When pop singer Adam Levine’s name was chosen by People magazine on Tuesday for the “2013 Sexiest Man Alive” title, it was a big surprise to one man only – Levine himself. There were many people, including a large number of Levine admirers, who were expecting the rock star to walk away with the crown, but the cool guy was not prepared to believe anyone, and simply waited for the announcement to be made.

As the confirmation finally came in, the first reactions of the frontman of the Grammy Award-winning Maroon 5 to the magazine was “I was just amazed and stunned and it almost seemed like they were kidding, but they weren’t, so that’s cool.”

“As a musician, you have fantasies that you want to win Grammys, but I didn’t really think that this was on the table,” an elated Levine, who joins the famed list that includes names such as Channing Tatum, Bradley Cooper, and Ryan Reynolds, told People.

When asked what he loved to do the most, the 34-year-old said he liked crying at movies, particularly E.T., desired to go naked, and more importantly, keen to settle down in life with his fiancee, Behati Prinsloo, a Victoria’s Secret model.

“I didn’t think marriage was for me for a long time. I was ready when I was ready. That’s about as simple as it could possibly be,” Levine, who had also served as “The Voice” judge, said.

Levine sounded quite humble when he said he didn’t feel that he would be picked for the coveted title based on his appearance. However, having won the honor, he now thinks that he’s passing through a purple patch. “This is just a really interesting time where everything seems to be heading in a certain direction. And I’m not taking any of it for granted,” the Los Angeles native said.

First Jewish Winner

Levine has also managed to create a record by becoming the first Jewish man

to find a place on the magazine’s annual cover, like Denzel Washington happened to be the first African-American to be selected for the sensational title in 1996.

Rumors were agog for about a week or so, particularly on the Internet, that the stylish singer was likely to be picked for the prestigious recognition. But Levine says he was not aware of any such development. “Nothing” was all that he had to reply when asked if he wasn’t aware of the kind of expectations his fans were holding, and the rumors that did the rounds, a week before People made the announcement.

Disbelief From Levine

In a lighter vein, Levine told Savannah Guthrie that he did not have belief in the Today host when the latter pointed to reports that the pop star’s name was getting shortlisted for the title. “I don’t believe you,” he said, adding “It would be a lot of things. It’s an interesting idea. I don’t know.”

It’s easy to understand how excited Levine must be to claim the sexiest man title, but the thrill and excitement of his fans is quite difficult to count, at least till such time when the magazine’s issue carrying his sexy photograph on the cover reaches them in a few days from now.