at the 2017 teen choice awards, held on august 13, 2017, maroon 5 was honored the decade award. in his acceptance speech, frontman adam levine confirmed that their sixth album would be released in november. levine later confirmed this in an interview with zane lowe on apple music radio station beats 1. on october 4, 2017, the band revealed the album's name "red pill blues" and announced the pre-order for the album on october 6. levine described the meaning of this album and between the band's first album "songs about jane" (2002), he said: "i think this album and the first album are probably the most connected. this album seems to me like a cousin to the first album, there’s a relationship kind of like book-ended all the ones in between."