Rod Stewart is hitting the road again this year, performing songs from his new album The Tears of Hercules alongside classic hits. After overcoming thyroid cancer, he had to relearn how to sing. Stewart shared on ITV’s Loose Women that while the cancer was easily removed, he lost his voice completely, which was a difficult challenge. It took him six months to recover his singing voice.

In an interview with USA Today, Stewart described the cancer diagnosis as a shock, but he’s now in great health. Reflecting on his experience, he said that facing such a serious health scare put his life into perspective. In 2019, he also announced he had successfully battled prostate cancer after early detection.

Stewart encouraged others to seek medical help, jokingly adding that getting checked isn’t as bad as it sounds.