Season 6 “American Idol” winner Jordin Sparks has built a stunning career, but a health issue almost derailed her rise to fame. In an interview clip ABC News shared on December 10th, 2025, Sparks recalled suffering a vocal cord injury back in 2008. “Honestly, I didn’t even know that that existed until it happened to me,” she explained of the vocal cord hemorrhaging she experienced. “But it makes sense when you kind of look at it.”
According to Sparks, the sheer volume of singing she did as a contestant and on the subsequent “American Idol” tour, combined with some poor habits, made the injury more likely. “I wasn’t warming up, I wasn’t eating right, I wasn’t getting much sleep,” she admitted. She has since recovered, but the injury could have had a very different outcome.
Sparks Could Have Suffered Permanent Damage
GettyOne of the most stunning aspects of Sparks’ “Idol” win was her age. The singer was just 17 when she auditioned, making her one of the youngest winners ever. In 2008, Sparks would still have been a teen, making the injury especially tragic and potentially career-changing. In speaking with ABC News at the time, Dr. Peter Catalano shared just how high the stakes were for Sparks. “It may change your ability to sing certain types of songs,” he said. “Or potentially, if it’s really bad, affect your ability to sing altogether.”
The doctor went on to explain that location makes a huge difference with these types of injuries and would influence Sparks’s overall prognosis. “Depending on where on the vocal chord [the blister] is and how big it is, really determines how it affects one’s voice and whether or not it would be dangerous to someone’s career,” he said. Sparks was placed on bed rest by her medical team, which was an important first step in the healing process.
She Learned an Important Lesson From the Experience
GettySparks has come a long way since her 2008 injury, but she hasn’t forgotten the important lesson it taught her. “It taught me that you really have to take care of yourself,” she explained to ABC News. The singer has gone on to make beautiful music over the years, with her newest album, “No Restrictions,” hitting shelves in September 2024.
Multi-talented Sparks also has plenty of other projects on the horizon. As she shared in her ABC News interview, fans can catch her in a new Christmas movie during the 2025 holiday season. The Roku original film, “Merry Little Mystery,” is her second foray into the Christmas genre, following her 2021 appearance in “A Christmas Treasure.” The movie was released in November 2025.
