Band Hero featuring Adam Levine

Yahoo! UK Games and Activision have teamed up to bring you this exclusive interview with Maroon 5 frontman and ace guitarist Adam Levine. But before you read ahead and discover how he got involved with Band Hero, here's a clip of Adam in action singing "She Will Be Loved" from Songs About Jane.

Why was Band Hero the right rhythm game to lend your music and likeness to?
I thought, you know, it's just kind of a cool thing and if you're going to do it, Band Hero seems like the best choice because it's promoting music, which is a good thing. And it's not just some mindless thing that turns your brain off - it's actually extraordinarily challenging. ‘I'm terrible at it so I have a lot of respect for people that can play it, ‘cause I'm no good.

You're involved in Band Hero. Tell us a bit about that - it sounds fun.
Well, it was unbelievably cool actually. It's kind of been a weird nerdy dream of mine to be in a video game. I don't know if other people share this strange desire but I always thought it was very cool and I guess they are going to use some of our [Maroon 5] music in Band Hero. They called us and said they wanted me to do an appearance in the game. So, I had to put on the silly suit and we had what they call an ‘avatar' created for me. They scan your body and it's pretty trippy actually and they put it through this computer and then they have this computer generated image of you and I had to perform the song basically wearing probably the nerdiest outfit of all time... It was really kind of one of those memorable experiences that you'll never forget because you've never done anything quite like it and you most likely won't do anything like it ever again.

How different is Band Hero from Guitar Hero?
Well, there's a wider, more diverse variety of popular, chart-topping music and there's appearances by actual people in the band that you're impersonating, which is cool. I don't know all the particulars but it's definitely been turned on its ass a little bit, so it should be a new experience for, you know, Guitar Hero enthusiasts as well.

Was it the all-ages sort-of aspect of Band Hero that appealed to you in some way?
Yeah and actually, you know, the most attractive part of the whole thing was that it was starting to venture out into various genres. I mean, personally, I'm not a fan of separating genres, you know. I'm a fan of so, so many different types of music, and I just thought it was cool that they were extending beyond your standard Rock ‘n' Roll tunes and kind of going into new areas. I think, that's a great thing. Obviously, with the record industry being in the state that it's in, it's nice to have a new out...a new and, I guess, innovative outlet for music.

Whose avatar would win in a fight - yours or Taylor Swift's?
I am not sure. It would be a tough; it would be a long brawl. I think that she would probably win in the end. Yeah, I'd be in trouble. I would be no match for her.

Your character looks good! How was the motion-capture experience?
It's pretty cool! I've never experienced anything like it so it was really a surreal thing going through the whole process, because they put you in this amazingly dorky costume. This suit with lights all over it which made you look kind of like the guy that lit up like a Christmas tree in Running Man. It was just really surreal being in that lit up uniform and performing to your music, lip-synching to your music, with no one else around you in a concrete warehouse with nothing but, you know, video game employees staring at you and laughing. It was pretty interesting.

People all over the world are going to have the chance to put your Maroon 5 songs in their own homes.
Yeah, it's gonna be excellent. I can't wait to actually maybe play myself. It would be kind of interesting.

Little by little it seemed like everyone has sort of been won over by these games. Where do you think that happened?
Well, at the end of the day I think it's only a good thing. In the beginning, I kind of had that attitude that people should learn to play real instruments; I thought, you know, if your gonna spend this much time getting this good at something that's that close to being a guitar, then maybe play a guitar. But then I thought to myself it's its own skill; it's entirely its own thing. I mean it's shaped like a guitar and you're playing music. Singing is the real test because there's nothing to really use to help you out, there's no crutch but it's its own skill and its cool. I'm also one of the people that believes playing video games actually really helps you when you're younger develop good hand-eye coordination, so I get nerdy when it comes to that stuff. I think it's actually, to a certain extent, important to play video games. Obviously, not to a completely obsessed extent...

Do you think that the music rhythm games help people understand music better?
Absolutely, it definitely helps you understand musicality of things, because you're still counting notes and you're still putting melodies under the microscope and dissecting them and things like that.

Video games are very big interims of entertainment and media. Do you think music games are able to improve the music industry?
I think they bring a new dimension to the music industry; people can connect to the piece of music more when they feel like they're a part of it. These games make listening to music an interactive experience.

What Maroon 5 song is on Band Hero?
In the game you'll see me performing "She Will Be Loved" from our record Songs About Jane.

Did you choose or was it the label and Activision who chose the song?
I mean, we didn't really care which songs they chose because we were just so excited to be a part of it. It was fine with us whatever song they chose, as long as it was our song - haha.

