Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Hurm...
sori larh...aku jare post psal dri aq...malu(koya nyohhh..)...aq post psal hok aku mnat jah..tp klu nk knal jgok g cari dle pesbuk arh..sney ckit..ciao
Bruno Mars
| Bruno Mars | |
|---|---|
 Mars performing in Las Vegas, Nevada on September 19, 2010 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Peter Gene Hernandez |
| Born | October 8, 1985 [1] Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S. |
| Genres | Reggae fusion, pop, soul, R&B |
| Occupations | Singer-songwriter, record producer, model, dancer |
| Instruments | Vocals, drums, guitar, keyboard,bass, piano, harmonica |
| Years active | 2006–present |
| Labels | Atlantic, Elektra |
| Associated acts | The Smeezingtons |
| Website | www.brunomars.com |
Peter Gene Hernandez (born October 8, 1985), better known by his stage name Bruno Mars, is an American singer-songwriter and record producer. Raised in Honolulu, Hawaii by a family of musicians, Mars began making music at a young age. He performed in various musical venues in his hometown throughout his childhood. He graduated from high school and then moved to Los Angeles, California to pursue a musical career. Mars produced songs for other artists, joining production team The Smeezingtons.
Mars had an unsuccessful stint with Motown Records, but then signed with Atlantic Records in 2009. He became recognized as a solo artist after lending his vocals and co-writing the hooks for the songs "Nothin' on You" by B.o.B, and "Billionaire" by Travie McCoy. He also co-wrote the hits "Right Round" by Flo Rida featuring Ke$ha, and "Wavin' Flag" by K'naan. In October 2010, he released his debut album, Doo-Wops & Hooligans. Anchored by the worldwide number-one singles "Just the Way You Are" and "Grenade", the album peaked at number three on the Billboard 200.[2] Mars was nominated for seven Grammys at the 53rd Grammy Awards, winning Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for "Just the Way You Are". He is scheduled to release his second studio album, Unorthodox Jukebox, on December 10, 2012.
Mars' music is noted for displaying a wide variety of styles and influences, and contains elements of many musical genres. He has worked with an assortment of artists from various genres. As a child, he was highly influenced by artists such as Little Richard,[3] Elvis Presley and Michael Jackson and would often impersonate these artists from a young age. Mars also incorporates reggae and Motown inspired sounds into his work. Worldwide, Mars became the best-selling digital artist in 2011. He had three singles in the top ten, including first place with "Just The Way You Are," which sold 12.5 million copies.[4] Mars won Best International Male Solo Artist at the 2012 BRIT Awards.[5] Bruno Mars has sold 6 million albums and 40 million singles worldwide.[6]
Contents[hide] |
Life and career
1985–2003: Early life and musical beginnings
Bruno Mars was born Peter Gene Hernandez on October 8, 1985, in Honolulu, Hawaii, and was raised in the Waikiki neighborhood of Honolulu. He is the son of Peter Hernandez and Bernadette "Bernie" San Pedro Bayot.[7][8] Bruno's father is of half Puerto Rican and half Jewish (from Hungary and Ukraine) descent, and is originally from Brooklyn, New York.[9][10] Bruno's mother immigrated to Hawaii from thePhilippines as a child, and is of Filipino and some Spanish descent.[9][11][12] His parents met while performing in a show, where his mother was a hula dancer and his father played percussion.[10] At the age of two, he was nicknamed "Bruno" by his father, because of his resemblance to legendary professional wrestler Bruno Sammartino.[13][14][15]
Mars was one of six children and came from a musical family who exposed him to a diverse mix of reggae, rock, hip hop, and R&B.[16][17] In addition to being a dancer, his mother was a singer and his father used his musical ability to perform Little Richard rock n roll music.[3] Mars' uncle was an Elvis impersonator, and encouraged three-year-old Mars to perform on stage as well. Mars also performed songs by artists such as Michael Jackson, The Isley Brothers, andThe Temptations.[14] At age four, Mars began performing five days a week with his family's band, The Love Notes, in which he became known on the island for his impersonation of Presley.[18] In 1990, Mars was featured in MidWeek as "Little Elvis", going on to have a cameo in the film Honeymoon in Vegas in 1992.[14][19]
His time spent impersonating Presley had a major impact on Mars' musical evolution and performing techniques.[20] He later began playing guitar after drawing inspiration from Jimi Hendrix.[21] In 2010, he also acknowledged his Hawaiian roots and musical family as an influence, explaining, "Growing up in Hawaii made me the man I am. I used to do a lot of shows in Hawaii with my father's band. Everybody in my family sings, everyone plays instruments...I've just been surrounded by it."[22] In 2003, shortly after graduating from President Theodore Roosevelt High School at the age of seventeen, Mars moved to Los Angeles, California, to pursue a musical career.[14][19] He adopted his stage name from the nickname his father gave him, adding "Mars" at the end because "I felt like I didn't have [any] pizzazz, and a lot of girls say I’m out of this world, so I was like I guess I'm from Mars."[23]
