It was mere days before Christmas in 2020 when Britt Connors arrived at the emergency room, unable to swallow. Over the years, the Concord musician had grown accustomed to the sensation that her food wasn’t “going down” correctly after eating, but she typically waved off the discomfort as an effect of her allergies.
This time was different, though; the pain in her chest had gradually worsened over the course of 12 hours, to the point that Connors was foaming at the mouth and unable to swallow her own spit. As doctors put her under an anesthetic to examine her throat, she urged them to be careful of her vocal cords and larynx, emphasizing that she was singer.
“I think I was more worried about them potentially hurting my vocal cords than about my esophagus,” she tells Vanyaland.
The good news: Doctors diagnosed the issue as eosinophilic esophagitis, and provided Connors with a medication that would treat her inflamed esophagus. The bad news: That same medication would impact her ability to speak — and sing — after just four days. Connors stopped taking the medicine immediately when she noticed it was affecting her voice, but she knew she’d need a long-term alternative that wouldn’t impede her career in music.
As Connors embarked on her recovery without medication, she assembled her new EP Exhale, a collection of previously recorded tracks. The fleecy blend of Americana and soul arrived last week (November 1), following Connors’ 2020 album Longitude. While she had initially hoped to record and release a fourth LP instead, Exhale allowed Connors to share new music while she treated her eosinophilic esophagitis with “a more holistic approach.”
Hiring a specialized nutritionist to help guide her diet, for instance, has helped Connors feel “healthy and stable.” Connors also called upon medical resources from the past to get her back on track; she first lost her singing voice between 2011 and 2012, and recovered with assistance from allergy doctors, speech therapy, and voice lessons.
“I already had assembled my ‘team’ to help my voice stay healthy, and I now feel stronger than ever,” she says. “Coming from music school and more classical training, and as a recovering perfectionist at heart, I’ve had to drive out the need for ‘perfection’ and finally feel like I’m using my whole voice and whole heart when I sing. It’s been incredibly cathartic, and I’m already working on new songs for whatever comes next — expanding into my newfound voice and exploring more of the interesting edges.”
It’s a mindset that rings true in the chorus of Exhale‘s vulnerable title track: “Think it’s time to exhale / Risk exposing the parts of me I’ve kept unseen / They’re not pretty, but it’s a good place to start.”
Take a beat with Connors below.