IT WAS short and bittersweet, but then again, Grammy award-winning rock band Maroon 5 could only spare so much time for a press conference. They just had five hours to prep for their fans “the greatest show of all time,” a.k.a. the “Hands All Over” tour Manila concert held May 23 at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay.

At the Edsa Shangri-La Plaza, Adam Levine, Jesse Carmichael, Mickey Madden, Matt Flynn (who was celebrating his birthday that day) and James Valentine talked about, in 10 minutes, how they produced their latest album “Hands All Over,” their songwriting inspirations, and the possibility of a musical collaboration with (gasp) Manny Pacquiao.

What’s so special about the making of your latest album?

We went to Switzerland to make the album, which is a very beautiful place. Working away from home is an amazing thing, and we did it with Mutt Lange, who is a legendary super producer with a heart of gold. It was an interesting experience. It was paradise; it was a beautiful, isolated place to focus and concentrate on just making music.

Would you be willing to collaborate with Pinoy artists? People like Charice, Manny Pacquiao, Arnel Pineda, Black Eyed Peas (Apl de Ap) …

Of course! With Pacquiao, that would be amazing … we wouldn’t want to say no.

How do you go about your songwriting process?

There’s no formula at all. Sometimes it could be a chord progression that Jesse writes, sometimes it can be a drumbeat that birthday boy (Matt Flynn) writes, or a bass line; it really can come from anything. “She Will be Loved” was James’ writing a beautiful bossa nova progression. There’s a million different ways we can write music, it’s all over the place. It’s better that way.

Can you single out any memorable fan?

Heather. Heather’s probably our biggest fan in the world. She’s in the States, and she’s probably been to more shows than any other person. She was around when nobody came to our shows, and she would be the only person there with a couple of her friends. She’s been to seven billion shows since then, and she’s the best, most dedicated fan to this day. Heather, we love you very much.

What do you like about going on tour?

The coolest thing about being on tour is getting to see different places.

Who’s the goofiest member of the group?

We’re all goofy. It sounds diplomatic, but it’s definitely true.

Which artists are you looking forward to collaborating with in the future?

Adele! Danger Mouse, that would be cool; James Murphy from LCD Soundsystem—they just broke up so he’s not doing anything, he could produce us. Bruce Dickinson from Iron Maiden; there’s a rapper called Currensy, we could do something with him. And Manny Pacquiao!