2004–10: Production work and It's Better If You Don't Understand
Shortly after moving to Los Angeles, Mars signed to Motown Records in 2004, in a deal that "went nowhere".[24] However, Mars' experience with Motown proved to be beneficial to his career when he met songwriter and producer Philip Lawrence, who was also signed to the label. Mars, Lawrence, and engineer Ari Levine began writing songs together, and formed the production teamThe Smeezingtons.[24] In 2006, Lawrence introduced Mars to his future manager at Atlantic Records, Aaron Bay-Schuck.[25] After hearing him play a couple of songs on the guitar, Bay-Schuck wanted to sign him immediately, but it took about three years for Atlantic records to finally sign Mars to the label.[25] In the meantime, Bay-Schuck hired Mars and the Smeezingtons to write and produce songs for the label's artists.[25] According to Bay-Schuck in an interview with HitQuarters, Mars had stated that although his ultimate goal was to be a solo artist, he was willing to write and produce for other artists, both to help improve his songwriting and help him discover the type of artist he ultimately wanted to be.[25] Bay-Schuck credits this as a period of "self-discovery" that contributed significantly to Mars' later success.[25]
Before becoming a successful solo artist, Hernandez was an acknowledged music producer, writing songs for Alexandra Burke, Travie McCoy, Adam Levine, Brandy, Sean Kingston, and Flo Rida.[16][26] He also co-wrote the Sugababes' hit song "Get Sexy" and provided backing vocals on their album Sweet 7.[27][28] His first musical appearance as a singer was in Far East Movement's second studio album Animal, featured on the track "3D".[29] He was also featured on pastor and hip hop artist Jaeson Ma's debut single "Love" in August 2009.[30][31] He reached prominence as a solo artist after being featured on and co-writing B.o.B's "Nothin' on You" and Travie McCoy's "Billionaire"; both songs peaked within the top ten of many charts worldwide.[32][33][34][35] He said of them, "I think those songs weren't meant to be full-sung songs. If I'd sung all of "Nothin' on You", it might've sounded like some '90s R&B." Following this success, Mars released his debut extended play (EP), titled It's Better If You Don't Understand, on May 11, 2010.[36] The EP peaked at the 99th position on the Billboard 200 and produced one single, "The Other Side", featuring singers Cee Lo Green and B.o.B.[37][38] Mars collaborated with Green once more in August 2010 by co-writing his single "Fuck You!". He performed a medley of "Nothin' on You" and "Airplanes" with B.o.B and Hayley Williams at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards on September 12, 2010.[39]
2010–2012: Doo-Wops & Hooligans
Bruno Mars' debut album, Doo-Wops & Hooligans, was released digitally on October 4, and saw its physical release on October 5, 2010.[40][41] The lead single, "Just the Way You Are", was released on July 19, 2010,[42] and has reached the top of the Billboard Hot 100 as well as several other charts worldwide.[43][44] The music video was released on September 8, 2010.[45] The second single, "Grenade", was released September 28, 2010, and has also seen successful international chart performance.[46][47] In the United States, Doo-Wops & Hooligans debuted at number three on the Billboard 200 for the week of October 13, 2010, selling 55,000 copies.[2] The album also received generally positive reviews from critics. Entertainment Weekly's Leah Greenblatt praised Mars for his "instant-access melodies" and "sly snatches of dance-floor swagger", but noted weaknesses in songs deviant from his conventional pop and soul genres.[48] He opened for Maroon 5 on the fall leg of the Hands All Over Tour starting October 6, 2010 and co-headlined with McCoy on a European tour starting October 18, 2010.[41]
On September 19, 2010, Mars was arrested in Las Vegas for possession of cocaine.[49] When talking to a police officer, Mars reportedly stated that what he did was "foolish" and that "he has never used drugs before".[50][51] Mars pled guilty to felony drug possession, and in return for his plea, he was told that the charges would be erased from his criminal record as long as he stayed out of trouble for a year, paid a $2,000 fine, did 200 hours of community service and completed a drug counseling course.[52]
On February 13, 2011, Mars won his first Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance, having received six nominations; Best Rap Song and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for "Nothin' on You", Record of the Year for "Nothin' on You" and "Fuck You", Song of the Year for "Fuck You", and Producer of the Year, Non-Classical at the 53rd Grammy Awards.
