Malaysian singer Datuk Seri Siti Nurhaliza revealed that she was having problems with her voice box while working on her latest album, Sitism.
At a press conference on Wednesday (Sept 20), Siti, 44, said that her 20th album took around three months to complete due to vocal complications.
Admitting that the recuperation process was slow and difficult, the singer told mStar – The Star's Malay language news portal – that she had come to terms with the possibility of slowly losing her voice.
"At one point, it took a really long time (for my voice) to heal, and I have slowly accepted if Allah were to take away my voice.
"Now that I'm in my 40s, I'm OK if my voice is rough or hoarse. I will still keep singing to the best of my ability. I'm always positive," she said.
Siti shared during the interview that she visited doctors multiple times and also prayed in front of the Kaabah during Ramadan for a speedy recovery.
As for the comments from netizens who said that her voice isn't the same as before, the singer said: "Before this, there were listeners who talked about how much my voice has changed but it's not something I take to heart.
"We must always be thankful and positive. I will do my best, and this album is also the best I can give at the moment," she concluded.
Sitism was released digitally with eight tracks on June 30. A version with 12 songs was released on Sept 8.