Maroon 5

Maroon 5

• Read the Artist Biography
• See all CDs by this artist

RIGHT ON TIME
Maroon 5 Skip the Sophomore Jinx and Deliver a Far Funkier Followup
Prior to the release of It Won't Be Soon Before Long, Maroon 5's highly-anticipated second album, the Grammy-winning pop phenom's vocalist Adam Levine spoke with a roundtable of music journalists.

Question: The first disc, Songs About Jane, was released in 2002, and it did take about a year to catch on. But what took so long for the new album?

Adam Levine: I think the common misconception is that we took a lot of time off, but we were on the road for about three and a half years. Pretty immediately after we got home, we started working on the new record. And it took about a year to make. We couldn't have anticipated the success of the first record and obviously when that happens, it gets more intense and longer and the cycle gets a bit bigger.

Question: Why do you think it took a while for people to get Songs About Jane?

AL: I think that there weren't a lot of bands out there that sounded like us when our album came out, so radio stations and MTV didn't jump on it right away. We had to build up a following by touring for the first year. And then, slowly but surely, radio stations added the record. When they saw that it worked, other radio stations added it. So it was an organic process, as opposed to a big blitz process. That's why we need to get used to this new way of doing things, which is eight billion people all at once. It's really intense because we remember when we couldn't get anybody to [listen]. So that's an adjustment in and of itself, you know? It's exciting and makes you feel special.

Question: How has the group evolved musically between records? And how have the changes affected your stage performance?

AL: We went through a bit change with losing our drummer, Ryan. Over the years, he developed a nerve injury in his shoulder from repetitive drumming and he had to leave the band halfway through all the touring we did. Matt Flynn came in and took his place. Then on top of that, there's the whole musical and personality chemistry thing that a new member brings to the situation. So luckily, Matt really fit in and definitely changed the sound of the band with his style of drumming, which is a bit more upbeat and energetic. So I think the whole record feels a bit more urgent than the first one.

Question: What is it about this album you think will resonate with fans?

AL: Hopefully, we've continued to be honest and forthright with the lyrics that we write and still connect with them in that way. I think what established our relationship with our fans in the first place was that they connected with what we were doing lyrically. Musically too, but they could take away something that meant something to them. I think that we were equally honest with ourselves with this music. So as far as I'm concerned as long as we continue to be sincere in everything that we do, our fans will be on board.

Question: You've collaborated with a few other artists since Songs About Jane came out. Did those collaborations give you a new perspective, artistically?

AL: Yes, I think it definitely did. Kanye [West] and Alicia [Keys] are amazing talents, in totally different ways, too. Just seeing such amazing people working in the studio, especially when I first saw Kanye working… he just is so good and so quick and so all-over-the-place. Just to watch his brain work is pretty fascinating. And then Alicia is like this unbelievable maniac of a musician. Her whole energy is just amazing, so that was pretty cool. I definitely took things away from [working with] them -- just seeing how intensely they loved music was very inspiring.

Question: The songs on this album seem a lot funkier, with deeper bass. Was that intentional?

AL: Absolutely. We want this record to be stronger and we wanted you to be able to feel it in your chest. We wanted it to hit you a lot harder. We really wanted to [make] an unrelenting, uninhibited album. We have our issues on our first album, but with this one, I think we've become better players. And I think the parts are cooler and definitely funkier. I'm glad that came across, because that was the goal. Also, I drank some funk juice. Funk juice always helps.

May 18, 2007