Maroon 5 frontman Adam Levine recently launched his own fragrance, joining a long list of pop stars with their own scents. Levine admits he initially scoffed at the idea. "I laughed when they asked me about it," he told Rolling Stone. "I got convinced to do [it] by some amazing creative people who I trust, and I want to make something that competes with real fragrances. I don't want to be another famous dude selling crap."
What changed Levine's mind was the fact that he was so dismissive of the idea. "I thought, 'If I don't like something, the perception of something, wouldn't it be more interesting to try and change it than just go along hating it as you always have?'" he said. "This opportunity fell in my lap and I thought, 'OK, I'm gonna do a very sleek, simple architectural fragrance and have it be really clean, easy, functional.'"
Video: Maroon 5 Perform 'One More Night' on 'SNL'
While Levine and his bandmates have enjoyed consistent success over the years, the band is at a commercial peak, headlining arenas and performing on the Grammys recently with Alicia Keys. There is no question Levine's stature has risen in the mainstream thanks to the success of The Voice. As he points out, that was also something he wasn't into at first.
Obviously, it's worked out for him, but that was far from a foregone conclusion. "The Voice surprised me – it was a huge risk, a gamble, it was something that I wasn't so sure about. But I'm turned on by the idea of taking risks, Life's too short," he said. "I've had failures, things I look back on and might not be totally happy about. But when you take risks that's bound to happen."
To Levine, there is a recipe for success. "Anything can be done well, whether it's music or a fragrance or being on television," he said. "If you present yourself well and you make sure that everything you do is thought through and simple and tasteful, I think that's a winning formula. But also, the creative process is so important to me that I'm not going to allow for something like this" – the fragrance – "to be in poor taste."
This article originally appeared on Rolling Stone: Adam Levine Brings Formula for Success to New Fragrance
