Celine Dionne has had it just as well as Mariah Carey. Chris Barnes, Elton John, Rod Stewart and Jennifer Nettles know what it is because they’ve had it too. What I’m talking about is vocal abuse. Voice damage is a major problem for singers and many have to stop singing for months to get rid of it. Unfortunately, resting your voice is not a guarantee that it will go away due to the nodules that form on the vocal cords.
In simple terms, your vocal cords are like puffs of tissue, opening and closing rapidly, creating changes in air pressure. The result is speech or singing. If nodules are present, they interfere with the ability of the folds to open and close successfully, limiting voice production.
One of the great Broadway ‘Belters’ of the 20th century was Ethel Merman. Truly an anomaly, this woman herself was able to sing (although she in my opinion screamed) every day for 60 years and she never developed nodules or any other problems with her voice. Julie Andrews, on the other hand, a legitimate singer, starred in Victor/Victoria on stage for only a year before developing nodules on her vocal cords. The result for Ms. Andrews was that she underwent surgery to remove them. Sadly, she has never been able to sing again. Also, her voice when talking about her changed due to the surgery.
A classically trained singing voice is much less likely to develop nodules because the singing voice is being supported and enhanced by the chest. Singers like Celine Dionne and Rod Stewart, however, draw their voice out of the throat, voice box, mouth, and/or nose, creating excessive stress on the vocal cords and pharynx.
While Andrews was adequately supporting her voice through diaphragmatic breathing, her mistake was trying to take on a physically demanding role on a daily basis in her 60s. If she had played this role when she was in her 30s and 40s, she probably wouldn’t have done the damage.
If you notice hoarseness, a sore throat, or even loss of voice after singing, it would be a good idea to see an ear, nose, and throat specialist. If you have lumps, stop singing. If they leave alone, you’re hurt; however, unless you change the support of your voice, the same damage will occur again.