Shania Twain and Jon Bon Jovi have more in common than chart-topping hits–they also share the same vocal surgeon.
Twain has revealed that when Bon Jovi began struggling with serious vocal cord issues, he reached out the one person who truly understood what he was facing.
The country icon recalled their first meeting on a flight to Europe, where Bon Jovi joked, “Shania, it’s really cool to meet you. I’ve heard that you have the reputation of being the hardest-working artist in the industry. I have the same reputation. Nice to meet you.”
Years later, that chance encounter turned into something much deeper.
Facing “laryngeal nerve problems,” Bon Jovi called Twain asking her to “Share everything you know about how you got back singing live after nerve atrophy in the voice.”
Twain did not sugarcoat the experience.
“It’s an open-throat surgery, and you have to be awake,” she warned.
“I just have to be honest with you because if you’re going into this, you’re going to hear it from the surgeon anyway, but you might as well hear it from somebody who’s been through it.”
The gamble paid off for both stars, though Twain admit the surgery permanently changed her voice.
“[My voice is] different, I embrace it,” she said. “I’m grateful that I can sing, I can hold a note, and I can be loud and proud.”
Bon Jovi later called Twain his “spirit sister,” revealing she reassured him “everything ‘would be OK,’” before teasing, “Well, I told you that because I knew that you might back out otherwise.”
Turns out, sometimes the best backup singer is the one cheering you on before the curtain even rises.
