Maroon 5 and Lisa duel and dance in action-packed collab 'Priceless': Review

The music video for Maroon 5 and Lisa's 'Priceless' combines pop-rock with action-packed visuals.

Adam Levine, left, and Lisa in the music video for ″Priceless,″ released on May 2 [INTERSCOPE RECORDS/SCREEN CAPTURE]

We already had a pretty good idea of what to expect — with a flurry of teasers flooding our timelines — from Maroon 5 and Lisa’s much-anticipated collaboration, “Priceless,” which finally dropped on Friday. And, well, let’s be honest: It’d be a surprise if anyone’s surprised by what they hear.

But what you see might stop you in your tracks: The K-pop star goes full “Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005)” alongside Adam Levine in the sultry, action film-inspired music video that adds a cinematic spice to the whole thing.

“Priceless,” the prerelease for Maroon 5’s upcoming eighth studio album, marks the band’s first drop since “Middle Ground” (2023) and its first-ever collaboration with a K-pop singer. While the release date for Maroon 5’s upcoming studio album is still to be announced, it’s expected to come this summer, followed by a world tour.

A poster for Maroon 5 and Lisa's new single, ″Priceless,″ released on May 2 [UNIVERSAL MUSIC]

The song hardly feels like a first of anything. The song is, as expected, classic Maroon 5: a breezy, radio-ready pop-rock track that is easy to listen to, and maybe casually vibe with. Set against groovy snares and crisp hi-hats — again, as expected — the tune flows smoothly with no sharp turns, dramatic drops or jaw-dropping surprises.

The familiar sounds are reminiscent of the band’s previous hits like “Girls Like You (2017),” or “Sugar (2014),” and, if we look to more recent releases, definitely “Beautiful Mistakes (2021),” featuring Megan Thee Stallion.

Enter Lisa — the Blackpink singer and rapper who has been steadily building her solo career, racking up a seemingly ever-growing list of global pop collaborations.

Lisa recently wrapped up her third appearance at the Coachella music festival, which took place on April 11 and 18 in California. Blackpink recently made history as the first K-pop girl group to perform on a Coachella stage in 2019 and returned as a headliner in 2023; this year marked Lisa's first appearance as a solo artist at one of the world's biggest gatherings.

Lisa in the music video for ″Priceless,″ a collaboration between the Blackpink member and Maroon 5, released on May 2 [INTERSCOPE RECORDS/SCREEN CAPTURE]

The star brings her signature flair to this unmistakably Maroon 5-ish track, slipping into the second verse with a melodic rap and airy vocals with a flair that even casual listeners will immediately recognize from previous releases like “Moonlit Floor.”

Again, there’s nothing musically groundbreaking here — the song’s probably best described as two acts delivering what they are expected to deliver.

But as with any good pop release, and especially K-pop songs, the track is only complete with fitting visuals. Lisa’s presence is much more pronounced in the music video, which thousands of fans eagerly awaited ahead of its release at 1 p.m. on Friday.

An image Adam Levine, left, and Lisa posted on Maroon 5's X account on April 23, teasing a collaboration between the two [X/MAROON 5]

A screen capture of a video posted on Maroon 5's Instagram on April 26, featuring Adam Levine and Blackpink's Lisa [SCREEN CAPTURE]

In the music video, directed by Aerin Moreno, Levine plays what’s presumably a secret agent or assassin — or whatever similar deadly profession from the shadowy underworld — appearing to speak with his sidekick on a phone, who promises to send the “visual confirmation” of his mark in the next 10 minutes.

The mark is none other than Lisa, with whom Levine was exchanging smoldering glances a moment before.

Lisa’s a teasing menace, a femme fatal assassin adorned in a skintight snake-patterned dress. After a few impressive somersaults in what appears to be a sleek skyscraper, the duo launches into an intense fight scene set against the night cityscape seen through floor-to-ceiling windows.

Lisa in the music video for ″Priceless,″ a collaboration between the Blackpink singer and Maroon 5, released on May 2 [INTERSCOPE RECORDS/SCREEN CAPTURE]

In the dark office-like space, the two violently go at each other until, for some mysterious reason, decide: Meh, why not just waltz instead?

Confusion with the ending aside, one thing’s for sure: It’s pretty fun to watch. It leans into cliché, sure, but it is enjoyable to see the couple’s budding romance suddenly take a turn to a deadly showdown and then bounce back, especially with a close-up scene where Lisa and Levine tenderly caress each other before she slaps him out of nowhere. In the world of pop, where it's often better to be bad than boring, the music video offers some playful flair that the track alone might have left some fans wanting.

A screen capture from the music video for ″Priceless″ by Maroon 5 and Blackpink's Lisa, released on May 2 [INTERSCOPE RECORDS/SCREEN CAPTURE]

Adam Levine, left, and Lisa in the music video for ″Priceless," released on May 2 [INTERSCOPE RECORDS/SCREEN CAPTURE]

BY SHIN HA-NEE [shin.hanee@joongang.co.kr]