Adam Levine♥

Adam Noah Levine (born March 18, 1979) is an American singer-songwriter and musician, best known as the front man and guitarist for the pop rock band Maroon 5. He is also a coach on the American talent show The Voice.

Early life

Levine was born in Los Angeles, the son of Patsy Noah and Fred Levine. His uncle is Slate writer and editor Timothy Noah. He has a brother, Michael, and a sister, Julia Milne. Levine's father and maternal grandfather are Jewish (his maternal grandmother is Protestant). When he was six, he made the winning shot of his local YMCA championship basketball game (on a team his father coached) with no time left on the clock. He has said that the incident changed his life and gave him the confidence to be successful.

Levine attended French Woods Festival of the Performing Arts Camp (Hancock, NY) with best friend Jesse Carmichael, guitar player of the band then known as Kara's Flowers. He graduated from Brentwood School in 1997.

Personal life

Levine's stepmother and father own two fashion stores in California. In 2005, he and Ryan Seacrest of American Idol attended the inauguration of M. Fredric, his parents' second store, in Studio City.

Levine's ex-girlfriend Jane is the muse behind the name of the band's debut album Songs About Jane. In a 2004 interview, he claimed that she had not contacted him despite the success of the album. They have since made up, and by 2007, Levine referred to them as being "close friends".

Levine is a "car junkie", his favorite car being his 1971 Mercedes 280 SE 3.5 Cabriolet.

In 2006, Levine broke his sternum while lifting weights, what he called "one of the most painful things I’ve ever experienced." He began using spotters while lifting weights before giving up weightlifting completely when he began yoga in 2007.

In September 2010, Levine said on the Howard Stern Show he had been dating Sports Illustrated swimsuit and Victoria's Secret Russian model Anne Vyalitsyna seriously for about eight months. The couple met when Maroon 5 performed at the 2010 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue release party in Las Vegas.

Levine stripped naked for testicular cancer awareness for a centerfold in Cosmopolitan UK's February 2011 issue.

Maroon 5 is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California. While they were in high school, lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Adam Levine, keyboardist Jesse Carmichael, bass guitarist Mickey Madden, and drummer Ryan Dusick formed a garage band called Kara's Flowers and released one album in 1997. After a brief period they re-formed with guitarist James Valentine, and pursued a new direction as Maroon 5. The following year they released their debut album Songs About Jane, which contained four hit singles: "Harder to Breathe", "This Love", "She Will Be Loved" and "Sunday Morning"; it also enjoyed major chart success, going gold, platinum, and triple platinum in many countries around the world.

In support of Songs About Jane, Maroon 5 toured extensively throughout 2003–2005, during which time two live albums were released. The band won the Grammy Award for Best New Artist in 2005. Dusick left the band in September 2006, citing injuries sustained by constant touring, and was replaced by Matt Flynn. Maroon 5's second studio album It Won't Be Soon Before Long was released in 2007, with the singles "Makes Me Wonder", "Won't Go Home Without You" and "Wake Up Call". The band performed live in two tours between June and November 2007, during which time a compilation of previously unreleased songs, The B-Side Collection, was released.

Two more live albums and a remix album were issued in 2008. Maroon 5's third studio album Hands All Over was released in the United States on September 21, 2010. Since debuting in 2002, the band has sold over 10 million albums in the United States and nearly 15 million worldwide.

In 2007 the band partnered with the climate change charity Global Cool and the NME to help combat global warming.