John Mayer has broken down on stage and claimed he is quitting "the media game".
The tearful singer interrupted a performance in Nashville, Tennessee, stopping his track ‘Gravity’ halfway through as the backlash from his recent Playboy interview – in which he used the word “nigger”, described sleeping with Jessica Simpson as like “a drug” and admitted he will always love Jennifer Aniston – got to him.
Apologising to his bandmates, he tearfully said: “I quit the media game. I’m out. I’m done. I just want to play my guitar.
“I fell into a wormhole of selfishness, greediness and arrogance. In the quest to be clever, forgot about the people who love me and that I love."
He then returned to playing the guitar solo for the song after a lengthy pause.
The outspoken star also took to his twitter page to apologise to fans for using the racial slur.
He wrote: “Re: using the ‘N word’ in an interview: I am sorry that I used the word. And it’s such a shame that I did because the point I was trying to make was in the exact opposite spirit of the word itself. It was arrogant of me to think I could intellectualise using it, because I realise that there’s no intellectualising a word that is so emotionally charged.”
John admitted the response to the interview will make him be more guarded about what he says in future as he fears his outrageous statements are overshadowing his career.
He tweeted: “And while I’m using today for looking at myself under harsh light, I think it’s time to stop trying to be so raw in interviews…
“It started as an attempt to not let the waves of criticism get to me, but it’s gotten out of hand and I’ve created somewhat of a monster. I wanted to be a blues guitar player. And a singer. And a songwriter. Not a shock jock. I don’t have the stomach for it.”
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