor told her she had "major acid reflux and nodules" and her acid reflux may have been caused by the steroids she took for her ear last year. After she was diagnosed, she began taking "anti-acids" and stopped talking for two weeks. This did not work, and she changed medication. After several other attempts to solve the issue, nothing has worked and she is still in pain daily. The reason for her acid reflux remains a mystery, she wrote.
Next, Jessie revealed that there were talks with her record label about postponing "I Want Love," but they decided to go ahead with it. She even filmed a video for the single and was "in agony" by the end. Despite these challenges, Jessie wrote that she is positive she and her doctors will get to the bottom of this situation soon.
"The truth is, I say it on stage all the time," she wrote. "My biggest lesson my whole life has been my health. And I'm in it. Living it. This is my real life and I know I'm being faced with this because I can handle it. It could be so much worse." At the very end of her statement, Jessie thanked her fans for their support. "I don't always get it right. But I am always honest," she wrote. "And I hope you can respect that."