Biography
Alongside his Maroon 5 bandmates, vocalist, songwriter, guitarist, producer, and actor Adam Levine rose to worldwide fame through a succession of platinum-certified albums and chart-topping singles anchored by his signature tenor croon and periodic falsetto. Beyond the ensemble’s multi-platinum 2002 debut Songs About Jane and its chart-topping follow-ups, including 2007’s It Won’t Be Soon Before Long and 2014’s V, Levine carved out a parallel path as a featured singer, beginning prominently on Kanye West’s 2005 single “Heard ’Em Say.” Further successes arrived with Gym Class Heroes on 2011’s “Stereo Hearts,” 50 Cent on 2012’s “My Life,” and R. City on 2015’s “Locked Away.” As Maroon 5 sustained its dominance atop U.S. charts into the 2010s and afterward, the multi-hyphenate sustained independent projects, most conspicuously as a coach on the singing competition The Voice between 2011 and 2019.
Born March 18, 1979, in Los Angeles, he started making music in junior high alongside guitarist Jesse Carmichael and bassist Mickey Madden, drawing early inspiration from Nirvana and Pearl Jam. With the 1994 arrival of drummer Ryan Dusick, the group Kara’s Flowers formed. The quartet secured a Reprise contract, issued a single underwhelming album, and was dropped from the label within a few years. During the ensuing hiatus, Levine and Carmichael relocated to New York to enroll at Five Towns College on Long Island, where exposure to hip-hop, soul, gospel, and R&B reshaped Levine’s approach to both composition and vocal delivery, shifting him from a lower, grunge-derived style toward a brighter, more elastic range. After one semester they withdrew and returned to California, intent on folding a groove-oriented dimension into their rock foundation. Reuniting with the remaining Kara’s Flowers members, Levine composed numerous tracks sparked by a recent breakup that unraveled just as the band entered the studio. The addition of guitarist James Valentine, with Carmichael shifting to keyboards, plus a fresh Octone Records agreement, launched the renamed Maroon 5; their aptly titled debut Songs About Jane was finished and issued in June 2002. The release climbed steadily to multi-platinum certification in the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the U.K. Subsequent global hits and a handful of Grammy Awards followed, elevating the band’s international profile, notably via the diamond-certified 2011 single “Moves Like Jagger,” whose launch aligned with the first season of The Voice and paired Levine with fellow coach Christina Aguilera.
Independent of Maroon 5, Levine’s individual visibility eclipsed that of his bandmates as he pursued acting parts in American Horror Story and Popstar while maintaining high-profile pairings with Kanye West, Natasha Bedingfield, Gym Class Heroes, the Lonely Island, R. City, Laith Al-Saadi, Big Boi, Jason Derulo, and others. Solo contributions included “Lost Stars” for the film Begin Again and “Good Mood” for the Paw Patrol movie.
Born March 18, 1979, in Los Angeles, he started making music in junior high alongside guitarist Jesse Carmichael and bassist Mickey Madden, drawing early inspiration from Nirvana and Pearl Jam. With the 1994 arrival of drummer Ryan Dusick, the group Kara’s Flowers formed. The quartet secured a Reprise contract, issued a single underwhelming album, and was dropped from the label within a few years. During the ensuing hiatus, Levine and Carmichael relocated to New York to enroll at Five Towns College on Long Island, where exposure to hip-hop, soul, gospel, and R&B reshaped Levine’s approach to both composition and vocal delivery, shifting him from a lower, grunge-derived style toward a brighter, more elastic range. After one semester they withdrew and returned to California, intent on folding a groove-oriented dimension into their rock foundation. Reuniting with the remaining Kara’s Flowers members, Levine composed numerous tracks sparked by a recent breakup that unraveled just as the band entered the studio. The addition of guitarist James Valentine, with Carmichael shifting to keyboards, plus a fresh Octone Records agreement, launched the renamed Maroon 5; their aptly titled debut Songs About Jane was finished and issued in June 2002. The release climbed steadily to multi-platinum certification in the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the U.K. Subsequent global hits and a handful of Grammy Awards followed, elevating the band’s international profile, notably via the diamond-certified 2011 single “Moves Like Jagger,” whose launch aligned with the first season of The Voice and paired Levine with fellow coach Christina Aguilera.
Independent of Maroon 5, Levine’s individual visibility eclipsed that of his bandmates as he pursued acting parts in American Horror Story and Popstar while maintaining high-profile pairings with Kanye West, Natasha Bedingfield, Gym Class Heroes, the Lonely Island, R. City, Laith Al-Saadi, Big Boi, Jason Derulo, and others. Solo contributions included “Lost Stars” for the film Begin Again and “Good Mood” for the Paw Patrol movie.
Singles
