In her most candid interview yet, country legend Tanya Tucker opens up to ‘Closer Weekly ‘about her past, depression, and how recording her new album got her back on her feet.

The country star has had a difficult few years. “I lost my mother last year. You try and mentally prepare for it, but when it comes, you are not prepared for the emotional toll it takes,” she tells ‘Closer.’

On top of this loss, Tanya endured an accident that hindered her singing abilities. “I went in for a simple dermal abrasion skin treatment. Something went wrong and I suffered second and third-degree burns all over my face, in my nose and down my lungs. It was awful,” she tells the new issue of ‘Closer Weekly.’ “It also changed my voice, which has been another obstacle I’ve had to overcome. I’ve had to struggle to reach certain notes, which I never had to do before.”

tanya tucker
Getty

Tanya performing in January 1979.

Recovering wasn’t easy. “It threw me into a deep depression,” says Tanya. “I probably spent half a million dollars on doctors. I took medications, did shock treatments and tried everything with the exception of being put into a straitjacket. And yet somewhere in the midst of all this, I cut 10 tracks for a new album!”

Related Story: Valerie Harper Opens Up About Her Battle With an Incurable Form of Brain Cancer

Now that she’s found her voice again, Tanya says that she is “a lot better.”

She tells the magazine: “It’s my music that really saved me. When people hear these songs, they will know [they] came from my heart.”

For the full interview with Tanya, including her thoughts on the love of her life, Glen Campbell, pick up this week’s issue of ‘Closer Weekly,’ on newsstands now!