THE VOICE- Christina Aguilera and Adam Levine

CHAPTER #29

Christina was working on her album, collaborating with Alex Da Kid one week and the next with Sia, Candice Pillar or even Max Martin.  She'd done this with her first single "Your Body", which had been released to iTunes recently.  It was doing okay on Billboard's Mainstream Top 40 chart at around number 33.  It was a dance-pop song, just like Make the World Move which was the duet she'd been working on with Cee-Lo.  The album also had some piano power ballads like Sing for Me and then a collaboration with Sia called Blank Page.  The album was coming together well.   She had some rock like empowerment anthems called Army of Me and Cease Fire.  Today they were deciding if the album should open with the quick sample of M83's Midnight City for her title track.  Christina was trying to leave the past behind on that song and say goodbye to the scared child inside. Some of the tracks, like the one she'd worked with Pillay on, were recorded at her home studio.

Alex Da Kid had just finished tweaking a track.  Christina had given her opinion, but she wanted his too.  "Okay give me your ideas.  I want the best for this album."

He nodded and gave her his opinions, impressed that someone that had so much success, actually would listen.

"I can't believe the album is almost finished.  Thanks so much for all your input," Christina said.

"It's been a cool process," Alex Da Kid agreed.  Then added, "come on let's go for drinks. You're son is at his dad's right?"

"Yup, it's his weekend.  But, that doesn't mean I should be a bad girl and get wasted."  Christina laughed and grabbed her purse.

Her driver took them to the bar that Alex Da Kid suggested. They had a bunch of cocktails, but Christina didn't get hammered.  She wanted to make sure she would get a chance to talk to Adam. Because he was in Indonesia on tour with Maroon 5, which meant when it was 1 am in USA, it was 2 in the afternoon there.  So they had to really plan when they could talk.  She hung out with Alex until midnight and then headed home.  Adam used Skype and they had a chance to catch up. 

"You'll get a good laugh out of my 'Your Body' video.  The first guy... well I won't give it away." Christina hinted mysteriously.

"Damn I've got to download it now.  Can't you just tell me?"  Adam asked.

She smiled, "nope.  Well I better let you go, tomorrow I have to go to tape an interview with Jay Leno on the Tonight Show."

"He's great, tell him I say hello... off air of course," Adam added.

"Good night Adam...I miss you," Christina said softly.

"Babe, you don't even know how much I miss you too.  Any chance of sneaking out of town to meet me at one of my shows?" 

"Maybe, it's so busy lately.  You know how it is."

He sighed, "that I do. Dream about me."

"Always," she said and then waited until he ended the call.

In the morning she still had Adam on her mind, but by the time she had to go meet with Jay Leno, Christina was ready for the interview.  She told him that Adam said hello and then Leno went out to start the show. The crowd went wild and made her blush.  They talked about her single and up coming album. She said that this time it was about having fun, freedom and loving life.  She again explained about needing to be an artist too, in order to be a great coach.

"Sometimes I just need to take time to fulfill my creative soul," Christina said.

Jay went into a little more depth about her album.  "Lotus seems to have some similarities to 'Stripped', was that intentional?"

"Absolutely.  There's a song called 'Army of Me,' which is sort of a 'Fighter 2.0'  There's a new generation of fans from a younger demographic, that should enjoy their own piece of that song.  It just came together and felt right.  We always have to be fighters in life and over come some obstacle or hurdle."

"This season on The Voice,  a lot of the contestants seem to be young."

"It's an exciting season.  They are so full of hungry energy.  My team is like the future generation of pop stars.  Last year I had a different kind of team made up of a lot of genres, but this year it so happened to come together that they all had a pop flare."

"From the blind auditions on The Voice, we see that you and Adam get along pretty well."

"I don't know who the bigger kids are, our kids or me and Adam.  We pull pranks on Blake all the time," she explained.

"Speaking about TV shows, do you watch Britney Spears on 'The X Factor'?" Jay asked.

"Honey, I have no time to even watch my own show. So there's your answer."

"You've said before that you think Britney's experience will be valuable to contestants on her show.  Other than the technical aspects, what are some career pointers you've been able to hand down to your own artists on your show?"

She grinned, "wow you're really putting me through the paces tonight.  A lot of these kids come from their own kinds of dance and art schools, kind of like how it was for Britney, Justin Timberlake, Ryan Gosling and I with the Mouseketeers.  We all came from that training camp mentality, but then we have to absorb everything, take it in and now throw it away.  These kids need to learn that everything can't be so structured, so learned or taught.  Those guys have an individual self in all of them, letting that out captures the world."

"This week you guys finish airing the blind auditions on The Voice, then the Battle Rounds begin.  That with all your own promoting should keep you busy.  Thanks for stopping by and visiting us," Jay concluded.

"Thanks for having me and I love coming on your show," Christina gushed.

The interview ended, but she didn't have time to stay to see the rest of his show.  She had to get going for her next appointment.  No rest for the wicked she thought.  Next on her agenda was an interview with Billboard, after that she'd be hosting a twitter Q&A session.  Keeping busy is what she needed to do, to not think about missing Adam.

** ~ ~ ~ ~ ~**~ ~ ~ ~ ~ **

Adam too, across the ocean, was keeping busy during the daylight hours. Outside of band stuff, he had a 15-layout shoot with photographer Marc Nicdao.  He had accepted being part of Bench clothing.  That meant doing an interview after the photo shoot about endorsing Bench. Then after that he would try and fit in a yoga session.  He liked Bench because it suited his style; t-shirt and jeans.  He always took a few good pairs of jeans when on tour.

At the interview the usual questions were asked. The interviewer said, "so what you're saying is that this is your style preference already; laid-back and simple."

"That's exactly it.  I'm ecstatic to be part of the Bench family.  They're great people and it's great clothes."

After the interview Bench tweeted; #GlobalBenchSetter Adam Levine says that if he were to dedicate a song to his Pinoy frans, it would be Daylight from their Overexposed album."

To Adam, that was a great tweet and he was glad he took the time to do the interview after the photo shoot.  He just had enough time to squeeze in a yoga session.  Then it was off to band practice and then to the stage for sound check. He loved the crowds and sharing his band's music, but sometimes it got to be too much. Soon he'd be home again for filming of the Battle Rounds for the TV show The Voice.  Those were much easier days. But he loved being on tour too, it fed his ego and his need to be the centre of attention. On the show he had to share that attention with the contestants and other coaches.  When the sold out crowds on tour sang Maroon 5's songs with him, that was the ultimate feeling, the best reward.