Perdita
11-07-2008, 08:29
Whether it's Elton John and George Michael, Run DMC and Aerosmith or Nick Cave and Kylie Minogue, everybody loves an A-list pop collaboration. However ropey the results are, they always provide plenty of gossip and debate for us humble music fans. The latest acts giving it a crack are smooth soft rockers Maroon 5 and R&B queen Rihanna. We caught up with guitarist James Valentine to find out how their hook-up came about.
Can you tell us what your new single, 'If I Never See Your Face Again', is about?
"I hate to speak about the lyrics because that's (frontman) Adam's department, but I guess it's about a fling. Two people coming together, having some fun... and then moving on."
You've re-recorded the song with Rihanna for its single release. Did you think something was missing from the original?
"After we recorded the track, we always thought it would make a great duet with a female voice. Then we met Rihanna and the idea came up. She was our first choice and we were lucky to have got her."
What's Rihanna like to hang out with?
"She's great in the studio. It's amazing to hear her voice on the microphone untreated and stuff. It's electric. She's got one of those very unique and distinctive voices."
Is she down-to-earth or a diva?
"Down-to-earth is a good way to describe her. In the studio she was really nice to everyone and joked a lot. It was a really good time and I'd love to work with her again."
Are you more open to the idea of A-list collaborations now?
"We're always open, but I think when we go in and make another record it will just be us collaborating ourselves. It can get a little bit ridiculous on a lot of records where there's some kind of collaboration on every track. It makes people interested in buying records, I guess, but we're interested in making records as a band."
Your first two albums sold millions around the world. Do you get competitive about selling more than other bands?
"There's always the danger of that happening, but when you try to play that game you're always going to lose. We want to continue to reach more people, but at the same time we want to make music that makes us excited. The main thing for us is to have the opportunity to continue making records."
Do you worry that it might all be downhill from now on?
"Oh yeah! I always worry about getting too attached to the success that we've had and the lifestyle that we've had. But you know it is going to go away and it is probably going to decline. Maybe we've got a couple more records in us, but who knows? We're always looking forward to what we'll be doing next."
You've toured with The Rolling Stones and The Police over the last couple of years. Do you think Maroon 5 can survive for as long as those two acts?
"No, I really don't see that happening. I don't think this band will hold interest for long enough to allow us to do that. I can say that now and I'm sure those guys said the same thing at the time, but I just don't see it happening."
You don't fancy playing with Maroon 5 when you're old and grey then?
"I think I'll probably always want to play music on stage, but it would seem ridiculous to be playing some of these songs when I'm a 50 or 60-year-old man. If people are still interested then that would be another thing. Will people want to hear Maroon 5 in 50 or 60 years? I don't know. Perhaps if we make some classic records, but first we've got to do that."
Have the band begun thinking about album number three yet?
"Yeah, we've started to talk about it a lot, but right now we're still touring so it's quite hard to compile new material. But we've been thinking about it conceptually. I'll just be excited to get home and begin working on that."
Have you any idea how the new record may differ from your first two?
"Well, the only thing - and it's very general and vague - is that we'd like it to be more organic than our last record. It Won't Be Soon Before Long was very slick and that was fun, but I think with the next one we'll take a more natural approach."
Maroon 5's new single 'If I Never See Your Face Again' is out now.
Can you tell us what your new single, 'If I Never See Your Face Again', is about?
"I hate to speak about the lyrics because that's (frontman) Adam's department, but I guess it's about a fling. Two people coming together, having some fun... and then moving on."
You've re-recorded the song with Rihanna for its single release. Did you think something was missing from the original?
"After we recorded the track, we always thought it would make a great duet with a female voice. Then we met Rihanna and the idea came up. She was our first choice and we were lucky to have got her."
What's Rihanna like to hang out with?
"She's great in the studio. It's amazing to hear her voice on the microphone untreated and stuff. It's electric. She's got one of those very unique and distinctive voices."
Is she down-to-earth or a diva?
"Down-to-earth is a good way to describe her. In the studio she was really nice to everyone and joked a lot. It was a really good time and I'd love to work with her again."
Are you more open to the idea of A-list collaborations now?
"We're always open, but I think when we go in and make another record it will just be us collaborating ourselves. It can get a little bit ridiculous on a lot of records where there's some kind of collaboration on every track. It makes people interested in buying records, I guess, but we're interested in making records as a band."
Your first two albums sold millions around the world. Do you get competitive about selling more than other bands?
"There's always the danger of that happening, but when you try to play that game you're always going to lose. We want to continue to reach more people, but at the same time we want to make music that makes us excited. The main thing for us is to have the opportunity to continue making records."
Do you worry that it might all be downhill from now on?
"Oh yeah! I always worry about getting too attached to the success that we've had and the lifestyle that we've had. But you know it is going to go away and it is probably going to decline. Maybe we've got a couple more records in us, but who knows? We're always looking forward to what we'll be doing next."
You've toured with The Rolling Stones and The Police over the last couple of years. Do you think Maroon 5 can survive for as long as those two acts?
"No, I really don't see that happening. I don't think this band will hold interest for long enough to allow us to do that. I can say that now and I'm sure those guys said the same thing at the time, but I just don't see it happening."
You don't fancy playing with Maroon 5 when you're old and grey then?
"I think I'll probably always want to play music on stage, but it would seem ridiculous to be playing some of these songs when I'm a 50 or 60-year-old man. If people are still interested then that would be another thing. Will people want to hear Maroon 5 in 50 or 60 years? I don't know. Perhaps if we make some classic records, but first we've got to do that."
Have the band begun thinking about album number three yet?
"Yeah, we've started to talk about it a lot, but right now we're still touring so it's quite hard to compile new material. But we've been thinking about it conceptually. I'll just be excited to get home and begin working on that."
Have you any idea how the new record may differ from your first two?
"Well, the only thing - and it's very general and vague - is that we'd like it to be more organic than our last record. It Won't Be Soon Before Long was very slick and that was fun, but I think with the next one we'll take a more natural approach."
Maroon 5's new single 'If I Never See Your Face Again' is out now.