Sam Smith has pulled out of the Billboard Music Awards after suffering vocal strain.
The ‘Like I Can’ hitmaker is now unable to perform at the annual award ceremony, which is taking place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on May 1.
A statement on his Twitter reads: “In the wake of cutting his South African tour short last week, Sam’s medical specialists are requiring him to have further rest. Regrettably, this means he will be unable to perform at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku this weekend or the Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas next week. We apologize for the disappointment for those affected, but the primary focus at this time needs to be on Sam’s recovery and health.”
Sam was due to perform several concerts in Cape Town, South Africa last week but he had to stop part way through the first show and then went on to cancel the rest.
Smith also recently canceled his performance in Cape Town, South Africa after 45 minutes on stage at the GrandWest’s Grand Arena on April 16th, 2019. According to Channel24, “Big Concerts and Computicket have announced that ticket holders who attended Sam Smith’s Cape Town concert – which was cut short after 45 minutes – can receive a full refund along with all other ticket holders for the artist’s canceled shows on 17 and 18 April. The announcement was made on Wednesday, 24 April and the cut-off date for all refunds will be Friday, 31 May 2019. ”
Sam underwent surgery in 2015 on his hemorrhaged vocal cords.
In a statement, Massachusetts General Hospital, which treated the star, said at the time: “Sam Smith underwent vocal cord microsurgery by Steven Zeitels, MD, to stop recurrent vocal cord hemorrhage (bleeding). This condition is the result of unstable blood vessels in the vocal cord that can rupture and prevent vocal performance.
“Sam came to Boston to consult and undergo corrective voice surgery with Zeitels, the director of the Massachusetts General Hospital Voice Centre. Zeitels, who is also the Eugene B. Casey Professor of Laryngeal Surgery at Harvard Medical School, has pioneered many vocal cord surgery procedures for benign and malignant problems including the use of specialized lasers to stop vocal cord bleeding in singers. He has performed this unique procedure for many vocalists – including Steven Tyler, Lionel Richie, and Adele – allowing them to return to full performance. Similarly, Zeitels expects Sam to make a full recovery from his laser microsurgery.”
