Maroon 5's Announcements: All You Need to Know

Maroon 5 fans got a pleasant surprise earlier this week, and for once it didn’t involve anything about ‘The Voice’ or frontman Adam Levine’s dyed hair. In fact, the pop-superstars had a barrage of announcements to make, but let’s start with what is perhaps the biggest one: Maroon 5 will be releasing their new album, V, on September 2.

Adam Levine sporting his new 'do with bandmate James Valentine

So, is V going to be pronounced like the letter V, or the roman numeral for five? Not like it makes a difference in the first place, but this album does happen to be the group’s fifth full-length. It will be following-up 2012’s Overexposed which shot the band to new heights, as it gave them yet another platinum record to add to their collection, and definitely had their most successful singles to date (all four singles reached the top ten on Billboard). Although its been noted that they’ve been in the studio creating album number five, the timing is a bit surprising. Overexposed felt like it had the potential to churn out a few more hits, like ‘Lucky Strike’ and ‘The Man Who Never Lied,’ especially after the melancholy last single, ‘Love Somebody.’ However, we’re certainly not complaining.

More: Maroon 5 announce new album and tour

Maroon 5 also inked a new record deal as well. They signed with Interscope Records, which ends their relationship with A&M/Octone as the label folded due to the front line umbrella label, Interscope-Geffen-A&M, purchasing a 50% stake of it in late 2013. Is a new label significant? Not exactly, but Interscope reached the mark of becoming the highest radio charting record company for music in 2013. Pretty fitting for an act like Maroon 5.

Another announcement, which is sure to satisfy the longtime fans, is the return of keyboardist Jesse Carmichael. Carmichael, who took a brief hiatus from the band during the recording and album cycle of Overexposed, is back for the making and touring for the upcoming V. Speaking of touring, Maroon 5 also announced a world wide tour deal with Live Nation, and although dates have yet to be announced for a summer tour, you can bet that it’s going to be big, and it’ll hit every market imaginable.

What will Maroon 5's new album sound like?

Phew. A lot to take in, right? The only thing left to wonder now is what V will actually sound like. Guitarist James Valentine has been quoted saying that the album had a batch of songs that sounded “darker” while some sounded “a little more organic.” That was all the way back in April 2013, so it's pretty likely things have changed since then (even though a dark Maroon 5 sounds enticing). Regardless, according to a press release about the record, some of the producers for V include Max Martin, Benny Blanco, Ryan Tedder, and Shellback -- all guys that heavily influenced Overexposed. A lead single is set to debut this summer and it’s sure to be played everywhere you look, no matter what it ends up sounding like.