> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.hypebot.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Selena Gomez Says Vaping “Changed” Her Voice — Here’s What’s Actually Going On - URL: https://www.hypebot.com/selena-gomez-says-vaping-changed-her-voice-heres-whats-actually-going-on/ - Published: 2026-10-21T12:42:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-21T12:41:59.000Z - Description: The actor and singer's vaping-and-voice admission anchors Hypebot's practical explainer on how vaping actually damages vocal cords. - Author: Hypebot Editorial Desk - Tags: Health & Safety, Singing, Selena Gomez, Features, #trending, vocal, vocals, vocalist ### In a [candid Instagram Story](https://www.instagram.com/stories/selenagomez/4010964260276389568/?ref=hypebot.com) on Sunday, [**Selena Gomez**](https://www.bandsintown.com/a/257491-selena-gomez?utm%5Fsource=hypebot&came%5Ffrom=900) told fans that nicotine vaping has permanently altered her voice, calling the habit “so stupid” and admitting nicotine was hard to quit. She said: > *“I’m not gonna be able to change my voice.”* She added that she’s since stopped vaping and hopes she can keep it up. Gomez also lives with lupus, an autoimmune condition that can independently cause vocal fatigue, hoarseness, and a rough or altered vocal quality — so her vocal changes may not come down to one single cause. Gomez isn’t the only voice user dealing with this. Whether you vape yourself, work with artists who do, or are just trying to figure out why your own voice feels different lately, it’s worth understanding the actual mechanics of what vaping does to the instrument — not just the general “vaping is bad for you” warning most coverage stops at. ***+Read more:*** [*“Maisie Peters Did an Entire Tour With Vocal Polyps — What Are They?”*](https://www.hypebot.com/maisie-peters-did-an-entire-tour-with-vocal-polyps-what-are-they/) ### **How Vaping Affects the Vocal Cords** Vaping aerosol doesn’t just hit the lungs — it passes directly over the larynx and vocal folds on its way down, meaning **the vocal cords take a direct chemical hit every time you vape.** A 2022 study in *The Laryngoscope* ([Madison et al.](https://www.choralfoundation.org/healthysinging/vocal-health/vaping-and-your-voice?ref=hypebot.com)) found that even short-term e-cigarette exposure [measurably changes](https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/treatments/21162-vaping?ref=hypebot.com) vocal fold physiology. Here’s how that breaks down. ### Dehydration Propylene glycol, one of the main carriers in vape juice, is a humectant — it actively pulls moisture out of whatever it touches, including the throat and vocal folds. Dry vocal folds don’t vibrate as smoothly or flexibly as hydrated ones, which makes them more prone to strain and injury during singing or heavy speaking. ### Inflammation and Swelling As vapor passes over the larynx, it can trigger swelling and irritation in the vocal folds. In practice, that shows up as a reduced vocal range, a rougher or hoarser tone, and vocal folds that simply don’t close and vibrate as cleanly as they should. ### Chemical Irritants Beyond Nicotine Nicotine gets most of the attention, but vape liquid carries a wider chemical load: vegetable glycerin, propylene glycol, aldehydes like formaldehyde and acetaldehyde, and pyrazine flavoring additives are all known throat irritants on their own. Some e-liquids also carry trace metals — nickel, chromium, cadmium, tin — that research suggests can affect lung function, which matters for singers since breath support is the foundation of vocal technique. ### Long-Term Structural Risk The Laryngoscope study found that these short-term changes — inflammation, thickened mucus, impaired airway clearance — raise what’s called phonation threshold pressure: basically, how much air pressure it takes to get the vocal folds vibrating and producing sound in the first place. A higher threshold means more strain for the same result. Over time and repeated exposure, that chronic strain is linked to a higher risk of developing vocal fold nodules, polyps, cysts, and Reinke’s edema — the same family of lesions we covered in the Maisie Peters piece — which can bring lasting hoarseness, reduced vocal control, and vocal fatigue. It’s worth noting the research base here is still growing. There’s much stronger, longer-established evidence for how traditional cigarette smoking damages the vocal cords; vaping research is newer, but the mechanical overlap (heated chemical vapor passing directly over vocal tissue) is similar enough that laryngologists treat the risk as real rather than theoretical. > [ View this post on Instagram ](https://www.instagram.com/p/DXWyxKEkco9/?utm%5Fsource=ig%5Fembed&utm%5Fcampaign=loading) > > [A post shared by Kurt Wolf (@wolfstudios.nyc)](https://www.instagram.com/p/DXWyxKEkco9/?utm%5Fsource=ig%5Fembed&utm%5Fcampaign=loading) ## **Sorting Out the Cause** Gomez’s situation is a useful reminder that vocal symptoms rarely have one tidy explanation. Hoarseness, swelling, and a changed tone can come from vaping or smoking, from vocal overuse (nodules and polyps), or from an underlying condition like lupus — and these can also compound each other. If you’re a working vocalist noticing a persistent change in your voice, that’s generally a cue to see an ENT or laryngologist for a proper exam rather than guess at the cause, since the right fix (quitting vaping, voice therapy, treating an underlying condition, or some combination) depends on what’s actually going on. **+Read more:** [*"Why Do We Expect Singers to Perform Forever?"*](https://www.hypebot.com/why-do-we-expect-singers-to-perform-forever/) --- ## [**Selena Gomez Tour Dates**](https://www.bandsintown.com/a/257491-selena-gomez?utm%5Fsource=hypebot&came%5Ffrom=900)