On September 16, 2011, Bad Meets Evil released their single, "Lighters", which featured Mars in the song. The song was met with mixed reviews from critics and many criticized Mars for doing this type of song.[53] On September 22, 2011, it was announced on Mars' website that his new song "It Will Rain" will appear on The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 Original Motion Picture Soundtrack which was released on November 8.[54] On October 30, 2011, Mars gave an exclusive performance of "Runaway Baby" on the results show of The X Factor UK, the same day that Mars received six nominations for a Grammy Award; Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Album for Doo-Wops & Hooligans, Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance for "Grenade", and Producer of the Year, Non-Classical at the 54th Grammy Awards. During the ceremony, Mars performed "Runaway Baby" but he did not win any awards as Adele won in all the categories he was nominated in and also lost to Paul Epworth for Producer of the Year.
2012–present: Unorthodox Jukebox
Mars has confirmed on Twitter that his work on his second album has begun. On March 22, 2012, it was announced that Mars had signed a worldwide publishing deal with BMG Chrysalis US.[55] Mars told Billboard that his second album will be called Unorthodox Jukebox and that it will be released on December 11, 2012. Mars also announced that the lead single would be called "Locked Out of Heaven", which was released on October 1, 2012. Along with announcing the album title and lead single, Mars announced 9 songs that are supposed to be on the album. They are "Young Girls", "Gorilla", "When I Was Your Man", "Natalie", "Treasure", "Moonshine", "Money Makes Her Smile", "Show Me", and "If I Knew".[56] He notes that the album will be more musically varied and refuses to "pick a lane", explaining that "I listen to a lot of music, and I want to have the freedom and luxury to walk into a studio and say, 'Today I want to do a hip-hop, R&B, soul or rock record.'"[56]
Mars hosted and was the musical guest on Saturday Night Live October 20, 2012.[57] His performance as the host received positive reactions from critics and the public.
Musical style
Mars' music has been noted for displaying a wide variety of styles and influences, including pop,[59] rock,[59] reggae,[59] R&B,[60] soul,[48] and hip hop.[61] His co-producer Philip Lawrence says, "What people don't know is there's a darker underbelly to Bruno Mars." Mars himself says, "I blame that on me singing to girls back in high school."[62] Jon Caramanica of The New York Timescalled him "one of the most versatile and accessible singers in pop, with a light, soul-influenced voice that’s an easy fit in a range of styles, a universal donor."[63] As a child, his time spent impersonating Elvis Presley had a major impact on his musical evolution; he later reflected: "I watch the best. I'm a big fan of Elvis. I'm a big fan of 1950s Elvis when he would go on stage and scare people because he was a force and girls would go nuts! You can say the same thing for Prince or The Police. It's just guys who know that people are here to see a show, so I watch those guys and I love studying them because I'm a fan."[20] Mars was initially influenced by R&B artists such as Keith Sweat, Jodeci and R. Kelly, as well as 1950s rock 'n' roll and Motown.[64] In high school, he began listening to classic rock groups such as The Police, Led Zeppelin, and the Beatles.[64] All of these genres of music have influenced Mars' musical style; he observed that "It’s not easy to [create] songs with that mixture of rock and soul and hip-hop, and there’s only a handful of them."[64] Mars also stated that he is a fan of Alicia Keys, Jessie J, Jack White and The Saturdays.[65]
