Adam Levine on how “The Voice” took him into a different stratosphere

While some celebrities hate answering questions, talking about themselves and promoting their TV projects Adam Levine revels in it at a makeshift press conference at a Manhattan steakhouse. The superstar shares some of his thoughts The Voice coach and Maroon 5 star Adam Levineon being a part of The Voice (airing on NBC Mondays and Tuesdays), his adoration for his fans and more in “7 Questions With…”

1. You’re at a magazine rack and can only pick three titles. Which ones do you choose? Mad, Car and Driver, Golf Digest.

2. If your TV carried just three shows or networks, what would they be? ESPN for Lakers games and updates. FX for Sons of Anarchy. HBO for movies.

3. What has been your strangest fan encounter? Anytime that a fan expresses their love for our music and supports us by being at the show or buying a record, that’s a major thing for us, and to encounter them in person at a show or in public or get a letter or tweet from them hearing how a song or a moment of ours could make such a profound impact on someone else’s life is such a powerful thing for us.

4. Tell us about a time when you were starstruck. Singing onstage with Stevie Wonder for Live 8 in 2005 was one of the most amazing moments of my life. Or shooting free throws with another childhood idol, Magic Johnson, on Leno, was an incredible moment as well.

5. What are three things you have to have in your fridge or pantry?
Eggs, dried fruit and gluten-free, yogurt-covered pretzels.

Adam Levine is one of the coaches on NBC's THE VOICE6. Even though you were already successful, did the show help your career? I could have been worried about the show, which — I’m a musician; I’m in a band [Maroon 5]. I’m on this TV show now — oh, my God, this could damage my credibility! People won’t take me seriously, blah, blah, blah. And what happened was, shockingly, it helped people understand who we were as a band and actually made us feel taken more seriously somehow. I didn’t know that was going to happen. And as far as the scale, the magnitude of the band, and their success, it’s pretty distinct. You can tell when The Voice happened, just how much of a lift the band’s career got. And I actually honestly never saw that coming. I thought we kind of solidified our presence in the world, and it was where we were and we were going to stay there, and I was perfectly happy with that. It’s been launched into a different stratosphere that I never saw coming.

7. Would you have wanted to be on The Voice when you were starting out? Of course, because when I was 21 and I was trying to make it, I would have done anything to get the success and the appreciation that I wanted. The media now is totally different. Back then there wasn’t YouTube. There was nothing. You had to have a record deal. You had to always be willing to do all these things — tours. I did what I had to do. And now there’s no way I wouldn’t try every avenue to have success. I think then I was personally so driven that whatever it took, it took. The Voice would be the perfect show. It seems odd to admit that because back then it was so not about that and everyone was so anti-everything, but of course I think it would be totally logical in today’s world to be on it, especially a show like The Voice, which has a lot of credibility.

Images Credit: NBC