Maroon 5 x BLACKPINK’s Lisa: The Collab We Didn’t See Coming (But Absolutely Needed)

Written By AV .

In a year full of musical surprises, one partnership has managed to outshine them all: Maroon 5 teaming up with BLACKPINK’s Lisa. This is the collaboration nobody anticipated, yet now that it’s here, it feels like something we always needed. The worlds of American pop-rock and K-pop rarely collide at this magnitude, and fans worldwide are buzzing about the genre-blending duet. Adam Levine and Lalisa Manobal (better known simply as Lisa) have each conquered charts in their own arenas; together, they’re poised to create a global pop culture moment.

From Rumors to Reality

Whispers of a Maroon 5 and Lisa team-up began when eagle-eyed fans caught a series of intriguing social media clues. A few behind-the-scenes Instagram photos and videos led to speculation that Lisa had been in the studio with Maroon 5. The rumor mill truly kicked into overdrive after Lisa shared a short video clip that sounded like Adam Levine’s unmistakable vocals in the background. For weeks, neither camp confirmed anything, but excitement grew as Maroon 5 hinted they were working on new music and Lisa wrapped up promotions for her solo album.

Confirmation finally arrived in spectacular fashion. Maroon 5’s frontman Adam Levine took to Instagram to post behind-the-scenes snapshots from an upcoming music video shoot, tagging Lisa and revealing the song’s title as “Priceless.” In that instant, the collab went from fan fantasy to official news. The announcement was quickly followed by Levine’s appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, where he cheekily acknowledged the buzz. When pressed about “the rumors of a new song, a new album, and a tour,” Levine grinned and admitted, “I can confirm the rumors are true.” He teased that a new single would drop “at the end of the month-ish,” an album would follow in the summer, and a world tour was on the horizon in the fall. With that, Maroon 5 formally ushered in their next era — one that kicks off with an unprecedented collaboration.

A glimpse into the making of the "Priceless" music video.

Not only is “Priceless” the first-ever collaboration between Maroon 5 and a K-pop artist, it’s also a strategic move for both artists. For Maroon 5, it marks a fresh chapter after a couple of quiet years. (Their last full album, Jordi, came out in 2021, so new music was due.) Teaming up with Lisa injects a burst of global energy into the band’s sound, potentially introducing Maroon 5 to legions of new international fans. For Lisa, stepping into a track with one of America’s biggest pop-rock bands further cements her status as a true global superstar. It’s a win-win scenario that has industry insiders intrigued and fans ecstatic.

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Lisa’s Unstoppable Rise

If 2025 has proven anything, it’s that Lisa’s star power knows no bounds. Long before this collaboration was confirmed, Lisa was already having a landmark year. In late February, she released her debut solo studio album Alter Ego, a project that showcases her versatility beyond BLACKPINK. The album received positive reviews and boasted high-profile collaborations of its own — including tracks with Doja Cat and RAYE (and even a surprise feature from rapper Future on a hard-hitting song titled “Fxck Up the World”). With Alter Ego, Lisa demonstrated she could hold her own as a solo artist, topping charts and garnering critical praise.

But music is just one piece of Lisa’s 2025 takeover. In a history-making moment, she became the first K-pop artist ever to perform at the Academy Awards. On March 2, at the 97th Oscars ceremony, Lisa took the stage alongside Doja Cat and RAYE for a show-stopping James Bond tribute performance. This feat put her in the global spotlight in front of Hollywood’s elite, underlining her crossover appeal. Not long after the Oscars, Lisa also graced one of the world’s biggest music festivals: she made her debut at Coachella in April, delivering solo performances on both weekends of the famed festival. As if a new album and back-to-back high-profile performances weren’t enough, Lisa even made her acting debut this year. She appears in the third season of HBO’s acclaimed series The White Lotus, a casting choice that had both TV critics and K-pop fans eager to tune in. In the show, which was filmed in Thailand (Lisa’s home country), she plays a resort staff member — a role that insiders say she nailed, impressing her seasoned co-stars.

Through each of these achievements, Lisa has proven that she’s more than a pop star — she’s a multi-talented, global icon in the making. This made the prospect of her collaborating with Maroon 5 all the more exciting: it’s the convergence of two powerhouse acts who are each dominating their lanes.

