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Sure, there are plenty of things you know about Maroon 5.
Adam Levine is the band’s frontman, they’re a seven-man group, they’ve released countless chart-topping songs since their first album debuted in 2002, and more recently, they’re performing at the 2019 Super Bowl Halftime Show.
However, there are a lot of fascinating facts you probably didn’t know about the band. Like, they weren’t originally called Maroon 5 and, even more crazy, they crashed real weddings in one of their music videos.
Aside from winning three Grammy awards over the years and making musical history with their hit song “Is Anybody Out There,” the band has stayed true to its pop, rock roots.
The current band members include Jesse Carmichael, Sam Farrar, Matt Flynn, Mickey Madden, PJ Morton and James Valentine, and they’ll all take center stage come Sunday, Feb. 3 at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
While the news about Maroon 5’s Super Bowl Halftime Show hasn’t been well-received, the band is making the best of it. Case in point: Maroon 5, along with the NFL and Interscope Records, made a $500,000 donation to Big Brothers Big Sisters of America.
“We thank the NFL for the opportunity and also to them, along with Interscope Records, for making this donation to Big Brothers Big Sisters, which will have a major impact for children across the country,” Levine told E! News.
The band isn’t performing alone on Sunday night either. Special guests include Travis Scott and Big Boi, who will both join Maroon 5 during the halftime show.
So if you’re excited to see Maroon 5 rock the stage during the 2019 Super Bowl, read all about their most fascinating facts, below. Trust us, it will get you hyped to know how they went from a high school band to appearing on your fave ’90s show, to making musical history.
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The Band’s Origins
In high school, the band was originally called Kara’s Flowers before they became Maroon 5. The inspiration? They all had a crush on the same girl and her name was, you guessed it, Kara. At the time, the band members were Adam Levine, Jesse Carmichael, Mickey Madden and Ryan Dusick. Around the time guitarist James Valentine came into the group (in 2001), they changed the band name to Maroon 5.
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Making It…to the Small Screen
Kara’s Flowers made its TV debut on the hit series Beverly Hills, 90210. They appeared in the “Forgive and Forget” episode of the show, in case you feel like giving it a re-watch!
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Their Longtime Manager Was Jonah Hill’s Brother
For the longest time, the late Jordan Feldstein was Maroon 5’s manager. Not only had he known Levine since childhood, but he managed the band since its inception. Feldstein was also Jonah Hill and Beanie Feldstein’s brother.
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Maroon 5’s Debut Album
The band’s debut album,Songs About Jane, featured lyrics and titles that were literally based on songs Adam wrote about his ex-girlfriend at the time, Jane. In an interview with Rolling Stone, the singer said, “I saw this girl at a gas station and I fell in love with her. I wrote a song about her and played it in the store where she worked.” Adding, “It was an awful song, but she found out about this relatively psychotic boy. She was my muse for years.”
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“Make’s Me Wonder” Makes Number One
Maroon 5’s single, “Makes Me Wonder,” became the band’s first number one song to land on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.
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#Winning
The band has been nominated for 12 Grammys and have won three. In 2005, they won for Best New Artist, and a year later, they took home the award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals for the chart-topping song “This Love.” In 2007, they won Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals for “Makes Me Wonder.”
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Making Musical History
The band impressively wrote, produced and recorded its hit single “Is Anybody Out There” in 24 hours. The song reportedly set a world record and made musical history.
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Real-Life Wedding Crashers
Apparently, Maroon 5’s “Sugar” music video featured the band crashing real weddings. While some were staged, others were not. The band was reportedly inspired by the 2005 romantic comedy Wedding Crashers.
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The Biggest Act in 2018
The band ended 2018 with a bang. Billboard reports they were the biggest act on U.S. radio airwaves according to Nielsen Music data. The group’s catalog of songs collected 8.58 billion audience impressions across all monitored radio stations, from 1.95 million plays of their tunes.
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Now that you know all of their fascinating facts, go ahead and hit play on the band’s YouTube playlists. Because you’ll most certainly want to sing along to their hit songs while they perform on Sunday night.
Watch E! News Monday, Feb. 4 at 7 p.m. for the biggest highlights and OMG moments from the 2019 Super Bowl!