Jon Bon Jovi on his recovering voice, new album Forever, and documentary Thank You, Goodnight
- Jon Bon Jovi reveals how his vocal cords are recovering after surgery and how therapy is still intensive – ‘Every day is sort of like doing curls with weights’
- He talks about the goal of the new album, how the door is open to perform with Richie Sambora again, and whether he is considering selling his music catalogue
When Jon Bon Jovi agreed to let director Gotham Chopra follow him with a documentary camera to delve into the history of his band – Bon Jovi – he did not anticipate it would catch him at a major low point in his career.
The band was launching a tour, and despite doing all he could do to be vocally ready, the “Livin’ on a Prayer” singer struggled through songs and could not hit the notes the way he used to.
Critics noticed and wrote about it. One US review said: “It felt like he had forgotten how to sing.”
In a recent interview, Bon Jovi said the reaction at the time was “heartbreaking”. After exhausting holistic options, he saw a doctor who said one of his vocal cords was atrophying.
“This was unique. It wasn’t a nodule. The strong [vocal cord] was pushing the weak one around, and suddenly, my inabilities were just exacerbated,” Bon Jovi said.