In addition, Mars claims that his work with other artists influenced his musical style, saying that "'Nothin' on You' had a Motown vibe, 'Billionaire' was a reggae acoustic guitar-driven song, though one of my favorites is the Cee-Lo [Green] song ['Fuck You']. I don't think anyone else could've sung that song. And there's 'Just the Way You Are.' If you know my story, you know I love all different genres of music."[66] He cites doo-wop as a major influence on his music, referring to the genre as "just straightforward love songs – so charming and simple and romantic."[66] In addition, Mars states that growing up in Hawaii influenced his music, giving the songs a reggae sound. He explains that "In Hawaii some of the biggest radio stations are reggae. The local bands are heavily influenced by Bob Marley. That music brings people together. It's not urban music or pop music. It's just songs. That's what makes it cross over so well. The song comes first."[10] Lyrically, many of Mars' songs have been described as "feel-good", carefree, and optimistic,[67] however, darker subjects are addressed in songs such as "Grenade", "Liquor Store Blues", and "Talking to the Moon", which detail failed relationships and self-destructive behavior.[48][68]
Discography
Maroon 5's Stage
| Maroon 5 | |
|---|---|
 Maroon 5 at the TV Week Logies with tour memberPJ Morton | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Genres | Pop rock, funk rock, alternative rock |
| Years active | 1994–2000 (as Kara‘s Flowers) 2001–present (as Maroon 5) |
| Labels | A&M/Octone |
| Associated acts | Kara's Flowers, Phantom Planet,Operation Aloha, Rihanna, Lady Antebellum, Christina Aguilera, Gym Class Heros, Mac Miller, Wiz Khalifa |
| Website | www.maroon5.com |
| Members | |
| Adam Levine, Jesse Carmichael, Mickey Madden,James Valentine, Matt Flynn | |
| Past members | |
| Ryan Dusick | |
Maroon 5 is an American pop rock band from Los Angeles, California. While they were in high school, lead vocalist and 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, more pop-oriented direction as Maroon 5. In 2002 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.[4]
In support of Songs About Jane, Maroon 5 toured extensively throughout 2003–2005 and during that period of time two live albums were released. The band won the Grammy Award forBest 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", which was their first single to reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, "Won't Go Home Without You" and "Wake Up Call". The band performed live in two tours between June and November 2007. During that time a compilation of previously unreleased songs, The B-Side Collection, were 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.
Maroon 5's biggest hit yet is "Moves like Jagger" featuring Christina Aguilera, selling over 8 million copies worldwide as of June 2012, therefore establishing itself among the best-selling singles of all time.[5]
On March 26, 2012, Maroon 5 announced their fourth studio album, Overexposed. It was released on June 26, 2012.[6] The lead single "Payphone", which features rapper Wiz Khalifa, debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and eventually rose to number two on the chart. The second single from the album, "One More Night", became the band's third and longest-running number one single on the Billboard Hot 100 - it stayed in the top spot for 9 consecutive weeks. On 26 August 2012, during their Overexposed Tour in South America, Maroon 5 performed in front of 30.000 people at Arena Anhembi, São Paulo, Brazil, which according to Levine has become their biggest paying public to an exclusive concert of the band to date.
