Singer Battles Mysterious “Burning Tongue Syndrome”

Meghan Trainor is feeling the burn—literally.

The 31-year-old pop star revealed on her podcast Workin’ On that she’s been hit with an unusual symptom: a painful burning sensation on the tip of her tongue. The bizarre condition followed a wave of sickness that swept through her entire household, including husband Daryl Sabara and their sons Riley, 4, and Barry, 2.

“I’m sick. Yet again,” she said on the July 10 episode. “But I’m not on antibiotics. I’m gonna fight it.” Trainor explained that the illness began with Riley before spreading to the rest of the family. Now she’s stuck with a lingering side effect that even her dentist has trouble explaining.

“My tongue is still burning,” she said, sounding hoarse. “If anyone knows why the tip of my tongue is burning—with no white patches or anything—you can barely see anything.”

Her dentist diagnosed it as “burning tongue syndrome,” a symptom of the broader and little-understood condition known as burning mouth syndrome. According to the Mayo Clinic, it can feel like you’ve scalded your mouth with hot coffee, even though there’s no obvious cause.

Trainor has been using a prescribed mouthwash up to four times a day, but it hasn’t helped much. “My dentist said, ‘My last patient felt better after two swishes. So you’ll heal right up,’” she recalled. “I’m on day three. So… when does that happen? I’m a little concerned.”

Despite recently launching her “Cloud Skin” makeup collaboration with e.l.f. Cosmetics, Trainor says she’s not exactly thriving. “I’m not feeling good,” she admitted, describing her morning as one spent coughing up mucus. “My body is just mad at me and I don’t know why. I’m so tired. I’m trying everything.”

That includes a strict diet: “I’m gluten-free. I’m dairy-free. I’m egg yolk-free,” she said. “I feel incredible—and then my immune system is just not feeling incredible.”

The cause of her tongue trouble may still be a mystery, but Trainor isn’t keeping quiet about it. If anything, she’s proving that even chart-topping singers can have health hiccups that leave them totally stumped.