Bowie's back! Today's the veteran singer's birthday, and he's got us all a new single to celebrate:

Released at the stroke of midnight, Where Are We Now is the first cut from a whole album, The Next Day announced at the same time and due for release on 11 March this year.

The news came as a big surprise to Bowie fans, coming as it did off the back of a ten-year silence from the singer. His last album, Reality, was released in September 2003, and the near-total lack of comment from him since then led to worrying rumours about the musician's health. The fact that he is apparently healthy enough to have recorded a 17-track album should hopefully prove those rumours false.

The initial announcement came from Bowie's son, the director Duncan Jones, who tweeted on the stroke of midnight:

That's pretty freaky, Bowie.