Adam Levine

With his emotionally charged vocals, confessional songwriting, and a hint of bad boy swagger underneath his clean-cut image, Adam Levine was a rock star personified. The charismatic rocker sang lead vocals for Maroon 5, a Southern California-based group that stormed the charts with its debut album Songs About Jane (2002). A heady mix of rock, pop and soul, Maroon 5's debut spawned catchy hit singles such as "Harder to Breathe" and "This Love," which helped the band earn a Grammy Award in 2005 for Best New Artist. The band went on to sell millions worldwide with subsequent album releases and sold-out concert tours. Whether he was performing on stage, starring in music videos, or being photographed on red carpets, Levine's toned and tattooed look made him a 21st century rock hero. In 2011, Levine joined the cast of "The Voice" (NBC, 2011- ) a reality competition series where a group of notable recording artists judged and mentored aspiring singers. The casting of Levine on the show was not only pitch perfect, it also proved why he was a dynamic performer and a respectable presence in modern rock music. He expanded that renewed notoriety with a series of acting roles, first as a self-deprecating series of cameos as himself in films like "Pitch Perfect 2" (2015) and "Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping" (2016) before co-starring in the comedies "Fun Mom Dinner" (2017) and The Clapper" (2017).

Adam Noah Levine was born on March 18, 1979 in Los Angeles. While attending Brentwood School, the future star began playing music influenced by grunge rock pioneers like Nirvana and Pearl Jam. Together with his friends, guitarist Jesse Carmichael, bassist Mickey Madden, and drummer Ryan Dusick, Levine formed the alternative rock group Kara's Flowers. (A girl on whom the band members had a collective crush reportedly inspired the name.) Kara's Flowers released its first album, The Fourth World in 1997, yet its lukewarm success on the charts forced the group to go on hiatus. Levine and Carmichael left Los Angeles and attended Five Town College, a music and performing arts school in Long Island, NY. Living in Manhattan exposed the Southern California native to an entirely different music scene, where he was inspired by other genres such as hip-hop and R&B. Levine later admitted that living in New York had a profound impact on his entire musical point of view, from his songwriting to his high-pitched, expressive style of singing.

Levine and Carmichael returned to Los Angeles in 2000 and reunited with the other members of Kara's Flowers. They added a new member, guitarist James Valentine, and moved Carmichael to keyboards. With a new lineup, the band changed its name to Maroon 5. Levine had just come out of a failed relationship with a woman named Jane as Maroon 5 was about to begin recording, so a majority of the songs he wrote were inspired by the breakup. They released their debut album, Songs About Jane in 2002, which slowly crept up the charts for the next two years. It was not until commercial radio and MTV picked up the lead single "Harder to Breathe" that Maroon 5 gained more mainstream buzz. The song's music video also introduced the world to Maroon 5's front man, who appeared in the clip locked in a sexy embrace with his then-girlfriend. Songs About Jane peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 200 and spawned more hit singles, including "This Love," "She Will Be Loved," and "Sunday Morning." Maroon 5 toured extensively in support of its debut album, including concert dates all over the world. In 2005, acclaimed filmmaker George Lucas selected the band to perform at his American Film Institute tribute because they were his children's favorite band at the time. That same year, Maroon 5 earned its first ever Grammy Award, winning the Best New Artist category.

Maroon 5's sophomore album It Won't Be Soon Before Long debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 200 in 2007. The catchy lead single "Makes Me Wonder" showcased Levine's soulful vocals and witty songwriting. The album also drew comparisons to the music of Talking Heads and Prince for blending rock, jazz, electronic, and R&B sounds. Maroon 5 collaborated with outspoken and eclectic rapper Kanye West for the track "Nothing Lasts Forever." The group added another Grammy to its growing collection with a Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals for the song "Makes Me Wonder." With his well-coiffed hair, tattoos, and Cheshire cat grin, Levine's rock star appeal caught the eye of millions of women, including a few celebrities. During the peak of Maroon 5's success, Levine was a regular presence in the tabloids, reportedly linked to everyone from Oscar-winner Natalie Portman, to actress Cameron Diaz, to singer-turned-shoe designer Jessica Simpson. In 2010, Levine began dating Russian supermodel Anne Vyalitsyna, who co-starred with him in Maroon 5's music video for "Misery" (2010). That year also saw the release of the band's third album Hands All Over, which debuted at No. 2 on the charts. The singer went "au naturel" for his adoring fans when he posed nude in Cosmopolitan UK. The racy shot featured a naked Levine, with only Vyalitsyna's hands covering his privates, to promote awareness for prostate and testicular cancers. Levine's talent and rock star appeal made him a fitting choice to mentor aspiring singers on the reality competition series, "The Voice," along with fellow celebrity judges Christina Aguilera, Cee Lo Green and Blake Shelton. The show premiered in April 2011 based on the premise that relevant artists could discover the next great music star, sight unseen. The show became an enormous ratings success despite the fact that unlike its competitor "American Idol" (Fox 2002- ), it did not create any major new music stars. The series did raise Levine's profile even higher than before, contributing to the success of Maroon 5's 2011 #1 single "Moves Like Jagger" (featuring co-host Aguilera on guest vocals) and the albums Overexposed (2012) and V (2014), both of which scored multiple Top 10 singles. Levine chose to settle down during this stage of his career, marrying Victoria's Secret model Behati Prinsloo in July 2014 after dating for over two years. Between seasons of "The Voice," Levine moved into acting, first appearing as himself in the musical comedy sequel "Pitch Perfect 2" (2015) and adding a sheen of authenticity to The Lonely Island's pop music sendup "Popstar: Never Stop Never Sopping" (2016). This expanded into full supporting roles in the comedies "Fun Mom Dinner" (2017) and "The Clapper" (2017).