[edit]History
[edit]1989–2002: Kara's Flowers and formation of Maroon 5
| Kara's Flowers | |
|---|---|
 The debut album by Kara's Flowers, The Fourth World | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Genres | Pop rock, alternative rock |
| Years active | 1994–2000 |
| Labels | Reprise |
| Website | Official Website |
| Past members | |
| Adam Levine, Jesse Carmichael, Mickey Madden, Ryan Dusick | |
The four original members of Maroon 5 have known each other since attending Brentwood School in Los Angeles.[7][8] While attending Shooting Stars School, Adam Levine and Jesse Carmichael joined up with Mickey Madden and Ryan Dusick to form Kara's Flowers,[9] a pop band. The name was taken from a girl that the band had a "collective crush" on.[8] The band played its first gig at Whisky a Go Go on September 16, 1995. While they were playing a beach party in Malibu, indie producer Tommy Allen heard them play and offered to manage them and record a complete record with his partner, songwriter John DeNicola (Dirty Dancing). While shopping for a deal for the band, Bob Cavallo's management team heard the record Allen and DeNicola produced, which eventually led to their deal with Reprise Records and producer Rob Cavallo.[10] Very early on, their sound was what Carmichael called "Fugazi [the sound] meets Sesame Street [the lyrics]". However, by the release of The Fourth World in 1996, they had morphed into band with a style reminiscent of 1960s Britpop.[8] Despite high expectations from the band and record company, the album failed to catch on and their lead single, "Soap Disco", was a failure.[11] According to Levine, the failure of the album was "a huge disappointment" that nearly led them to break up in 1998.[8][12] The album sold around 5,000 copies and they were dropped after only one month.[13]
When they returned in 2000, they brought those influences with them.[12] Sam Farrar (bassist of the band Phantom Planet, which is currently on hiatus, and former roommate of Levine and Valentine) says that the Aaliyah song "Are You That Somebody?" affected the band and influenced the song "Not Coming Home."[8] Producer Tim Sommer signed them to a demo deal with MCA records and produced three tracks with them in Los Angeles in the middle of 2000 with Mark Dearnley engineering. Against Sommer's advice, MCA declined to pick up the band, and these tracks were never released. Jordan Feldstein, a friend of Levine's family and a junior agent at ICM, stopped by one of the band's rehearsals and was so surprised by what he heard that he quit his job in order to manage the band full-time.[12] The band put together a demo that was rejected by several labels, before falling into the hands of Octone Records executives James Diener, Ben Berkman and David Boxenbaum.[12] While looking for talent for the new Octone label, Berkman was given a bunch of demos by the brother of a former colleague at Columbia Records and the song that caught his attention was "a genius song called 'Sunday Morning'".[13] Berkman was surprised the song was credited to Kara's Flowers because they sounded completely different from the band he had heard while at Warner Brothers.
Berkman encouraged Diener and Boxenbaum to fly out to L.A. to watch a showcase gig at the Viper Room for the four-piece Kara's Flowers. After watching Levine onstage, they were convinced. Berkman told HitQuarters he believed what the band needed was a "fifth member to play the guitar and free up the singer, so he could be the star I perceived him to be." Octone immediately insisted that the band change its name to break with its pop past. Also, the label began looking for a full-time guitarist to enable Levine to focus on performing as the frontman. James Valentine (from the L.A. band Square) was recruited for the job.[12] On his joining the band, Valentine commented: "I became friends with them and we sort of started jamming together, it was very much like I was cheating on my band, we were having sort of an affair and I eventually quit my other band to join up with them."[12] Even still, the only songs of their repertoire that showcased the band's new direction were "Sunday Morning" and the soon-to-be-written "She Will Be Loved"—neither of which the label approved of as a first single. The band toured for a full year before entering the studio with producer Matt Wallace. Levine's frustration with Berkman's demands for a lead single inspired him to write just that—a song called "Harder to Breathe".
[edit]2002–2006: Songs About Jane and Dusick's departure
Main article: Songs About Jane
"Between the time that we started making the album [Songs About Jane] in 2001 and the time the album reached the crest of its success in 2004, we went from being starving musicians wondering what the future held to riding a wave of success beyond our wildest expectations."
—Ryan Dusick, Maroon 5's original drummer, who officially left the band in 2006 due to injuries sustained from constant touring[14]
Valentine attended Berklee College of Music with John Mayer in 1996, where they developed a rapport. In 2002, the two reconnected at a Mayer radio appearance. After Mayer heard their album, he was so impressed (particularly by "This Love") that he invited them to open for him during his early 2003 tour.[8] The first single "Harder to Breathe" slowly started to pick up airplay which helped spur sales of the album. By March 2004, the album had reached the Top 20 of the Billboard 200 and "Harder to Breathe" had made the Top 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles charts. The album peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard 200 in September 2004,[15] 26 months after its release; this was the longest period between an album's release and its initial Top 10 appearance since SoundScan results were included in the Billboard 200 in 1991.[16] Mayer invited the band to open for him again in 2004.[17]
Over the next three years, the band toured virtually non-stop, including visits to seventeen countries. During this time, the band toured with Michelle Branch,Nikka Costa, Vanessa Carlton, Graham Colton, and The Rolling Stones.[18] Others they have toured alongside include Cowboy Mouth, Gavin DeGraw,Matchbox Twenty, Sugar Ray, Counting Crows, Phantom Planet, The Hives, Dashboard Confessional, Big City Rock, The Like, Simon Dawes, Jason Mraz,The Thrills, Thirsty Merc, Marc Broussard, The Donnas, The RedWest, Michael Tolcher and Guster.
