The Indigo Girls announced that singer Emily Saliers has been diagnosed with two movement disorders, both of which impact her ability to sing.
“Unfortunately there’s no cure for these, so the honest fact is that my voice will not be what it was,” Saliers said in an emotional video recorded with Amy Ray and posted Friday.
“We needed to make y’all aware of something,” Saliers said in the clip. “To those of you in our community who have supported us all these years, we’re so grateful for you.”
She also explained the video was recorded in Atlanta, where she and Ray have been practicting in preparation for their next tour.
In an effort to be “completely forthcoming,” Saliers continued, she wanted to make the video to explain what’s happened to her voice.
“Maybe all of you have noticed, it’s pretty noticeable, that my voice is not what it once was,” she said. “So, I wanted to share with you that I’ve been diagnosed with two movement disorders.”
One, cervical dystonia, which is also known as spasmodic torticollis, can cause neck muscles to contract involuntarily. Salier said this makes it “impossible” for her to center her head without shaking.
The tremor makes it impossible for her to make “connections, muscularly, and structurally.” As a result, “I am completely physically unable to hold a straight tone the way I used to.”
“Unfortunately there’s no cure for these, so the honest fact is that my voice will not be what it was,” she also said. The pair added they will be joined by Lucy Wainwright Roche on the road, who will assist with some songs.
“I just hope that you can have some grace with my struggles for this particular touring year,” Saliers added. “We’re gonna work hard to make it good. And then whatever the future holds we’ll see.”
