John Mayer Plays New Song, Promises 'A Lot of Music' to Come in Google+ Hangout
The chart-topping performer partnered with Billboard to anounce his comeback, reveal tour dates and answer fan questions.
After battling health problems that left him silent for the last few years, John Mayer's ready to tour again -- and he proved it on Thursday (March 21), performing and taking fan questions in a Google+ Hangout. Streaming from Santa Monica's Village Studios in a broadcast watched by thousands, he was interviewed by producer Don Was.
"I actually just went to the throat doc," he said, with an all-clear coming after he'd finished several weeks of singing. Playing acoustic guitar with a drummer and bassist, Mayer showed off his healthy voice and performed a handful of tracks in between answering questions.
John Mayer Announces First Tour in 3 Years
Playing acoustic guitar with a bassist and drummer, he played "Queen of California," "Speak For Me," "Who Says" and a new song, "Dear Marie."
 MAYER + BILLBOARD "I'm never a quitter. That's how my mind works. Everything I stand for is about fighting through and never backing down" |
"I want to make the commitment now, that there's going to be a lot of music going around," he said, promising to play more new material on the road.
Beating his throat issues, he said, was a question of determination.
"You don't go crazy when you know you can't," he said. "You just sort of go, alright, O.K. ... I wanted to get back here -- this is what I was dreaming about night after night after night, so I'm so happy to be out of that wormhole."
It's still affecting his delivery, though he says things have improved since he returned to the stage for a January charity concert.
"I have to sing them still a little bit differently. This Botox I had in my throat is dissolving… now it's kind of opening up," Mayer said.
And with his return to the road imminent, Mayer says he's working on "open" music for his next album.
"Lately I am inspired by writing music for the stage -- that can go 15 minutes if you want it to, or five minutes," he said, calling his new sound "acid country."
"I'm still discovering music that's existed before I was born," he added, asked about his inspiration. "I've had the teenage discovery moment about 10 times in my life, even since becoming a musician. I find something that really moves me."