00:00It's hard to write songs, you know, like, I feel like I'm so critical of myself, too.
00:04They're like, there's not much. I'm not sitting on anything.
00:07Yeah, I wish I was. I'd be pretty cool.
00:12All right, this is your Odyssey check in at the Rockstar Suite at the Hard Rock Hotel, New York.
00:16I am here with Adam Levine, Maroon 5.
00:19Very exciting things going on.
00:21The new album about to drop and, you know, it's crazy.
00:25I feel like at this point, I don't know if I believe you when you say there's no formula to making hit records because you guys have done it so consistently throughout the years.
00:36Has it gotten easier?
00:38Well, no.
00:40Listen, I think that we've been doing this a long time.
00:44So what made a song a hit a long time ago is very different than what makes a song a hit today.
00:50I think it's been like 400 years since we released our first song.
00:53Or give or take.
00:56I don't know, man.
00:57I think that as weird and cliche as it may sound, I think that not having a formula is a good formula because you just never know.
01:04And if it starts to feel like you're chasing something, it doesn't feel good.
01:07So this time around, I just thought to myself, well, we've had a lot of hits.
01:11And we've been really lucky to have those hits.
01:13And in some cases, we were more kind of quote unquote formulaic than others.
01:17But this time around, I really wanted to be as unformulaic as possible.
01:20And just say, you know what?
01:22I'm going to make the kind of music that just comes out of me naturally.
01:25And we'll see what happens.
01:26And we'll see where it lands.
01:27I'm sure the band was thrilled about that.
01:29The band has been begging me to do this for a long time.
01:32Since we stopped doing it.
01:34Yeah, yeah.
01:34Since we started collaborating more.
01:36Yeah.
01:36What song on Love Is Like gave you the most trouble?
01:40Which one took the longest to complete?
01:42Quick question.
01:43What song on Love Is Like took the longest to complete?
01:47Probably the song I Like It.
01:50We got Sexy Red on the song called I Like It.
01:53And the song was just a hook for a long time.
01:55And then Sexy jumped on it before I kind of finished.
01:58So I needed to write a part for myself other than the hook.
02:02And I just couldn't.
02:04Like, I just couldn't.
02:05It took me, like, three or four months to, like, finish one little part.
02:09And so that little things here and there took extra time.
02:11But that's always the case when we make an album.
02:13Yeah, yeah.
02:13Is there a secret to the longevity you guys have had as a band?
02:19You've been doing it for such a long time.
02:21And, I mean, just the consistency is crazy.
02:25Well, I will say this.
02:26If there's one thing I think you need to have is, like,
02:28you need to get along with the people you work with.
02:30Sure.
02:31Because I love my band.
02:32And my band loves me.
02:32And we've been through it.
02:34But at the end of the day, like, we love each other and we support each other.
02:36And I think if that's not there, if you're in a band, then it's over.
02:40Yeah.
02:40So that's number one.
02:42And then the rest of it, I couldn't tell you.
02:43Because we also just love performing.
02:47We love being a band.
02:48We love doing it.
02:49And we love making music.
02:50So if we're enjoying it and there's enjoyment there, that kind of connects to the
02:55we should all get along thing.
02:56But, you know, I guess that's the only thing.
02:58As long as that's the case and your core group is tight, you know,
03:02the rest of it, like, will come and go and it'll ebb and flow.
03:05And we've been bigger at certain times and not as big at other times.
03:08And you have to understand that that's the case, too.
03:10You can't always be on top.
03:12Yeah.
03:12You know, like, and chasing that too hard, I think, can, like, can sink you.
03:17So you just got to kind of go with it and see what happens.
03:19I would love for you to give me a guesstimation at this point.
03:23How many unreleased songs would you say Maroon 5 has accumulated?
03:28Not too many.
03:29Okay.
03:30Not too many.
03:30As a fan, that's good news because I hate when I hear, like, there's a hundred and we're never going to hear them.
03:35No, there's no vault.
03:36It's hard to write songs, you know.
03:37Like, I feel like I'm so critical of myself, too.
03:40They're like, there's not much.
03:42I'm not sitting on anything.
03:43Yeah.
03:43I wish I was.
03:44That'd be pretty cool.
03:45So the tour is coming up.
03:46A lot of people talk about pre-show rituals.
03:50What about post-show rituals?
03:52Like, when Adam Levine walks off the stage, what usually happens?
03:56It's pretty crazy.
03:58You sure you're ready for this?
03:59Bedtime.
04:00Sleep.
04:01Really?
04:02Sleep is king, y'all.
04:04So that's it, huh?
04:04Yo, we all have to sleep because sleep is what keeps us alive.
04:09Yes, yes.
04:09That is the cornerstone for health.
04:11I love sleep.
04:13I fucking love, especially now that I have three kids.
04:16Right, right.
04:17Man, when you sleep, when I sleep now, that shit is special.
04:20Absolutely.
04:21So speaking of health, how does the workout routine change when you're on the road?
04:25Does, like, the trainer come with you or are you doing a different regimen?
04:28Yeah, we always have Austin.
04:30He comes out with us and trains us and, you know, I work out when I'm at home, too, and
04:35he comes out every once in a while.
04:36But, yeah, like, the workouts are, they've only gotten more intense and I only have to
04:41be more, you know, I'm older now.
04:42So, yeah, a little bit, a little bit.
04:45Still look lovely, though.
04:46Hey, you know.
04:47Amazing skin.
04:48I'm trying.
04:48Thank you so much.
04:49Of course.
04:50This is a great interview.
04:53But, yeah, like, I, but I love, I'm also kind of super weirdly passionate about, like,
04:58kind of taking care of myself at this point.
04:59And I have to.
05:00Yeah.
05:00Because for performing, you can't get up there and be gassed after five seconds.
05:05Totally.
05:05Absolutely.
05:06Yeah.
05:06Before we wrap, brother, I would love if you could share something you auditioned for
05:13acting-wise that would surprise your fans, maybe.
05:17Cool question.
05:18Because I have a really cool answer.
05:20Drop it.
05:21I auditioned for, I was struggling, it was, like, 19-ish, and I met a woman who, a friend
05:30of the family who's a casting director, and she was like, hey, why don't you go to this
05:33audition that was for the movie Rockstar.
05:35Remember the movie Rockstar?
05:36What?
05:36Yeah, it was for a role, I don't really remember, I was also probably really bad in the audition.
05:45I'm not a particular, I'm not, like, a great actor.
05:47Like, I can hold my own.
05:48Like, I've been in a couple movies, but, like.
05:50I loved you, and what was that movie with, was it the musical or whatever?
05:54Yeah, Begin Again.
05:55Oh, I loved that movie.
05:55Well, Begin Again was amazing, and, like, that was a one-off thing.
05:58Yeah, yeah.
05:59And, like, but I never, like, especially when I was young, I'd never done any of this kind
06:03of stuff.
06:03Sure, sure.
06:03So I was a musician, so I showed up as a musician.
06:05And I probably gave a horrible audition, and then the part went to some, I was for, it
06:11was for the brother, I think it was for either the, oh, it was, like, the best friend of Mark
06:16Wahlberg's character.
06:17Okay, okay, okay.
06:17It was, like, in the garage band.
06:18Yeah, yeah.
06:19Like, who, like, who, like, doesn't make it, and Mark gets plucked, and his character,
06:22like, I, so I was supposed to be the brother, and I wasn't very good.
06:25A learning experience.
06:25I think they gave it to a really good actor.
06:27Okay, okay.
06:28Yeah.
06:29Adam, we're so excited for you guys, the new album, the tour, and everything.
