Cody Simpson Cancels Shows After Serious Hemorrhage on Vocal Cord

Cody Simpson said on Monday, May 11, that he has suffered “a serious hemorrhage” on one of his vocal cords, forcing him into medical treatment and strict vocal rest while he works on his next album.

“I originally thought I could keep this private but it’s come time I share what I’ve been going through,” Simpson wrote in a post shared from what appears to be a doctor’s office, with CDs and signed music plaques visible on the walls.

Simpson said he learned of the hemorrhage “just over a month ago” and was told it stemmed from his “overzealousness in the studio singing through a sinus infection” he did not realize he had. “Assumed it was just fatigue and kept showing up to the studio until one day I could no longer sing,” he wrote.

He said he has been on and off vocal rest for weeks and has already had to cancel TV and radio appearances. The condition has also made it harder to promote his March single, “Baby Blue.”

“This has also affected my ability to complete the album and polish up the next singles,” he wrote. Simpson said he has been prescribed another two weeks of silence in an effort to avoid surgery, which would bring a longer recovery period.

He added that he is still writing with collaborators, but is doing so “strictly as a lyricist on mute,” while working out vocal melodies on guitar for now. “Where there’s a will, there’s a way,” he wrote.

Simpson said he plans to share his recovery process with fans. The update comes as he has been working on a follow-up to his self-titled fourth studio album, released in 2022 after a four-year stretch focused on competitive swimming.

Before announcing his retirement from the sport, Simpson qualified for the 2022 Commonwealth Games and the 2024 Australian Olympic Trials.

In March, BMG announced it had signed Simpson in partnership with Range Music for future releases. At the time, he said he had spent nearly a year back in the studio after his swimming career and wanted to return to music only if he could enjoy the process.

“Post-swimming career, I’d been back experimenting in the studio for almost a year,” he said in a statement. “One day I went in really open-minded sensing something new and fresh wanted to come through … Coming back to music I decided I only wanted to do it if I could go in and have the best time ever everyday.”

Simpson’s post also drew a wave of supportive comments from fans as he outlined the setback and the work still ahead.