The remix, a collaboration with American country singer Mickey Guyton, was released on August 11, 2023.[3]
Background
In a March 2023 interview with Ryan Seacrest on On Air with Ryan Seacrest, Adam Levine revealed that new music was to be released within the year. "We are working on something that is unbelievably cool [...] I'm very excited about this thing," he said to Seacrest.[4] On May 11, 2023, the band announced on social media that "Middle Ground" would be released on May 19, 2023.[5]
The music video for "Middle Ground" was released on May 23, 2023. It was directed by David Dobkin, who has also directed videos for Maroon 5 in the past such as "Sugar", "Girls Like You", and "Memories". The video features appearances from Adam Levine's wife Behati Prinsloo, and their two children, Dusty Rose and Gio Grace Levine, as well as members of the band performing the song in an indoor studio and having an outdoor gathering.[6]
Live performances
On May 23, 2023, Maroon 5 debuted "Middle Ground" live on the season 23 finale of the American reality television series The Voice.[7] It was the group's first performance on the show since performing "Beautiful Mistakes" on the season 20 finale in May 2021.[8] On August 12, 2023, Maroon 5 performing the song with special guest, Mickey Guyton on the final night of Maroon 5: The Las Vegas Residency.[9]
Critical reception
Billboard described "Middle Ground" as a "return to form", reminiscent to Maroon 5's debut studio album, Songs About Jane (2002).[10]
^"ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select 1. týden 2024 in the date selector. Retrieved January 9, 2024.