Songs About Jane eventually reached No. 2 on the Australian albums charts,[19] while "Harder to Breathe" made the Top 20 singles charts in the US[20] and UK,[19] and Top 40 in Australia and New Zealand.[19] The album also eventually climbed to No. 1 in the UK.[19] The second single, "This Love", reached No. 5 in the US,[20] No. 3 in the UK, and No. 8 in Australia.[19] The third single, "She Will Be Loved," reached the Top 5 in both the US[20] and the UK, and went to No. 1 in Australia.[19] The fourth single, "Sunday Morning," reached the Top 40 in the US,[20] UK, and Australia.[19]
Maroon 5 also played Live 8, in Philadelphia in 2005. Their set included a cover of Neil Young's "Rockin' In The Free World" and frontman Levine performed with one of his heroes, and the closing act, Stevie Wonder.[21] On May 13, 2005, in Santa Barbara, California, the band wrapped up the Honda Civic Tour, which they headlined.[22] On June 9, 2005, the band performed at the American Film Institute's tribute to filmmaker George Lucas. Lucas himself had selected Maroon 5 for the event, as they were his children's favorite band at the time.[23]
Over the years of touring with the band, drummer, percussionist and back-up vocalist Ryan Dusick had been suffering from the touring life.[24] The strains of non-stop touring aggravated an old sports injury.[7] After several absences from the tour with Ryland Steen and Josh Day taking his place, Dusick officially left Maroon 5 in September 2006. Matt Flynn, the former drummer of Gavin DeGraw and The B-52's, joined the band as Dusick's replacement.[25]
[edit]2006–2008: It Won't Be Soon Before Long
Main article: It Won't Be Soon Before Long
After recording for most of 2006, Maroon 5's second album, It Won't Be Soon Before Long, was released worldwide in May 2007 by A&M/Octone Records.[26] According to Levine, the follow-up to Songs About Jane is "sexier and stronger",[27] gaining inspiration from iconic 80s artists such as Prince, Shabba Ranks, Michael Jackson and Talking Heads.[28] Before its release, "Makes Me Wonder" was the No. 1 selling single and video on iTunes.[27] It was also the No. 1 selling album, with more than 50,000 digital pre-sales.[27] After its release, the album broke iTunes sales records its week of release, selling over 101,000 albums.[29] The first single, "Makes Me Wonder," was released to radio March 27, 2007. The making of the music video was previewed on MTV's Total Request Live, and premiered on the show March 29. The song debuted at number 84 on the Billboard Hot 100, the lowest debuting single of the group's five chart entries. In the first week of May, the single skyrocketed from a lowly position of No. 64 to No. 1, the biggest jump in Billboard history at the time.[30] "Makes Me Wonder" has also achieved No. 1 on Billboard's Hot Digital Songs, Pop 100, and Hot Dance Club Play charts.[31]
To support the album, the band performed on a "six-date club tour" in which they visited small venues in Boston, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Miami, and New York City in early June 2007.[32] They followed with a concert that streamed live via MSN Music in mid-June.[33] On July 10, they opened for The Police, in Miami,[34] and followed with an acoustic performance at the Miami club, Studio A, the next day.[35] Their 2007 It Won't Be Soon Before Longworld tour began September 29 in Detroit and concluded November 10 in Las Vegas.[36] The Hives, as the tour's special guest, performed on all of the dates while Sara Bareilles, Kevin Michael, and Phantom Planet each performed in a portion of the tour.[37] They toured with Dashboard Confessional in their world tour and on March 28, 2008, they began touring with OneRepublic, Brandi Carlile, and Ry Cuming. They have also performed "Makes Me Wonder" on season 6 of American Idol and "If I Never See Your Face Again" on season 7 of American Idol. The re-release of the album featured a new duet version of "If I Never See Your Face Again" with Rihanna; the new version of the song also appeared on the re-release of Rihanna's album Good Girl Gone Bad. They also released as the album's 5th single "Goodnight Goodnight", which appeared in the opening of "CSI:NY" episode "Page Turner."
