Maroon 5 celebrated the release of their sixth studio album, Red Pill Blues, with an hour-long album release party and Q&A hosted by Jojo Wright at the iHeartRadio Theater in Los Angeles on Tuesday, November 7. The intimate event, attended by 200-some fans, was broadcast live on air and streamed online. The band kicked off the event by immediately performing a laid-back, casual rendition of their latest single âWhat Lovers Do.â
The album title â which takes inspiration from The Matrixâs red pill/blue pill dilemma â has made headlines for seemingly hinting at the current political landscape, but frontman Adam Levine told Jojo that he wants fans to decide the meaning for themselves.
âI canât say I know for sure the answer to that question,â Adam said. âThe name of an album is just a vibe. I think we had like 20 minutes to come up with it at the eleventh hour ⊠I like to let people decide their own meanings to it.â
Before going on to perform new track âWaitâ and throwbacks âShe Will Be Loved,â âDonât Wanna Know,â âSugar,â âMoves Like Jagger,â âThis Love,â âHarder to Breathe,â âOne More Nightâ and âMisery,â Levine commented on the collaborations they have on Red Pill Blues.
Watch Maroon 5 perform "What Lovers Do" below.
âEvery single one of the people we worked on the album with served a purpose,â he shared of collaborators Julia Michaels, A$AP Rocky, Future, Kendrick Lamar, LunchMoney Lewis and SZA. âTheir freshness on the scene and it was all song appropriate ... whatâs the right pitch and tone for this.â
While the album, according to critics, is Maroon 5âs most electronic yet, it still retains the bands signature acoustic influence. In fact, Adam thinks Red Pill Blues is closest to their debut album, Songs About Jane.
âI think this album and the first album are probably the most connected,â Adam said. âThis album seems to me like a cousin to the first album ... thereâs a relationship ... kind of like book-ended all the ones in between.â
Watch Maroon 5 perform "Wait" below.
The Voice coach candidly explained that as an artist, youâre rarely even guaranteed a second album after you sign a five-record deal.
âRecord deals are formed because they expect it to fail,â he said. â[Weâve] made it through our first record deal ⊠and now we have a lot of the power and control which is rad. Itâs a beautiful life [for Maroon 5 right now].â
While the frontman wouldnât elaborate on the meaning of the album title in the beginning of the casual, cool concert, he ended the night by proclaiming âwe are gathered here today to get through this thing called lifeâ and performed a stellar cover of Princeâs âLetâs Go Crazy.â
Download or stream Red Pill Blues now.
Watch Maroon 5 perform "This Love" below.
Set List:
"What Lovers Do"
"Wait"
"She Will Be Loved"
"Don't Wanna Know"
"Sugar"
"Moves like Jagger"
"This Love"
"Harder to Breathe"
"One More Night"
"Misery"
"Let's Go Crazy" (Prince cover)