Here’s What Adam Levine Had to Say About Performing the Halftime Show Amid Criticism

Afters Cardi B turned down the opportunity to perform at the Super Bowl 53 halftime show, to show their support of former NFL player Colin Kaepernick, whose silent protest against police brutality, Maroon 5 stepped up to the challenge. Now, the band’s frontman Adam Levine is speaking out about the thought process behind his decision to take the high-profile, but controversial job.

In addition to an interview with Entertainment Tonight, where Levine explained that he spent a lot of time thinking about the decision and can “handle a little bit of controversy,” he also took to Instagram to share his thoughts with his fans and critics alike. In his post, he also explained what the glowing, flying lanterns were spelling out over the stage at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium. “When we accepted the responsibility to perform at the SBHTS, I took out my pen and just wrote. Some of the words that came to me in that moment eventually made their way onto the incredible lanterns that flew high and low tonight,” Levine wrote in his Instagram post. “We thank the universe for this historic opportunity to play on the world’s biggest stage. We thank our fans for making our dreams possible. And we thank our critics for always pushing us to do better. One Love. ❤️”

He then went on to list all of the words that he wrote, some of which eagle-eyed fans may have noticed if they were able to look away from Levine’s on-stage dancing and extended clothing removal process. According to Levine, the list of words were: “Forgive, Laugh, Cry, Smile, Share, Live, Endure, Embrace, Remember, Enlighten, Preserve, Inspire, Sweat, Fight, Express, Give, Receive, Elevate, Climb, Unify, Fortify, Soften, Dance, Scream, Dream, Educate, Provide, Inhale, Exhale, Persevere, Stand, Kneel, Overcome, Love, Listen”.