Selena Gomez has told fans that years of heavy nicotine vaping have permanently deepened her voice, and she does not expect it to return to how it sounded before.
In a video posted to Instagram, the 34-year-old actress and singer addressed her changing tone, saying she had vaped nicotine a lot and that quitting has been difficult.
Gomez's warning to fans
'I'm not gonna be able to change my voice,' she said. 'I vaped nicotine a lot.'
'Nicotine is so hard to quit,' Gomez continued. 'And I think I just wanted to say, if you're going through it or if you're even trying to vape, it's just not worth it.'
'It's so stupid, and it's changed my voice.'
She added that she understood if people did not like listening to her voice, saying, 'I don't mind. Just don't listen.' She also expressed hope about stopping, saying, 'I am really excited because I stopped, and I just hope I can keep it up.'
Health effects of vaping on the voice
Numerous health studies have found that vaping can inflame and irritate the vocal cords and cause dryness. Colorado Voice Clinic explains that the vocal folds are extremely sensitive, as they are made of a thin, layered tissue that vibrates hundreds of times per second. Vaping can swell the delicate lining of the cords, preventing them from vibrating smoothly or closing properly, thus creating a more hoarse speaking voice. For pop stars like Gomez, it can also impact vocal range and ability to hit high notes, plus create cracks or breaks.
This is not the first time the 'Who Says' hitmaker has addressed her changing speaking voice. In December, during a live stream, she responded to a fan question she had been asked 'a few times'. The 'Only Murders in the Building' star said of 'the voice thing': 'Sometimes things happen. I get weird. My throat kind of swells inside sometimes. That's all.'
Gomez's public health battles
Gomez has also spoken publicly about her mental health struggles and chronic conditions. Around 12 years ago, she was diagnosed with lupus, a chronic autoimmune disease in which the immune system mistakenly attacks healthy organs and tissues. This can cause fatigue, muscle and joint pain, rashes, hair loss, and dexterity issues, among numerous side effects.
Because of damage caused by lupus, Gomez required an urgent kidney transplant in summer 2017. Her friend and actress Francia Raisa donated a kidney after discovering she was a match, with Gomez writing afterwards that it was the 'ultimate gift and sacrifice'.
In the years since, Gomez has continued to raise awareness of lupus and candidly addressed the impact on her life, such as weight fluctuations from medication. Responding to body shaming, she told TikTok viewers in 2023: '[When I'm taking medication, I] tend to hold a lot of water weight, and that happens very normally. When I'm off of it, I tend to lose weight.'
'I just want people to know that you're beautiful, and you're wonderful,' she continued. 'Yeah, we have days where maybe we feel like s**t, but I would much rather be healthy and take care of myself, and my medications are important, and I believe that they're what helps me.'
Gomez has been open about her bipolar disorder, depression, panic attacks, anxiety, and overcoming suicidal thoughts, the latter of which led to her cancelling 55 tour dates in 2016 and retreating from the spotlight. She publicly revealed her diagnosis of bipolar disorder, which causes extreme mood shifts, in 2020, stemming from a scary episode of psychosis in 2018.
In 2022, she released 'My Mind & Me', a documentary covering six years of her life and career, including navigating her mental and physical health. Speaking in the film, Gomez confessed that she was reluctant to seek treatment after a stint in hospital as she reflected on her darkest moments.
'I'm going to be honest: I didn't want to go to a mental health hospital,' she said. 'I didn't want to, but I didn't want to be trapped in myself and my mind anymore.'
'I thought my life was over. I thought, "This is how I'm going to be forever." That's why I say to people that I have the greatest friends and family, especially my mum and my stepdad Brian, because I shouldn't have spoken to them the way I did; I shouldn't have treated them the way that I did sometimes.'
She added, upon learning of her diagnosis, Gomez's family felt 'everything made so much sense'. 'When I first got out, I didn't know how I'd cope with my diagnosis,' she said. 'What if it happened again? What if the next time, I didn't come back? I needed to keep learning about it. I needed to take it day by day.'
