Shania Twain has spoken out about her road to recovery after undergoing open-throat surgery.
The 57-year-old singer-songwriter underwent the procedure back in 2018 as a result of her long-time battle with Lyme disease and says she "may never be able to sing again" if her operation doesn't hold up.
Shania contracted Lyme disease after being bitten by a tick while horseback riding in Norfolk, Virginia in 2003. The open-throat procedure was one of several invasive surgeries she has undergone in her battle against the bacterial infection.
The You're Still the One hitmaker is currently gearing up for the release of her new album Queen of Me, the first one she's recorded since her operation.
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"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," she said in an interview with Nancy O'Dell on TalkShopLive.
Shania said her upcoming album is her most meaningful yet, as she spoke candidly about the uncertain 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," she said.
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Shania admitted the operation could "just not hold up" as she gets older, adding she would consider having another surgery if that happens.
The musician said she could turn to writing songs for other people if she was ever left unable to sing herself.
"It will be another decision that I will have to make as the queen of me. Some decisions are tougher than others," she said.
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Speaking about being infected with Lyme disease earlier this year, Shania said: "My symptoms were quite scary because before I was diagnosed, I was on stage very dizzy, losing my balance. I was afraid I was going to fall off the stage."
The five-time Grammy Award winner said her voice was "never the same again" after the illness.
"It just went into this strange flanging, lack of control of the airflow. I didn't understand it. I thought I'd lost my voice forever. I thought that was it. That I would never, ever sing again," she said in her Netflix documentary Not Just a Girl.
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