Alka Yagnik, the celebrated Indian playback singer, has revealed a sudden and concerning health issue. In an emotional Instagram post on June.18, Yagnik disclosed she has been diagnosed with an unexpected hearing loss.
In the post, Yagnik recounted the startling moment a few weeks ago when she walked out of a flight: “I suddenly felt I was not able to hear anything.” Despite the shock, she gathered the courage to inform her fans and well-wishers about the situation, explaining, “It has been diagnosed by my docs as a rare sensorineural nerve hearing loss.”
The singer, who frequently performs both in India and internationally, described her hearing loss as a “sudden setback” and appealed to her fans for prayers. She also issued a cautionary note: “For my fans and young colleagues, I would add a word of caution regarding exposure to very loud music and headphones. One day, I wish to share the health perils of my professional life. With all your love and support, I am hoping to recalibrate my life and, come back to you soon. Your support and understanding will mean the world to me in this critical hour.”
The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association defines sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) as damage occurring in the inner ear or the nerve pathways from the inner ear to the brain. Symptoms include difficulty hearing soft sounds and distortion of louder sounds. SNHL is the most common type of permanent hearing loss, typically unresponsive to medical or surgical treatments, although hearing aids can provide some assistance.
Yagnik, who garnered 15.3 billion YouTube views in 2022, has been recognized by the Guinness World Records as the most streamed artist in the world.
Her illustrious career began at the age of six, singing for All India Radio in Calcutta. Under the guidance of her mother, a trained classical singer, she moved to Mumbai at 10. Her debut song was for the film “Payal Ki Jhankaar” in 1980. Despite some controversies, such as the one surrounding her award-winning song “Choli Ke Peeche Kya Hai” with Ila Arun, Yagnik’s career thrived without major setbacks.
In a 2001 interview with Jaya Padmanabhan, Yagnik expressed her desire to be remembered “as a singer of substance”. Her prolific output in the 90s alongside contemporaries like Kavita Krishnamurthy, Kumar Sanu, and Udit Narayan solidified her legacy in Indian music.
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