Stevie Nicks Says Music Helped Her Heal From a Shoulder Fracture

Fleetwood Mac singer Stevie Nicks, 77, credits music with being her saving grace while recovering from a shoulder fracture she sustained over the summer. 

The rock legend told People she’s “all over the internet” and has listened to “a lot of current bands” during her recovery.

“That’s the one thing that I have done physically through this recovery, is to really listen to all this younger music that I love,” Nicks explained. “And when I wasn’t feeling well at all, it just carried me on a cloud through this whole thing.”

Nicks, who’s currently on her “Live in Concert Tour,” said she still loves tapes and isn’t “high tech at all,” but she does use streaming platforms like Pandora and Spotify to “push the thumbs up” and “love this, don’t love that.”

“The power of music to heal you is amazing,” she says. “If I didn’t have those tapes, I don’t know what I would have done.” 

Nicks had postponed her tour for two months because of her injury.

“Due to a recent injury resulting in a fractured shoulder that will require recovery time, Stevie Nicks’ scheduled concerts in August and September will be rescheduled,” the statement said at the time.

Music therapy has been used to treat various health conditions, including depression, chronic pain and Alzheimer’s disease. A 2020 study by the Global Council on Brain Health in collaboration with AARP found that listening to and creating music has great potential to support brain health and recovery.

“Health science suggests that music can enhance a sense of well-being, reduce stress, facilitate interpersonal connections, modulate the cardiovascular system, improve balance and boost the immune system,” the report says.

Additionally, a 2023 study by the University of Michigan National Poll on Healthy Aging indicates that 98 percent of adults ages 50 to 80 derive health benefits from music, including stress alleviation, improved mental well-being, social connection, enhanced cognitive function and pain mitigation.