Maroon 5: Adam Levine’s ‘Blood Pumping’ For First Ever MTV VMA Performance


Maroon 5 want their MTV… BAD. This according to front man Adam Levine in a new promo spot for the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards.

“I like to keep it raw… exciting… get your blood pumping… and then we run out there,” Adam Levine says before subtly proclaiming, “I want my MTV.”

And according to MTV News, this will be the first ever performance by Maroon 5 at the VMA’s despite having racked up several nominations and moon-men trophies in the past. Maroon 5 was previously nominated for Best Group Video (“This Love”) in 2004 and Best Pop Video (“Payphone”) in 2012. They took home the statuette in 2004 for Best New Artist.

Adam Levine and company won’t be the only performers stepping up to the plate for the first time. Pop sensation Ariana Grande will also make her MTV VMA debut behind her massively successful array of hits such as “Problem” and “Break Free.”

The NY Daily News is also reporting that Beyoncé will take the stage for a special solo performance where she will also accept the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award. Unlike Maroon 5 and Ariana Grande, Beyoncé is a MTV VMA veteran. She’s also been nominated for eight awards, including “Drunk in Love,” which is up for Video of the Year. Despite having performed at the MTV VMA’s in years past, the NY Daily News mentions how this year’s inclusion of Beyoncé was never a sure thing:

“MTV and Columbia Records had been in heavy last-minute negotiations with the ‘Single Ladies’ singer in late July to get her to perform live at the show, held at the Forum in Inglewood, Calif.”

Maroon 5 meanwhile have a new album, V, coming out next month. The first single “Maps” has already hit the airwaves for many weeks now. And as previously reported by The Inquisitr, their second single “It Was Always You” is a drastic divergence from their pop music background.

In an interview with BBC America, Adam Levine explains the departure from their previous record Overexposed.

“On ‘Overexposed,’ there was a very conscious effort to have as many hits as we possibly could,” Adam explains. “It was very gluttonous in that way. The band had this new-found success from ‘The Voice’ and then ‘Moves Like Jagger’ and we were very excited because we hadn’t had hits for a while. So we were very hit-drunk. On this record, we’ve balanced those things [by] adding a bit more thought into what would make a great album — instead of being just a collection of pop hits.”

You can catch Maroon 5 alongside Ariana Grande, Beyoncé, and more on the MTV Video Music Awards August 24.

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