'I was a huge star in 1990s but devastating diagnosis forced me out of limelight'
Alannah Myles was propelled to fame in the early 1990s with her iconic hit Black Velvet, but 36 years after releasing her self-titled debut album, the singer has been through a hidden struggle
Rewinding over 30 years, soft rock enthusiasts couldn't get enough of the Canadian songstress Alannah Myles and her legendary anthem 'Black Velvet'.
The single catapulted Myles to international fame, topping charts in the United States and earning her the prestigious Grammy Award. However, 36 years on from her eponymous debut album, Alannah has endured unseen battles away from the spotlight.
Her ascent to fame largely came on the back of 'Black Velvet', an ode to Elvis Presley, its lyrics a poignant representation of his life and charm. It's said that the inspiration for 'Black Velvet' struck Alannah after she visited Memphis for the 10th anniversary of the King of Rock n Roll's passing.
Reflecting in 2021, the artist remarked: "It is a country blues song with a chorus, ushering in a time when country music won the hearts of the masses away from disco, punk, and grunge music. If it was a crappy song no one would remember it."
The track hasn't just garnered a staggering 358 million streams on Spotify; it also impressed the critics, bagging the award for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance at the 1991 Grammys in addition to multiple Juno Awards on her home turf, reports the Mirror US.
Facing immense anticipation for her follow-up release, Alannah presented her second album 'Rockinghorse', which featured renowned tracks such as 'Our World Our Times' and 'Song Instead of a Kiss'.
She would indeed receive another Grammy nomination, but her subsequent album didn't quite reach the success of her initial release.
Following two more albums in the 90s, 'Alannah' and 'A Rival', she took a hiatus from music. In subsequent years, Myles encountered significant health hurdles that drastically affected her life.
In 2017, the singer sustained a severe leg injury that was far from a minor inconvenience, severely limiting her mobility and confining her largely to her home for an extended period.
Allanah was also diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis, an auto-immune condition affecting spinal joints. This ailment can lead to intense stiffness and pain in her back during routine activities and even cause discomfort as she sits.
In a conversation with City News, she disclosed: "Now I have issues with being able to sit. That's why when you see me in concert, you see me on a chair. I'm sitting upright. It's painful for me to sit down, so I can't really go anywhere.
"I can't sit in a wheelchair. I can't go to a concert, parties, or even medical visits without a padded stretcher. I have no life now as a result of not being able to get myself up independently which makes it only worse... I can get up to walk, but I need help doing it."
Despite the disease affecting her physical health, Alannah remained resilient and continued to produce new music. In 2018, she reunited her former band and re-recorded some of her iconic hits, independently releasing them separate from her previous label.
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