[edit]2008–2011: Hands All Over
Main article: Hands All Over (album)
Levine has stated that he believes the band is reaching its peak and may make one more album before disbanding.[38] He explained: "Eventually I want to focus on being a completely different person because I don’t know if I want to do this into my 40s and 50s and beyond, like the Rolling Stones."[39] Maroon 5's third studio album was recorded in 2009 in Switzerland, where the band were joined by record producer Robert John "Mutt" Lange.[40] The album, titled Hands All Over, was released on September 21, 2010. The album's first single, "Misery", was released on June 22, 2010. Maroon 5 toured with Train for the summer of 2011, from July 22 to September 24.[41] Christina Aguilera is featured on Maroon 5's single "Moves Like Jagger". It premiered live on The Voice June 21, 2011 and reached the number one position on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in September 2011. Adam Levine was also featured in Gym Class Heroes' song "Stereo Hearts", which peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100.
On September 8, 2011, Jesse stated that the band is likely to begin recording their next album within the year.[42] On October 1, the band performed live at the Rock in Rio concert in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.[43] Maroon 5 was a last hour addition, chosen to fill the vacant spot left by Jay-Z after he cancelled his appearance for personal reasons believed to be a diary clash, but rumored to be a performance in a poll for bands the audiences wanted to see in the festival.[44]
The band recently launched a Snapple flavor named "Tea Will Be Loved" in support of Feeding America.
Maroon 5 performed "Moves Like Jagger" and "Stereo Hearts" with Travie McCoy on November 5, 2011 on Saturday Night Live. They also performed "Moves Like Jagger" and "Stereo Hearts" with Christina Aguilera and Gym Class Heroes on November 20, 2011 on the American Music Awards, where they won their first AMA for Favorite Pop Band/Duo/Group. The band also performed "Moves Like Jagger" at the 2012 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show.[45]
During a promotion by Coca-Cola in the March of 2011, the band participated in a 24–hour session during which, with the help of musician (keyboardist and background vocalist) PJ Morton, they had 24 hours to write a completely original song. After their time was up, the song "Is Anybody Out There" was released on the Coca-Cola website for free download. Morton, who has played with the band in concerts and other live performances since 2010, is now temporarily replacing Jesse Carmichael, who has currently taken a longer break from performing with the band – that was officially confirmed by the group in March 2012.
In 2011, Maroon 5 also recorded a song for The Hunger Games soundtrack (The Hunger Games: Songs from District 12 and Beyond), called "Come Away To The Water" (feat. Rozzi Crane). The soundtrack was released on March 20, 2012 (March 19 in the UK).
At the 54th Grammy Awards, on February 12, 2012, the group performed alongside Foster the People and The Beach Boys in a medley of Beach Boys songs to celebrate their 50th anniversary.
[edit]2012–present: Overexposed and fifth studio album
Main article: Overexposed (album)
On March 8, 2012, it was announced that Jesse Carmichael would take a break from the band for an undetermined amount of time to focus more on his studies of music and "spiritual healing." The band continued to work on their fourth studio album with the help of their tour member, PJ Morton.[46]
Maroon 5 announced on March 26, 2012 – through their official website and a Rolling Stone article – that their fourth album, titled Overexposed, will be released on June 26, 2012.[6][47] Levine stated the album is their "most diverse and poppiest album yet."[6]
On April 16, 2012, Maroon 5 premiered their new song, "Payphone", as the first single from Overexposed on the hit television show, "The Voice", in which Adam Levine is one of the judges and coaches. The song debuted at number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and features rapper Wiz Khalifa.
Their second single "One More Night" was released on June 19, 2012. It recently topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart, beating out PSY's "Gangnam Style", and stayed there for 9 weeks consecutively, tying up with Carly Rae Jepsen's hit single "Call Me Maybe".
