'Payphone' hitmakers Maroon 5 have confessed that they finally feel as though it's 'cool' for people to admit they like their band.

Frontman Adam Levine revealed to The Sun newspaper that for a long time there was no credibility attached to liking his group, but he thinks something has shifted and they have now become genuinely popular:

"I put my heart and soul into our songs and love them, so when someone writes they don't like them or me, it hurt. Now it’s OK to like us. For ages it was uncool to like Maroon 5."

He also added that it would be great if former keyboardist Jesse Carmichael (pictured below second from right) ever decided to rejoin the line up after he left back in 2011 because Maroon 5 operates an "open-door policy":

"It's been interesting. It's been a journey, let's put it that way. It's hard to be in a band with somebody for 20 years and then they up and leave."

"But he's been doing this his whole life. He wanted to explore other things and I completely respect that. We have a totally open-door policy and if and when he decides to return he's welcome."