John Mayer Covers Billboard, Reveals He Thought He’d Never Sing Again

John Mayer, the supposed former BF of Katy Perry, covers the new issue of Billboard, something his ex did at the end of 2012. In the feature, he goes deep and detailed about his vocal issues, which pretty much stopped him dead in his tracks from supporting last year's 'Born and Raised.' But the problems were worse than limited promotional abilities. They were so bad, in fact, that Mayer was faced with the possibility that he may never be able sing again.

The cover story delves into the botox injections Mayer received and the fears that the former lothario had to conquer. It was almost a bit of karma, since he was known for being so bigmouthed about his ex-girlfriends in the press.

He tried to remedy his throat issues with, Dr. Steven Zeitels, that man who fixed Adele's golden voice. But Mayer did not achieve the same result, since his problem was markedly different. Zeitels' plan of rest, surgery and Botox (to paralyze the vocal cords so they could mend) wasn't fixing the problem, which was the result of a toxic cocktail of touring, performing, acid-reflux, a crappy diet and drinking.

"I thought I'd just take a pill and it would go away, but the problem got worse and worse, and grew and grew," Mayer said. He continued, "I spent so long being terrorized, I had all but shut down the fantasy of playing music again -- just so I could, you know, survive."

While he was silenced, he found some small comfort in the idea that he could hone his guitar playing craft and be a virtuoso guitarist or a sessions player called on by names bigger than his.

Still, it sorts sucked to be him for a while. "I was forced to type on my iPad to communicate anything," Mayer groused. "It wasn't liberating. Is breaking your leg liberating? No. All complexity is gone when you don't have a choice."

He turned to a UCLA Voice Center for Medicine and the Arts expert and found his nirvana, so to speak. That physician, Dr. Berke, opted for a course of treatment that involved 17 units of Botox, 16 more than Zeitels had prescribed.

Mayer had the injections and could not speak to due to paralyzed vocal cords for weeks. Still, his condition was markedly improved, so he got even more Botox, keeping him quieter for an extended period. He had to pipe down for an extended period to heal.

"I probably had contiguously three, maybe four months of not saying a word," Mayer said. "The endurance was tough for me, but I started a new life. It's hard to believe that I'm healed, but just to make sure, I keep going back every two weeks for a look, and it's the same -- if not better."

Watch the John Mayer 'Queen of California' Video