Charlotte Cardin cancels her summer tour after a vocal cord injury

Quebec singer Charlotte Cardin lost her voice in the middle of a concert. Having already cancelled the following three dates, she has now been forced to call off the rest of her summer tour.

Charlotte Cardin suffered a complete loss of voice while performing at the Colmar Wine Fair in Haut-Rhin on 5 August. The 31-year-old Quebec singer was touring European summer festivals when her vocal cords suddenly gave out. Forced to leave the stage before finishing her set, she quickly cancelled her next appearance, scheduled for 9 August at the Ronquières festival, explaining that she had acute laryngitis.

Three further shows were cancelled after the 5 August concert before the final decision was confirmed: Charlotte Cardin’s entire summer tour has been cancelled. For the 2026 season, she had been booked for V and B Fest’ in Château-Gontier-sur-Mayenne, Cabaret Vert in Charleville-Mézières, Rose Festival in Toulouse and Ici Live La Ciotat, among others. On Thursday 20 August, the singer announced that she had “a vocal cord injury that has already forced me to cancel several concerts and that, unfortunately, is not healing quickly enough”.

Charlotte Cardin must rest her vocal cords

Sharing her doctors’ advice, Charlotte Cardin said: “I need to continue my vocal rest and give my vocal cords time to heal before I can return to the stage.” She added: “I am deeply sorry and saddened by this situation. It breaks my heart to have to cancel once again and not be able to be with you. Thank you for your patience and understanding.”

As well as making performing impossible, this type of condition requires strict vocal rest - in other words, avoiding speaking. Whispering is not advised either, as it puts even more strain on the vocal cords than speaking normally.

Vocal cords: a problem affecting the biggest singers

Acute laryngitis is a sudden inflammation of the lining of the larynx, which is located in the throat. This is the organ that contains the vocal cords. It is most commonly caused by an infection, particularly a viral one, and the resulting swelling alters the voice while making it harder for air to pass through. The voice may become hoarse or muffled, or disappear altogether. In Charlotte Cardin’s case, her work as a singer may have caused complications affecting her vocal cords.

Like an injured athlete, the singer must now be patient and allow her working tool to recover. The vocal instrument is extremely delicate, and performing concert after concert places it under severe pressure, especially for singers who still perform without relying on lip-syncing. Charlotte Cardin is therefore far from alone in facing this problem. Among the stars who have had to stop completely is Adele, who suffered a vocal cord haemorrhage in 2011. The list also includes Sam Smith in 2023, as well as Céline Dion (2012, 2014), Shakira (2017) and Justin Timberlake (2018).