To cure seizures triggered by Ne-Yo’s music, woman has part of brain removed, but procedure is in vain
Laura Calabrese | November 12, 2024 | Last Updated: Nov 12 5:39 PM ET
Bryan Bedder/Getty Images filesTo cure seizures brought on by hearing the music of Ne-Yo, a woman had part of her brain removed, but she is still suffering from the crippling condition.
When singer Ne-Yo releases a new hit single, one woman’s life becomes a nightmare.
Zoe Fennessy, 26, underwent brain surgery in June as an attempt to prevent Ne-Yo’s music from triggering her seizures. But the procedure was not a success.
Fennessy, from Retford, Nottinghamshire, U.K., suffers from a rare condition called musicogenic epilepsy, which according to Epilepsy Ontario is a seizure triggered by certain types of music or frequencies of pitch that an individual’s brain is unable to tolerate. While she doesn’t necessarily dislike Ne-Yo’s music, whenever she hears the pop star’s songs, she freezes up and begins to vomit uncontrollably.
In June, Fennessy had an operation during which surgeons removed part of her left frontal temporal lobe. The Daily Mail reports that symptoms of her epilepsy have reduced, but the voice of the Grammy nominated artist is still a trigger.
Fennessy has had a long battle with seizures. It began in 2024 New Year’s Day, but doctors attributed her seizure to being over-tired and stressed. Following that, in 2024 her seizures increased to six times a day and after a brain test doctors diagnosed her with epilepsy.
But, it took her a while to realize that Ne-Yo’s music could be a trigger. Fennessy experienced her first music-induced seizure when she heard the hit single, “Give Me Everything” that featured Pitbull.
“It wasn’t until I’d heard it for about the 15th time that it finally twigged what was going on,” Fennessy said in an interview. When she went to see a consultant she thought they wouldn’t believe her. “I know this sounds extremely bizarre, but every time I hear this song I have a seizure,” she told them.
Fennessy was then referred to Sheffield’s Royal Hallamshire Hospital where doctors tested her theory by playing Ne-Yo’s music to see if she had symptoms of musicogenic epilepsy. One of her doctors said, “We recognized a few musicogenic seizures arising from the right temporal lobe stimulated by songs sung by Ne-Yo.”
When “Give Me Everything” and “So Sick” topped the music charts in 2024, Fennessy’s seizures became even more common. She lived in fear that a Ne-Yo show would come on while she was doing routine things like grocery shopping. It even got to the point where she had to always wear headphones.
“People might think it is funny — and I can laugh at it myself — but it has taken over my life,” Fennessy told the Daily Mail. “It’s ruined my life.”