“I’m out there for them. It gives you a different focus, and it gives you a different drive,” Levine says of touring with Maroon 5 while balancing fatherhood

Adam Levine knows fatherhood has changed him for the better.

Speaking to PEOPLE ahead of his highly anticipated return to The Voice, Levine, 45, opens up about being a father of three and how it has “softened” him. When asked if being a dad has changed his approach to coaching his team on the hit NBC series, Levine is quick to say no.

But, the Maroon 5 frontman notes, “I’ve softened a lot as a person in a lot of other ways.”

“I’ve always kind of tried to be nice. It’s never productive, and it drives me crazy sometimes on other shows when I see people the way they act. I’m not above any other person,” he explains. “I give people my experiential knowledge. It’s scientifically proven that it’s counterproductive to be mean. There’s just no f—ing reason to act that way.”

“So, I’ve always tried to be as nice as possible in the context of being critical, and I think that’s just the most productive way to be,” the musician continues. “And yeah, I’ve softened, I mean, I have three kids, I cry every day. I feel like I’ve also kind of always been pretty keyed in with my emotions.”

“And I’m more tired,” he jokingly adds.

Levine and wife Behati Prinsloo share three children: daughters Dusty Rose, 8, and Gio Grace, 6, and a 2-year-old son. Despite his exhaustion with three little ones, Levine says he wouldn’t have it any other way.

“I just love being near them. I love to watch every single step. And of course, you miss when they’re tiny, and then they get bigger, and then you say, ‘Oh, my God, they’re so big,’ and then you appreciate all the things you can do with them when they get bigger,” he says. “And they’re not that big yet, because they’re still really young, so there’s so much more coming. But it’s just this amazing, never-ending movie, just watching. And it’s the best s— ever. It’s the best thing in the world to me.”

The “She Will Be Loved” singer also says having kids has changed his mindset when it comes to performing, especially when he has to go on the road for long periods of time.

“It’s fun, [but] it’s heartbreaking, I hate leaving,” he says. “But it’s nice because now I have a reason to go do it. It’s kind of a selfish thing when you start and you’re on your own. And now, and my kids know this too, I tell them this every time I have to leave for a period, I’m just like, ‘I’m doing this for you guys,’ which is a hundred percent true. I’m out there for them.”

“It gives you a different focus, and it gives you a different drive, and it’s pretty cool,” he continues. “I never could have predicted [that].”

Acknowledging that his touring commitments aren’t as demanding as they used to be and that his family attends his shows when they can, Levine says: “I feel really lucky to still be doing it at such a high level, and to have all of our fans still always showing up and playing in front of these huge crowds and touring the world.”

“It feels like more of a privilege now than ever before,” he adds.

With his gig as a coach on season 27 of The Voice, an upcoming slate of international shows and eight-show Las Vegas residency with Maroon 5 all coming down the pipeline, one might say Levine’s got plenty on his plate at the moment.

But the father of three has one more thing on his radar: “I think my only accomplishment that matters really at this point, I keep going back to this, but if I can raise happy kids that love their lives, then I am a success.”

“Then, I will officially be the luckiest person in the world,” he adds. “Of all the luckiest s— that’s ever happened to me, that would be the greatest accomplishment of my life, honestly.”

“See how soft I become?” he quips.