IRON MAIDEN's BRUCE DICKINSON: 'I'm Not A Great Believer That A Voice Is Just About Singing'

IRON MAIDEN singer Bruce Dickinson was recently interviewed on the Scandinavian talk show "Skavlan". Also present in the studio were Gro Harlem Brundtland, former prime minister of Norway, and Swedish director and actor Felix Herngren. You can now watch the segment below.

Speaking about how he takes care of his singing voice, Bruce said: "Your voice is a muscle, like anything else, and as long as you don't abuse it and you use it correctly, then it will last.

"I'm not a great believer that a voice is just about singing," he continued. "A voice is a tool for communication. And as a singer, all you are, really, is a storyteller, and it just so happens that, obviously, with my voice I tell stories a particular way, but if you're Leonard Cohen, you have a different voice and you still tell great stories.

"When I got diagnosed with throat cancer three years ago, the thought occurred to me I might not be able to sing again," Bruce said. "Thankfully, that was not the case. But I did think about it, and I thought, 'You know what? Even if my voice changed completely, it still doesn't mean I can't tell stories.' Maybe I'd have to tell them a different way. Maybe I couldn't do them with IRON MAIDEN. But it still doesn't stop you… If what you want to do is tell stories, then you find a way to do it."

According to Bruce, "talking is disaster for the voice. Because when you sing, all the muscles in the voice are used in completely the opposite way to when you talk," he explained. "So I'm talking to you now and I'm using everything from here [points to his throat] down. Well, when I'm singing, I'm using everything from here up. So all it is is… Think of it like an organ pipe — basically, lots of rest, sleep, plenty of water, keep it hydrated. Don't go out yelling in pubs after the show."

In early 2015, Dickinson underwent a seven-week course of chemotherapy and radiology to treat a small cancerous tumor at the back of his tongue. A couple of months later, he was given "the all-clear" by his specialists following an MRI scan.

Dickinson's autobiography, "What Does This Button Do?", landed at No. 10 on the New York Times "Hardcover Nonfiction" best sellers list. It was released in the U.S. on October 31 via Dey Street Books (formerly It Books),an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.