{"id":63515,"date":"2025-07-14T00:15:10","date_gmt":"2025-07-14T00:15:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/63515\/"},"modified":"2025-07-14T00:15:10","modified_gmt":"2025-07-14T00:15:10","slug":"what-happened-to-backstreet-boys-singer-brian-littrells-voice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/63515\/","title":{"rendered":"What happened to Backstreet Boys singer Brian Littrell&#8217;s voice?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Backstreet\u2019s back, all right. <\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2024\/03\/08\/entertainment\/backstreet-boys-attend-therapy-together-our-first-marriage\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Backstreet Boys<\/a> kicked off their their highly-anticipated 21-concert <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2025\/07\/11\/ticket-sales\/get-backstreet-boys-las-vegas-sphere-tickets-while-prices-drop\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u201cInto The Millennium\u201d Las Vegas Sphere residency<\/a> this weekend.<\/p>\n<p>But fans of the famous fivesome couldn\u2019t help but notice that one of its beloved harmonizers, Brian Littrell, sounded a little different.<\/p>\n<p>Brian Littrell has a crippling vocal chord condition that\u2019s been haunting him for years.  Getty Images<\/p>\n<p>The singer, 50, recently opened up about a crippling <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2025\/05\/18\/lifestyle\/disability-worker-loses-voice-for-six-years-due-to-filthy-conditions\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">vocal chord condition<\/a> that\u2019s been haunting him for years.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m seeing a vocal therapist in California, so you know, it\u2019s starting to come out,\u201d he <a href=\"https:\/\/parade.com\/celebrities\/brian-littrell-vocal-diagnosis-update-exclusive\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">told Parade<\/a>. \u201cIt\u2019s starting to feel a little more natural. But, yeah, it\u2019s a work in progress. It always will be.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Littrell has been struggling with muscle tension dysphonia (MTD) since 2012. In a 2015 interview with The Seven Sees, he said the problems started \u201cmid-way through the Backstreet Boys\u2019 New Kids On The Block tour.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s when the symptoms kind of came up. It\u2019s called vocal tension dysphonia, where the muscles around my vocal cords kind of strangle me in a way and blocks the airflow,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt doesn\u2019t allow your vocal cords to work properly like they should. There\u2019s also another additional thing on top of that, it\u2019s called dystonia which is a neurological signal which your brain sends to your voice to work.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>What is muscle tension dysphonia?<\/p>\n<p>Muscle tension dysphonia (MTD) is a voice disorder caused by abnormal muscle activity around the voice box (larynx).<\/p>\n<p>Littrell has been struggling with muscle tension dysphonia (MTD) since 2012. REUTERS<\/p>\n<p>Unlike structural issues like nodules or polyps, MTD isn\u2019t the result of damaged tissue \u2014 instead, it\u2019s caused by excessive tension in the muscles that control speech. <\/p>\n<p>This tension interferes with normal vocal cord vibration and can make speaking or singing feel difficult, strained or unnatural.<\/p>\n<p>There are two main types:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Primary MTD, which happens without any underlying vocal cord abnormality<\/li>\n<li>Secondary MTD, which develops as a response to another vocal issue, such as inflammation, injury or overuse<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The Backstreet Boys kicked off their their highly-anticipated 21-concert \u2018Into The Millennium\u2019 Las Vegas Sphere residency this weekend. WireImage<\/p>\n<p>Symptoms of muscle tension dysphonia<\/p>\n<p>The hallmark of MTD is a voice that sounds off \u2014 but the signs can vary depending on the person.<\/p>\n<p>Common symptoms include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>A hoarse, rough, raspy or breathy voice<\/li>\n<li>Vocal fatigue, especially after talking for long periods<\/li>\n<li>Difficulty projecting or controlling pitch and volume<\/li>\n<li>A strained or tight sensation in the throat when speaking or singing<\/li>\n<li>Voice breaks or a feeling of running out of air mid-sentence<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Muscle tension dysphonia (MTD) is a voice disorder caused by abnormal muscle activity around the voice box (larynx). SKT Studio \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n<p>Risk factors and frequency<\/p>\n<p>MTD can affect anyone, but it\u2019s most commonly seen in people who rely heavily on their voice, such as singers. <\/p>\n<p>Factors that can increase the risk of MTD include: <\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Vocal overuse or misuse<\/li>\n<li>Stress or anxiety, which can contribute to muscle tension<\/li>\n<li>Upper respiratory infections<\/li>\n<li>Gastroesophageal reflux (GERD)<\/li>\n<li>Poor posture or neck tension<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>MTD is a common voice disorder, with estimates suggesting it accounts for up to 40% of all disorders seen in voice clinics. <\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s especially common in women and people who are between 40 and 50.<\/p>\n<p>Treatment focuses on relaxing the muscles around the larynx and retraining vocal technique. Chalabala \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n<p>Diagnosis and treatment<\/p>\n<p>Diagnosis of muscle tension dysphonia typically involves an ear, nose and throat specialist (ENT) performing a voice evaluation and physical exam.<\/p>\n<p>They would also go over the patient\u2019s medical history and vocal habits. <\/p>\n<p>Treatment focuses on relaxing the muscles around the larynx and retraining vocal technique. <\/p>\n<p>The mainstay is voice therapy, often with a speech-language pathologist who specializes in voice disorders.<\/p>\n<p>In rare or severe cases, botox injections into the laryngeal muscles may be considered to reduce excessive tension.<\/p>\n<p>With consistent treatment, many people with MTD can return to full voice, though it often requires ongoing maintenance, especially for high-demand vocal professionals.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Backstreet\u2019s back, all right. The Backstreet Boys kicked off their their highly-anticipated 21-concert \u201cInto The Millennium\u201d Las Vegas&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":63516,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[45380,45381,185,171,210,975,18241,7087,67,132,68,3149],"class_list":{"0":"post-63515","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-music","8":"tag-backstreet-boys","9":"tag-brian-littrell","10":"tag-celebrities","11":"tag-entertainment","12":"tag-health","13":"tag-music","14":"tag-singers","15":"tag-speech","16":"tag-united-states","17":"tag-unitedstates","18":"tag-us","19":"tag-wellness"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/114848709609110295","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63515","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=63515"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63515\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/63516"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=63515"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=63515"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=63515"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}