Vocalist José James was forced to cancel a concert on Saturday after an accident left him without the ability to hear.

Jose James

The accident happened at a franchise of the North Sea Jazz Festival on the Caribbean island of Curaçao, where the Blue Note recording artist was due to perform on August 29.

His performance was cancelled, citing an equipment malfunction. However, James, 35, took to social media to share the real reason for the cancellation – That he was injured during his soundcheck. “An engineer opened a channel of extremely loud white noise directly into my stage monitors. The shock & pain in my ears was excruciating & I immediately lost my hearing as well as my sense of balance,” he explained.

After consulting with a doctor, it was confirmed the accident had damaged his inner-ear; however, the extent of his injury is not yet known.

James later thanked fans for their support, saying: “Obviously this is every musicians nightmare but I’m staying strong! Thank u all for your thoughts & prayers I really appreciate it!”

Sources close to James tell us he has now recovered some of his hearing since the accident, and is due to have more tests with a local Ear, Nose & Throat specialist in the coming days.

UPDATE (09/03/2013):

José James has confirmed he has not suffered any permanent hearing damage as a result of the incident, and has been cleared to return to the U.S. His upcoming performances are due to continue as planned, including a show at the Troubadour in Los Angeles, CA on September 13.

Watch Jose James perform his hit single ‘Trouble’ on Conan below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZttR9I52LY