Maroon 5 Frontman

Background:

The former frontman of garage/grunge band “Kara's Flowers,” Adam Levine was reunited with his former band mate and made a pop/rock band called “Maroon 5,” with which he has released two successful studio albums, "Songs About Jane" (2002) and "It Won't Be Soon Before Long" (2007), which spawned the hit singles "This Love" (2004), "She Will Be Loved" (2004) and "Makes Me Wonder" (2007). Levine has also collaborated with other artists, including with Ying Yang Twins in their song "Live Again," Kanye West in his single "Heard 'Em Say," Alicia Keys in her song "Wild Horses," and Natasha Bedingfield in the track "Say It Again."

The 5' 11½'' Irish American musician, whose trademark is his sensual dance moves, dated model Kelly McGee (from May 2003 to October 2004) and Russian professional tennis player Maria Sharapova (born on April 19, 1987).

Sharky

Childhood and Family:

Son to Patsy Noah and Fred Levine, Adam Noah Levine, nicknamed “Sharky,” was born on March 18, 1979, in Los Angeles, California. He has one brother, Michael; a stepsister, Julia, and a little half-brother and half-sister, Sam and Liza. His stepmother and father own two fashion stores in California.

Levine attended Brentwood School in Los Angeles, California, and then Five Towns College, a small liberal arts school in Dix Hills, Long Island, New York. Ambidextrous, Levine writes and draws with his left hand but prefers his right hand for most other activities. He has ADHD (attention-deficit-hyperactive disorder) and once broke his collarbone in 2005.

Levine is good friends with Jake Gyllenhaal, whom he has known since kindergarten, Billie Joe Armstrong, and actress Natalie Portman. He is friends with Adam Brody.

Levine now lives in the Hollywood Hills with close friend Gene Hong. He owns a Golden Retriever called Frankie.

Kara's Flowers

Career:

While attending the Frenchwoods Festival of the Performing Arts Camp, in Hancock, New York, Adam Levine met Jesse Carmichael, Mickey Madden and Ryan Dusick. They formed a band called "Kara's Flowers," a garage/grunge band in which Levine served as the lead vocalist. They played their first gig at the Whisky a Go Go on September 16, 1995, and eventually released their debut album, "The Fourth World," on August 19, 1997, through Reprise Records.

The group disbanded and Levine, with Carmichael, left North Carolina to study at Five Towns College. He dropped out of college to start a new band called "Maroon 5," along with former band mates Jesse, Mickey and Ryan, as well as former "Square" guitarist James Valentine.

"I spent a lot of time in New York where I was exposed to an urban and hip-hop culture in a way that had never happened to me in L.A. It turned me on to an entirely new genre of music which has had a profound impact on my songwriting." Adam Levine

They released their debut album, "Songs About Jane" on June 25, 2002, under J Records. The album that produced the singles "Harder To Breathe," "This Love," "She Will Be Loved," "Sunday Morning," and "Must Get Out" rose to the top 10 on the Billboard 200 charts by the end of 2004.

On June 22, 2004, Maroon 5 released "1.22.03.Acoustic," which contains acoustic versions of many of the songs on their international hit debut album as well as two cover songs, The Beatles' "If I Fell" and AC/DC's "Highway to Hell." It rose to #42 in the United States and was certified Gold.

“John Mayer was the first real avid supporter of the band that was a big name. He genuinely loved the music and walked into our dressing room like a year and a half ago and said, 'I love your record.' I think he was the first person to really jump on board.” Adam Levine

"Live – Friday the 13th," Marron 5's live DVD and CD recorded on May 13, 2005, in Santa Barbara, California, at the Santa Barbara Bowl, hit the music stores on September 20, 2005. It features exclusive interviews with the band and insight into how certain key songs came about. During this time, Maroon 5 received a Grammy award for Best New Artist. They also won a Grammy for Best Pop Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals for the song "This Love" (Live - Friday the 13th version).

Meanwhile, Levine also co-wrote and was featured on the chorus of Kanye West's song "Heard 'Em Say" from the rapper's "Late Registration" album. He was featured on the Ying Yang Twins song "Live Again" and Alicia Keys' song "Wild Horses" from her third album "Alicia Keys: MTV Unplugged."

On May 16, 2007, five years after their debut album, Maroon 5 released "It Won't Be Soon Before Long." The album that spun off the singles "Makes Me Wonder," "Wake Up Call," "Won't Go Home Without You" and "If I Never See Your Face Again" debuted at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200 and sold over 429,484 copies in its first week. It was also #32 on Rolling Stone's list of the “Top 50 Albums” of 2007. That same year, the band released a compilation album, "The B-Side Collection," which peaked at #51 in the U.S. Billboard 200 in its first week of release. During this time, Levine co-wrote and was featured in Natasha Bedingfield's song "Say It Again." He also appeared on the 33rd season premiere of “Saturday Night Live” in an SNL Digital Short called “Iran So Far,” with Andy Samberg, Fred Armisen and Jake Gyllenhaal.

On March 25, 2008, Maroon 5 released the live album, "Live from SoHo," which was recorded at the Soho Apple Store in New York. They also won a Grammy award for Best Pop Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals for the song "Makes Me Wonder." Levine also appeared on Comedy Central's "Night With Too Many Stars."

Awards:

• Grammy: Best Pop Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals, "Makes Me Wonder," 2008

• Grammy: Best Pop Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals, "This Love" (Live - Friday the 13th version), 2006

• Grammy: Best New Artist (with Maroon 5), 2005