Maroon 5’s Next Era Begins

For Maroon 5, this collaboration with Lisa arrives at a pivotal time. The band spent the last couple of years relatively out of the spotlight, focusing on live performances and personal projects. In fact, they recently concluded a successful two-year Las Vegas residency (Maroon 5: The Las Vegas Residency ran from March 2023 through spring 2025), where they performed their greatest hits for sold-out crowds. That residency kept the band busy, but it also meant they hadn’t been churning out new chart-toppers in a while.

Behind the scenes, Maroon 5 has been gearing up for a comeback — and Adam Levine’s late-night revelations confirmed it. The new single “Priceless” with Lisa is set to lead the charge, giving fans a taste of the band’s upcoming seventh studio album. Levine’s hints on Fallon made it clear that the group is returning to its roots in some ways: he emphasized that the song is guitar-driven, a throwback to Maroon 5’s early-2000s sound that many fans have been nostalgic for. He even shared a personal anecdote that the intro guitar riff was recorded as a voice note on his iPhone, capturing a raw, old-school vibe. All signs suggest that Maroon 5 is eager to infuse their new music with the kind of band-driven energy that characterized their debut era (Songs About Jane vibes, anyone?), and Lisa’s participation brings a modern twist to that formula.

Looking ahead, Maroon 5’s calendar is filling up fast. The forthcoming album — their first in four years — is expected to drop in Summer 2025, and anticipation is sky-high to see how Lisa’s influence might shine on the record (even if she only features on the one track, her impact is already felt in the band’s renewed buzz). Following the album release, Maroon 5 is slated to embark on a world tour in the fall. It will be their first major tour in years, and adding Lisa into the mix (perhaps for special guest appearances at select shows?) is an exciting possibility fans are speculating about.

In many ways, “Priceless” is the perfect bridge between Maroon 5’s past and future. It nods to the band’s classic pop-rock sound while also embracing a global pop trend by featuring a K-pop superstar. It’s refreshing for long-time Maroon 5 listeners and enticing for new fans who might be coming on board because of Lisa’s involvement.

Bridging Two Worlds – Why This Collab Matters

Beyond the immediate excitement of hearing two pop giants on one track, the Maroon 5 x Lisa collaboration carries a larger significance in the music industry. It symbolizes the ever-blurring boundaries between Western pop and K-pop, a trend that has been picking up tremendous momentum in recent years. We’ve seen K-pop groups collaborate with American artists before, but usually it’s within the same genre or demographic. Maroon 5 and Lisa represent something different: a beloved American band that’s been around for two decades joining forces with a new-generation K-pop icon. This kind of cross-generational, cross-cultural partnership highlights how music truly transcends borders and labels.

For fans, the team-up delivers pure joy. BLACKPINK’s massive fandom and Maroon 5’s dedicated followers initially might not have had a huge overlap, but now they’re rallying together to support “Priceless.” Social media exploded with trending topics when the news broke — everything from “#LISAxMaroon5” to celebratory memes about this unexpected duo. It’s not just a collaboration; it feels like a cultural event bringing different communities of music lovers together. Many are calling it the collab they never saw coming, but now can’t imagine living without.

On a broader scale, industry analysts note that collaborations like this could pave the way for more experimentation in pop music. Maroon 5 has always been open to collaborations (recall their hits with artists like Cardi B and Christina Aguilera), but partnering with Lisa takes that to a new level. It shows mainstream Western artists recognizing the influence and artistry of K-pop idols as equals on the global stage. Likewise, it shows K-pop stars breaking further into Western markets not just as featured add-ons, but as headline collaborators in their own right.

As “Priceless” hits the airwaves and streaming platforms, all ears will be tuned to see how the song blends Maroon 5’s signature soulful pop-rock with Lisa’s fierce K-pop charisma. Early snippets suggest an addictive blend of Levine’s silky falsetto and Lisa’s rap/sing bilingual prowess — a combination as unexpected as it is delightful. If the track lives up to the hype, it could become a staple of 2025’s summer playlists worldwide.

In the end, Maroon 5 x BLACKPINK’s Lisa isn’t just a one-off novelty; it’s a statement. It’s a statement that music is truly global and that artists from different worlds can create something incredible together. It’s a reminder that sometimes the collaborations we don’t foresee turn out to be the most rewarding. This is the collab we didn’t see coming — but now that it’s here, it’s absolutely everything we needed.

AV .
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