The Vamps' James 'deteriorated' down 'dark road' after almost losing his voice

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James Brittain-McVey (left) has released new music away from The Vamps (Image: Samir Hussein/WireImage)
James Brittain-McVey (left) has released new music away from The Vamps (Image: Samir Hussein/WireImage)

James Brittain-McVey has reflected on his life over the past year which saw him undergo surgery on his vocal chords.

The Vamps star who recently released his first solo song since 2009 was left devastated when he was faced with almost losing his voice forever, earlier this year. The 30-year-old suffered a haemorrhage growth on his vocal chords which saw him take time off from the chart-topping group.

His bandmates, Bradley Will Simpson, Connor Ball and Tristan Evans, were supportive of Brittain-McVey and frequently updated fans on his condition. But after having surgery, the guitarist and singer admits that due to his own struggles, he wasn't fully aware of what was happening around him.

Following the release of his latest single, Dancing On The Head Of A Needle, the Chester-born star said: "Around the time that I wrote this song, people who were really close to me were going through things of their own, and because I was so far down this dark road after losing my voice, I was unable to acknowledge that I needed to be there for them. It's a bit like my apology to the people I let down, but also to myself, for not being able to see the warning signs. I was deteriorating into a place that was almost too far down to reach."

The Vamps' James 'deteriorated' down 'dark road' after almost losing his voice eiqrdidzzidedinvJames Brittain-McVey has said his single is an "apology" to those around him (Getty Images for NOW)
The Vamps' James 'deteriorated' down 'dark road' after almost losing his voiceDespite the quartet persuing solo projects, a split is not on the cards (Attitude Magazine via Getty Images)

During his struggles, James was tasked with resting his voice for six months and also being on complete vocal rest which impacted his mental health. Speaking about his vocal struggles, he told Irish News: "It's my fault because I've never really looked after my voice or warmed down after shows. Thankfully, it sounds the same, but it tires easily. It's like a muscle that needs to be built up again."

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But his time away from the limelight appeared to be beneficial for the musician who explained: "It really made me obsess over lyrics and instrumentation. I've probably put down an album's worth of songs." Speaking to the Mirror earlier this year about James' struggles, Tristan said: "He's doing this to prevent major surgery, he's having this silence to prevent years of silence – that would be the worst-case scenario.

"We're so proud of him and we see him all the time, he just doesn't speak, it's quite funny." But despite each of the four lads taking on solo projects, Brittain-McVey with his music, Tristan with his own concealer collection, Connor with his band The Lunar Year and Brad who launched Ten Legs Gin, the quartet are not going anywhere.

"I think it's exciting, I love it, the boys are so supportive," Tristan gushed before continuing: "We're literally best friends as well as being in a band. So it's kind of easy to do other things and they put their opinion in and I love that, it's actually really easy to just do something different. Obviously, it's nerve-wracking and it's a bit different but it's kind of funny to do something different."

Daniel Bird

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