Do you think that music rhythm videogames are useful to introduce music to new generations of kids?
Absolutely, I think that any way that gets music out there is important these days because, obviously, the traditional way is kind of losing its power. So, I think that it's important to find new ways to get music out there, and if it's going to be videogames or commercials or movies it kind of doesn't matter as long as it gets out there.

Do you think that in the future it will be possible for a band or an artist to write songs specifically for a video game and not for a record?
Absolutely, I think that's going to start happening more and more, and I don't really have a problem with that. I mean, it's sad to see the traditional ways go but, yeah, I think that's going to happen. I don't know if it's happened already but, yes, I think that videogames are just so popular that everybody wants their piece of the pie and it makes sense to me.

Do you play video games?
Oh yeah, I've always played videogames. I enjoy them very much.

Do you play these kinds of video games such as Guitar Hero?
You know, haha, I've played them all and they're all really fun but I'm terrible at all of the Guitar Hero games. I try a lot, but for some reason I can't do it, I'm no good. These games are a great tool to make people want to pick up a guitar and really learn how to play the songs.

Why are music games so successful?
Because they can make anyone feel like a rock star.

Are your fans younger or do you have a universal fanbase? How do you think the older fans will respond to you being in a video game?
I think it's fine, you know, I don't think anyone's mad. I think we live in a very splintered, diversified culture at this point that kind of understands things like that, and I think that everyone's going to love it. There are a lot of different artists in Band Hero so it's really diverse and I really like that. It's very eclectic, so, yeah, I think that everyone will be happy about it.

We've seen musicians use these games to premiere new music. Will any new Maroon 5 songs be showing up on Band Hero or be downloadable for Band Hero as the new album nears?
I do not know the answer to that question. Who knows what the future will bring? I don't know how we're going to fit little new things into the promotion of our music. Considering the actual music business is pretty much toast, we're going to have to find new ways to promote the music. Maybe video games will be one of them.

What is the plan for your next projects?
We're currently in Switzerland recording our upcoming CD - release date is still TBD. Keep an eye out for it in 2010.

Are we still hoping to have the new album by 2010? Is that the goal?
Yes, absolutely. We're recording right now and it's shaping up really well. We're completely thrilled about everything and it's taking about a third of the time the last one took, which is a good thing. And it's gonna be really great. I'm really excited just to unleash this third record; it feels so crazy to know that we're going to have three albums out.

Is this going in a new direction? What's the master plan for this one? Is there a theme?
Well, you know, it, it's really interesting. We won't get into too much detail, I don't want to spoil it too much, but the first record was basically my whole life. They always say you have your whole life to make your first record and five minutes to make your second one, which is kind of true. The second one rolled along and we got excited and I love the second record a lot. I'm very fond of it. I think maybe there are things I would do differently now had I had a chance to go back but you can't live with any of the regrets. I think that the third one is really great ‘cause it's kind of taking the best elements of both the first and second one and kind of striking a balance whereas maybe every record-making experience is a learning experience. So, I think we've finally taken the best of both worlds and combined them into this one. I always think that whatever record we're putting out is our best one. And our fourth one will be better then the third and so on and so forth until we finally reach Wild Stallions' status.

What do you think could be the future solution for the crisis in the music business?
Oh, I really don't know. I think that bands just continue to make music and tour and I think that it will work itself out on the business side of it. With the selling records part of it, I think that something will happen and it will continue to evolve and until that point all we can do as musicians and songwriters is just write music, write songs and perform music and not worry about it too much; just kinda keep doing it, don't let it get anybody down. Eventually, there will be a solution. You know, I think that it's not our job to find a solution; it's our job to just continue doing what we do.

So your previous albums have also been like massive sellers, do you think this new album's gonna blow them outta the water and kick some ass?
I do believe so, yes. You know I think it's hard these days, you just never know but I'm hoping that is the case. Regardless of all that, you know, I do believe it is some of the best stuff we've ever done. Knowing that is half the battle right?

You're a really well known band and you've made a great name for yourself in the music industry but for some of the other bands that are trying to start out and make something of their band at the moment what advice would you give to them?
I would just say work, you know? I think that the only thing you can ever really do is try and you have to put everything on the line. I think that's the one rule: when your starting out it's almost as if nothing is not important. Everything you could possibly do to get your music out there. And now there are a lot more outlets than there used to be so it's kind of a great time for young bands, you know?

And who did you look up to when you were younger and looking for inspiration? What music did you like?
Well I mean I always sat in my room and listened to Pearl Jam and they were always just very inspiring. They did things on their terms, and that was always a very cool thing in my opinion.