John Mayer
John Mayer has released a clip of his new song, "Shadow Days," on his Tumblr account. His fifth studio album, "Born and Raised," is due later this year. REUTERS

John Mayer has released a 60-second clip to his new song, Shadow Days.

Here's a clip of the first sing off Born and Raised . . . I'm excited to share the first bit of sound from the album, Mayer, 34, wrote on Tumblr on Thursday.

Been looking forward to a post like this since October 14, 2010, the first day I started writing this group of songs. Enjoy, he added.

This is a huge improvement for the singer, who underwent throat surgery he underwent in October 2011 to treat his granuloma condition. Mayer has been on vocal rest ever since.

It's been a very long process in waiting to see if time was an alternative to surgery, but even given two weeks' voice rest (along with many other approaches), there was no change for the better . . . I should be frustrated but I can't seem to stop thinking about beautiful things . . . the only difference between now and when I was 18 is that now I have this beautiful, meaningful record waiting for me when I can sing it, he wrote on Tumblr at the time.

All week long, Mayer has been teasing fans on his Tumblr page with random posts about Born and Raised, including information on artwork and the new single.

Born and Raised is the follow-up to Mayer's last studio album, Battle Studies, which was released more than two years ago. The seven time Grammy Award winner first graced the mainstream music scene in 2001, with Your Body Is A Wonderland. His debut album, Room For Squares, remains his most successful album to date, with more than 4.3 million copies sold in the US.

If the lyrics to Shadow Days are any reference to Mayer's newfound look on life, fans are in for another personal, confessional album.

Well I ain't no troublemaker, and I never meant her harm / But it doesn't mean I didn't make it hard to carry on, Mayer sings.

Near the end of the 60 seconds, we get even more self-reflection from Mayer.

I'm a good man, with a good heart, had a tough time, got a rough start. But I finally learned to let it go / Now I'm right here, and I'm right now, and I'm open, knowing somehow / That my shadow days are over, my shadow days are over, he sings.

Mayer will return to the road for the first time since his throat surgery when he plays a 2-night gig at the Global Events Center in Thackerville, Oklahoma. He will also take part in the annual South by Southwest festivities in Austin, before playing at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival on Apr. 29.

Visit John Mayer's Tumblr page for a teaser clip of is new song, Shadow Days.