How many years did Shania Twain lose her voice? Lyme disease explained

Shania Twain discusses two of the most trying times in her life—getting Lyme disease and getting divorced from her longtime producer and songwriting collaborator, Robert “Mutt” Lange—in her new Netflix documentary, Not Just a Girl.

Twain was getting ready to go on tour in 2003 when she went for a horseback ride that would ultimately change the course of her career. She had already released numerous chart-topping singles and the album Come on Over, which would go on to become the best-selling album ever by a female solo artist.

How many years did Shania Twain lose her voice? Lyme disease explained

Shania Twain talks about losing her voice:

Shania Twain lost her voice for 20 years. “The tick was infected with Lyme disease, and I did get Lyme disease,” she said. “My symptoms were quite scary because before I was diagnosed, I was on stage very dizzy.

I was losing my balance, I was afraid I was gonna fall off the stage… I was having these very, very, very millisecond blackouts, but regularly, every minute or every 30 seconds.” The illness also took a toll on her singing voice resulting in her inability to control her vocals.

The country star explained, “My voice was never the same again. I thought I’d lost my voice forever. I thought that was it, [and] I would never, ever sing again.”