Shania Twain Says She Could Become Unable to Sing Again If Throat Surgery Results Don't 'Hold Up'

Thomas Niedermueller/Getty Shania Twain

Shania Twain is opening up about her journey to recovery.

The country star recently spoke with TalkShopLive ahead of the release of Queen of Me, her upcoming album and the first she's recorded since undergoing open-throat surgery in 2018.

During the interview, Twain, 57, opened up about the potentially career-altering ramifications of the operation, one of several invasive surgeries she has undergone as a result of her longtime battle with Lyme disease.

"For me, this album means so, so much about my decision-making and the courage to get the operation, knowing that I may never even be able to sing again after the surgery," Twain said in the interview. "So that was a big decision."

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Louie Banks

The singer said that Queen of Me, which is set to release on Feb. 3, is the result of lots of pushing herself through a "fear zone" after initially seeking to write less vocally-challenging songs.

"Every day that I was recording I was testing the new voice," Twain said. "Getting on the mic in the studio, it's so vulnerable. You can't drown it out with production or a band or mixing or anything like that until much, much later on."

The "You're Still The One" singer said that she was "relearning" during the making of Queen of Me, which she said is "absolutely" her most meaningful album yet — especially "vocal performance-wise."

Queen of Me also holds sentimental value for the musician, who's unsure about the future of her voice. "What's even more precious to me is that I don't know if the procedure that I had will last forever," Twain admitted.

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"With age, it could just not hold up, and that could be it," the country star said, adding that she may have to get another surgery if that happens.

"I'll have to make another decision," she continued. "Will I do the operation again or not? Do I just now write music for other people's albums at that point? I will gladly do that, and, again, it will be another decision that I will have to make as the queen of me. Some decisions are tougher than others."

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While the future of her vocal ability is uncertain, the singer said she feels "more energetic than I have in such a long time."

"I've shed a lot of weight, psychologically, in the last, I don't know, few years, and life is good," Twain said, expressing optimism in her health. "And I'm feeling almost like I better live to be 150 because I've got so much to do!"