Bon Jovi says he would have stopped performing if his voice hadn’t recovered

Jon Bon Jovi, 63, says he would have stopped performing if he hadn’t recovered from his vocal injury.

“I don’t do it for the applause. I’m not an applause junkie. I do it for the joy and I do it for the art”, Bon Jovi said today in an interview Thursday. “The rest is great because I’m good at it. But if you can’t do it happily, what’s the motivation?”

Although he’s passionate about music, it’s not his whole identity, he says: “I have other things in my life. It’s what I do. It’s not who I am.”

The rock star underwent major surgery in 2022 to repair his damaged vocal cords.

“One of my strings was atrophied, and the stronger one was pushing the weaker one, and that one was dying,” Bon Jovi said.

The procedure involved inserting an implant to help rebuild his weakened vocal cords, he said.

“It’s been a long road. It’s been difficult. But I persevered,” he said.

As part of his recovery, the singer said he rehearsed every day in his garage.

“It’s like training for a marathon,” Bon Jovi said. “Anyone can run. Being able to go the distance is a whole other commitment. You have to be physically, mentally and spiritually ready to do it again.”

Now he can “confidently say” that he can go out and play “my two and a half hours night after night after night.”

“But I wouldn’t do it without it,” Bon Jovi added.

On Wednesday, Bon Jovi and his band announced they would tour in 2026, with seven dates in New York and the United Kingdom.

The rocker first addressed the possibility of retiring from touring in an interview with The times in April 2024.

“This is the first time I’ve ever said that,” Bon Jovi said. “If the singing isn’t great, if I can’t be the guy I once was… then I’m done.”

“And that suits me,” he added.

In May 2024, Bon Jovi declared Kerranga British music web magazine, that he didn’t want to ruin the band’s legacy with a mediocre performance.

“I didn’t want to go out there and play half-heartedly. It’s just not worth doing it at this point,” he said. “If I couldn’t be that guy anymore and play like that, I wouldn’t do it at all.”

Other notable singers who have recovered from vocal cord injuries include Adele and John Mayer.

A representative for Bon Jovi did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent by Business Insider after hours.