Maroon 5 is a popular American pop rock band from Los Angeles, California. The band was formed in 1994 under the name Kara's Flowers, consisting of high school friends Adam Levine (vocals/guitar), Jesse Carmichael (guitar/keyboard), Mickey Madden (bass), and Ryan Dusick (drums). After a lukewarm response to their debut album The Fourth World (1997), they disbanded for a while. The group reformed as Maroon 5 in 2001 with guitarist James Valentine joining, and shifted to a new musical direction.
Their breakthrough came with the release of Songs About Jane in 2002, which included hit singles like "This Love," "She Will Be Loved," and "Harder to Breathe." The album went quadruple platinum, and Maroon 5 won a Grammy for Best New Artist in 2005. In 2006, drummer Ryan Dusick left due to injuries and was replaced by Matt Flynn.
The band's success continued with their second album, It Won't Be Soon Before Long (2007), which topped the Billboard 200 and included the hit "Makes Me Wonder." Their third album, Hands All Over (2010), was followed by a re-release that featured the smash hit "Moves Like Jagger" (2011), which topped the charts. In 2012, PJ Morton replaced Carmichael, who had left the band temporarily.
Maroon 5's 2014 album V (Roman numeral for five) was another chart-topper, and the band continued to rise in popularity. Red Pill Blues (2017) produced successful singles like "Sugar" and "Girls Like You." The band’s lineup expanded with Sam Farrar, who became their bassist after Mickey Madden’s departure in 2020 following legal issues.
In 2021, Maroon 5 released Jordi and continues to be one of the best-selling artists globally, with over 120 million records sold. Their song "Moves Like Jagger" remains one of the most downloaded tracks of all time.
