Emily Saliers of Indigo Girls has revealed she has two incurable physical conditions that will impact her vocals during their live shows.
In an emotional video posted to their social media, Saliers revealed she's been diagnosed with cervical dystonia and an essential tremor -- both of which have hampered her ability to sing.
“Unfortunately there’s no cure for these, so the honest fact is that my voice will not be what it was. That’s really hard for me.…I hate that I’m only 62 and it’s happened to me, but we are both aging. People age. We are trying to look at this organically as a process of our own aging...I just hope that you can have some grace with my struggles for this particular touring year."
Saliers added that she's been undergoing various phyiscal therapies and training with a vocal coach, plus the duo have been working on altering arrangements that will feature more vocals from their backing band and making use of “all the modern digital tools that front-of-house engineers use to help singers sound better."
Support Emily and sing along---LOUD!
Indigo Girls are coming to Colorado ! Boulder theater on May 19th and Mission May 20th.
(Because preservation work at the Chautauqua Auditorium is taking longer than expected, this show has been cancelled at Chautauqua and will now take place at the Boulder Theater on the same date.)
There were thousands of comments in support of the duo, including some very famous fans.
- Brandi Carlile wrote, "To say we have Emily’s back is the understatement of the century. If you love to sing, Emily, sing. We will be there singing with you. We are the luckiest fans in the world – we know our verses, and we know the words to every song. Let’s sing them back at the Indigo Girls louder than ever.”
- Sara Bareilles wrote, “What you offer the world is beyond bodies. Thank you for sharing whatever you have to share. It will be received with so much love and gratitude.”
- Lucius added, "Sending so so much love. My mom struggles with this same vocal tremor and I have seen first hand how taxing it can be. Your voices are so inspiring and so important - in all forms - then, now and forever."
- Sleater-Kinney wrote, "Thank you for continuing to inspire as you move through the world with such grace and honesty. Your songs are forever etched in our hearts and we will sing with you every single night. Love you both and wish you well."