John Mayer opened up for the first time about his two-year vocal chord issues. In an exclusive interview, Mayer admitted that he was afraid he would never be able to sing again.

Mayer was diagnosed with granuloma, severe tissue inflammation on his vocal chord, shortly after he completed his fifth album, 2012's Born and Raised.  

Mayer, 35, who recently split with pop singer Katy Perry, said the returning throat issues prevented him from speaking and singing for "three to four months at a time."

"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 told Billboard. The singer underwent Botox treatments on his throat as an alternative to surgery and the process paralyzed his vocal chords.

The singer said not being able to speak forced him to get creative about how to communicate with people. 

"I was forced to type on my iPad to communicate anything," Mayer said. "It wasn't liberating. Is breaking your leg liberating? No. All complexity is gone when you don't have a choice."

"Mayer said he felt "terrorized" about the possibility of not being able to sing again so he "shut down the fantasy of playing music again."

Mayer has since recuperated and was surprised to learn that he had success with his throat healing again.

"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," he says about his reinstated voice.

The good news prompted Mayer to announce his first tour in three years after taking a hiatus for medical reasons. The 35-year-old will go on the road and perform in more than 40 shows in four countries beginning next month. The Born and Raised tour will kick off April 25 in Tuscaloosa's Amphitheater and end in October at Los Angeles' Hollywood Bowl.

The Shadow Days singer expressed his gratitude for being able to perform once more in a recent interview. He called the ability to sing again, "The greatest gift I have in my life" and also said that the "opportunity to play again is also the opportunity to dream again."

"My dreams were in escrow, but when I found out this thing in my throat had receded, the most exciting thing for me was having a second chance at a new life," the singer, songwriter and guitar player said. "My dreams have come true twice. That's really cool."

American Idol 2012 winner Phillips Phillips will open for Mayer on his tour.

See the list of John Mayer's Born and Raised tour dates and locations here

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