At the start of their Overexposed World Tour in South America, Maroon 5 introduced the newest addition in the band to the audience: their old and close friend Sam Farrar – who is also the bassist of the band Phantom Planet – on guitars, backing vocals, turntables and providing other special effects. Sam also co-wrote and co-produced a few of the band's songs on their albums: It Won't Be Soon Before Long, Hands All Over and Overexposed. On August 31, 2012 – during a show in Argentina – Farrar filled-in for Mickey Madden on the bass guitar for the very first time – he subsequently filled-in for Mickey on the next few shows of the tour.
Maroon 5 has announced that the third single from Overexposed is going to be "Daylight" and to promote that song, the band has launched a video project called "The Daylight Project". The project encouraged fans to film their own segments for inclusion in the official music video for "Daylight", directed by Jonas Åkerlund. Uploads were officially closed on October 8, 2012. "Daylight" was performed for the first time as a single on November 8, 2012, during an episode of the "The Voice".
On July 5, 2012, Maroon 5 announced that they had begun work on their fifth studio album, a close follow up to their fourth album, Overexposed[48] and on October 10, 2012, Jesse Carmichael confirmed that he would be returning to the band after they complete their Overexposed World Tour; he will rejoin in time to record their fifth studio album.
[edit]Musical style and influences
Maroon 5 has cited Michael Jackson, The Police, Talking Heads, Aaliyah, Oasis, Shabba Ranks, and Prince as influences.[49] Frontman Adam Levine has also cited Stevie Wonder as one of his heroes.[50] Maroon 5's songs tend to be very guitar-heavy, often accompanied by piano or synthesizer. The theme in all of their songs is love, frequently lost love; songs like "This Love", "Makes Me Wonder", and "Misery" have a very cynical tone, often expressing dissatisfaction with a relationship, while their more heartfelt and emotional songs such as "She Will Be Loved","Never Gonna Leave This Bed" express a longing for a romantic relationship. "Makes Me Wonder" has a secondary theme in which Levine expresses his disillusionment and frustration with the state of American politics and the Iraq War.[51]
Maroon 5's sound changes from album to album. Songs About Jane consists of songs about Levine's ex-girlfriend Jane. On It Won't Be Soon Before Long, however, the songs are less personal, and are more electric with more use of synthesizers, creating a retro feel.[49] Hands All Over continues the band's lost love theme, along with songs about infatuation, and was re-released with the song "Moves Like Jagger", an electropop song featuring Christina Aguilerawhich represents a drastic change in the band's sound, with more of a dance feel to it. "It was one of those songs that was definitely a risk," Levine said. "It's a bold statement. We've never really released a song like that. But it's exciting to do something different, do something new. I'm just glad that everyone likes it."[52] When announcing their fourth album, Overexposed, Valentine called the album "our most 'pop' record ever and we weren’t shy about really going for it."[6]
[edit]Band members
- Adam Levine – lead vocals, lead and rhythm guitar (1994–present)Current members
- Jesse Carmichael – keyboards, rhythm guitar (occasional), backing vocals (1994–present; on hiatus since 2012)
- Mickey Madden – bass guitar (1994–present)
- James Valentine – lead and rhythm guitar, backing vocals (2001–present)
- Matt Flynn – drums, percussion (2006–present)
- Touring (or filling-in) members
Current:
- PJ Morton – keyboards, backing vocals (2010–present; PJ was previously a touring-only member - now he is temporarily replacing Jesse Carmichael)
- Sam Farrar – guitars, backing vocals, turntables and other special effects (2012–present; Sam is currently a touring-only member - he is also the bassist of the band Phantom Planet and a close friend of Maroon 5; Sam co-wrote and co-produced a few of the band's songs on their albums: It Won't Be Soon Before Long, Hands All Over and Overexposed. On August 31, 2012 – during a show in Argentina on theOverexposed World Tour – Sam filled-in for Mickey Madden on the bass guitar for the very first time – he subsequently filled-in for Mickey on the next few shows of the tour)
Former:
- Tommy King – keyboards, backing vocals (Tommy played with the band on the whole Back To School Tour in 2009)
- Adrian Young (from No Doubt) – drums, percussion (Adrian filled-in for Matt Flynn for a few dates of the Back To School Tour in 2009, due to Matt having to leave Maroon 5 for a short period of time because of a "family emergency", as stated by the band on their Official Website)
- Former members
- Ryan Dusick – drums, percussion, backing vocals (1994–2006)
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