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Renowned Indian singer Alka Yagnik has revealed that she is suffering from a rare form of sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL), which doctors have attributed to a viral attack. The two-time National Award-winning artist shared this news via an Instagram post on Tuesday.
“A few weeks ago, as I walked out of a flight, I suddenly felt I was not able to hear anything,” Yagnik wrote. “It has been diagnosed by my doctors as a rare sensorineural nerve hearing loss due to a viral attack. This sudden major setback has caught me completely unaware. As I attempt to come to terms with it, please keep me in your prayers,” she added, expressing hope to “recalibrate” her life and return to the music scene soon.
Yagnik, 58, also advised her fans and younger colleagues in the music industry to be cautious about exposure to loud music and the use of headphones.
The Kolkata-born singer has a prolific career spanning over four decades, during which she has sung over 20,000 songs. She rose to fame in the 1990s and 2000s with numerous evergreen hits, including the title tracks for “Kuch Kuch Hota Hai” (1998) and “Taal” (2000). Yagnik shares the record with veteran singer Asha Bhosle for the highest number of Filmfare Awards won by a female playback singer, with seven accolades.
In 2022, Guinness World Records recognized Yagnik as the most streamed artist on YouTube, with 15.3 billion streams worldwide.
