QUEZON City, Philippines (September 9) – Still remember how they got famous because of the song “This Love”, “Makes Me Wonder” and “She Will Be Loved”? Or how about that white guy holding the mic and singing beautifully in front of the crowd who makes you giggle because he is so handsome?
Yes, they were once called Kara’s flowers. Now they’re known as Maroon 5.
Maroon 5 is an American pop rock band that originated in Los Angeles, California. Before the group was formed, the original four members of the 1994 band were known as Kara’s Flowers while its members were still in high school and originally consisted of Adam Levine (lead vocals, guitar), Jesse Carmichael (guitar, backing vocals) Mickey Madden (bass guitar) and Ryan Dusick (drums). The band, which self-released an album called “We Like Digging” was named after a girl the group had a crush on. They signed to Reprise Records and released an album, The Fourth World, in 1997. After a tepid response to the album, the band parted ways with the record label and the members attended college.
According to Notablebiographies.com and summed up by Walter Tunis of the Lexington Herald-Leader, Maroon 5 was “one of the hottest new pop rock bands in the land.” In February 2005, the music industry added its approval to the statement by presenting Maroon 5 with a Grammy Award for Best New Artist. Ironically, although considered new in the music scene, the band actually had been performing together for ten years. In addition, their success in 2005 was built around an album, Songs about Jane that was three years old. Since the album’s 2002 release Maroon 5 toured almost nonstop, and thanks to word of mouth, their fan base slowly grew. As a result several singles, including “This Love” and “She Will Be Loved,” began receiving constant airplay on radio and MTV, and finally settled comfortably at the top of the U.S. song charts.
Levine and Valentine became Maroon 5’s primary song-writers, and with new songs in hand the band began playing gigs in New York and Los Angeles. They were soon signed by a small New York label called Octone Records, which is part of J Records and BMG, one of the largest companies in the music industry. In 2002 the band entered the studio and recorded their first album as Maroon 5. Called Songs about Jane, the majority of the tracks were written by Levine.
Impressed by the band’s growing popularity, J Records launched an all-out promotional campaign for Songs about Jane. Maroon 5 went back out on the road, but this time they headlined their own tour. Two more singles were also released: the bouncy pop tune “This Love” and the softer ballad “She Will Be Loved.” Videos were shot for the two songs, and both became staples on MTV throughout 2003 and 2004.
The Guardian said that even allowing for the fact that this short iTunes-sponsored gig doesn’t let them bring out the bells and whistles that would accompany their full-length show, Maroon 5 are a pretty generic live proposition. As musicians, the sextet – expanded to seven on-stage, with the addition of a chap at the back making inaudible beats on a sampler – can’t be faulted: the songs are powered by a rhythm section as tight as a soul revue’s, and keyboard fills inspired by Billy Preston’s futuristic 1970s funk. Singer Adam Levine, moreover, has perfect pitch: his yearning delivery forms a particularly happy marriage with their undeniable pop melodies. Covering Gym Class Heroes’ Stereo Hearts, on which he was featured vocalist, he adds an extra layer of beseeching desire that makes the song one of the set’s prime moments.
The band was said to be unidentified when it comes to their signature rhythm because they can just sing anything and sing it like it’s their own music. They can do funk, soul, pop, rock and even ballad!
Two things, however, remained constant in the majority of reviews. First, critics had a difficult time categorizing the band. Since Maroon 5 borrowed from so many different types of music, most writers used multi-hyphenated terms in their descriptions. For example, Larry Katz of the Boston Herald called them a “funk-soul-pop-rock” outfit. Members of the band were delighted that they did not fit neatly into one category. As Levine told Katz, “It’s so much more fun to come in and have people not know what it is you’re doing.”
The other observation that ran through reviews was that lead singer Adam Levine, with his dark good looks and seemed to be the undisputed leader of the group. In many interviews he served as Maroon 5’s spokesman, and it was Levine who ruled the spotlight during performances. According to Christopher Blagg of the Boston Herald, “Levine stalks the stage with a cocky strut, preening for the adoring coeds in the front row.”
Being together for 10 years now, it’s no doubt that Maroon 5 will keep growing in the music industry, after all, the hard work and great music paved way for them to be on top.
(written by Joana Joyce T. Marcaida, edited by Jay Paul Carlos, additional research by Lovely Ann Cruz)
