Being a "healthy size" has absolutely nothing to do with keeping or losing your voice as evidenced by the large number of plump opera singers in the world. However, Adele has made the changes to her diet that she needed to make for her vocal condition according to statements that she has made in the past. She was told not to eat spicy, acidic foods and to stop drinking hard liquor which apparently she did starting early in the year. She also quit smoking but relapsed before quitting again in the summer which apparently with the exception of one or two every now and again she has now stopped completely. Also according to her she was banned from all alcohol not just the hard stuff after her recent illness at least that is what she said at her most recent shows.

These vocal problems can really be tied to the only thing that she hasn't done this year which is total rest. She has never stopped completely and she has been playing too many shows in a very compressed schedule this entire year. If she were vocally healthier it probably wouldn't have been a problem but since the original issue in Dec/Jan she really has not stopped for long enough to allow her condition to heal.

I feel for her because it's obvious that she really wants to do these shows and see as many of her fans as possible but whoever came up with this tour schedule is a complete idiot. She should have never been allowed to play that many shows night after night especially considering her vocal problems. I truly hope that she will be smart about this or that someone very close to her will impress upon her the need for total rest & recuperation for the rest of the year.

I love her voice but I agree that she obviously dosen't care that much by drinking and smoking all the time.
I hate it when singers take their voices for granted I do think it was sad what happened to whitney and mariah.
While both can still sing their ranges are half what they were.
Where as george michael,tom jones,shirley bassey &
mick hucknall all still sound amazing,

I wouldn't even put the two in the same league. Whitney destroyed her voice by her own doing, she has absolutely no vocal ability left.
Mariah's voice is still incredible and puts even the newest singers to shame - it's just not what it used to be, and this is not down to anything she did, this is down to nature.
Whitney's voice in present day: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6E71z...&feature=share
Mariah's voice in present day: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1yiuCo2b0s&t=3m30s

There is no comparison.

There's a very different view at least with regard to drinking from one of the worlds leading opera singers...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0t-v8ru1AHk

The question was really with regard to spicy food, but she mentions drink too.

i'm a die hard mariah fan and yes she's done some good live performances recently fly like a bird shelter from the storm.
X factor uk IWTKWLI & the brazil concert but generally her voice sounds completely different to how it was.
Her voice changed after 2000 now she even has to mime some notes I understand her saving her voice for a tour but when she can't even sing one song live on tv without miming it's a fact her voice changed after 97 sadly.
Probably due to the fact she belted too much I'm hoping she can rest her voice and sound good for her next album.

She sounds different because she's 40. However it's not like she sounds bad. I think she sounds fantastic for her age! If you were a die hard Mariah fan you would realise this because it sounds like you're criticizing her a little.

it's a fact her voice changed after 97 nothing to do with her age annie lennox & many other female singers still sound good I just think mariah shouldn't tour if it affects her voice.
Same with adele some singers just can't deal with the constant singing even elly jackson la roux admitted the constant touring gave her sore throats.

Yes the female voice does change with age, in classical music it generally is not considered fully developed until the late 20s and continues changing throughout life...

However sudden changes are rarely a good sign.

Annie and La Roux are hardly known for their voices though, if you really looked for a change you'd notice. Madonna and Britney both sound considerably different, and Beyoncé is far more raspy now than she used to be.
I will admit that it is rather confusing why Mariah's voice just suddenly changed. She went hoarse, deep and raspy and this is what leads me to think she may have had some kind of hemorrhage also. Her Daydream tour was huge and was completely live, so she probably slaughtered her voice.

I agree.

Surely plenty of people who sing smoke as well?

Who? Cheryl Cole? A fellow Geordie, I guess. Hmmmm.

You leave my cheryl pet out of this

Aww gutted for Adele, I hope she recovers soon. She needs lots of rest (and yes, quitting smoking would probably also help!) she's been working so hard this year.

Funnily enough i've always thought it might be her famous cackle and non stop talking off stage that really knackers her voice.




http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/music/ne...alking-is.html

Cutting out the cigarettes would hardly hurt though, even if she's not convinced it's directly related. If not for her voice, it would - you know - help the whole cancer thing that tends to happen.

I think someone said earlier on here that she gave up smoking...but she lit up at the VMA's? Or rather, Jo Calderone lit one for her. Perhaps it's a conspiracy to take out the competition.

Lol. it's a plan. I genuinely don't think she'll ever give up smoking TBH. Nicotine is a very powerful drug (you just have to look outside office blocks in the depths of winter where people huddle together like penguins puffing away to realise that). Luckily I never started because willpower isn't my greatest asset.

I hope she does give up. As a singer, doing anything to potentially damage your voice is just not worth it, let alone kill you.

Kind of disturbing, in a way, to hear her say it's her favourite thing to do. Most people I know who do smoke seem to do it out of habit and don't have the will power to quit...they don't love it.

Maybe it's a stress related thing? Or maybe she's gunning for a more husky, blues voice.