Adam Levine is an American actor, singer, songwriter, and musician, best known as the vocalist and guitarist for the band Maroon 5. Once a prototypical Hollywood rock star - living fast and staying young - he is now a married man, making headlines as a coach on the hit show The Voice.
Here are some interesting facts you may not know about Adam Levine.
Adam Levine Facts
1. Scrabble
Adam prides himself as being quite the wordsmith (naturally). According to him, though, that can be a little uncomfortable when it comes to playing games with friends-- apparently, he's known for absolutely dominating close friends with his unreal Scrabble skills.
2. Adam The Fearful
He might seem tough as nails with his shirt off, but Levine has a more gentle side.
Case in point: Adam has admitted that he is afraid of bees.
3. Tequila!
As any rockstars would, Adam has access to many parties. His liquor of choice is Tequila. He even has his own brand of "Mezquila", called Santo Puro Mezquila which is a mashup of mezcal and tequila.
4. Rough Start
Adam Levine's first job was as a waiter at Johnny Rockets.
Seems pretty typical for someone in show-biz. But what's not typical is just how mightily Levine struggled at the job. He was apparently so awful, management fired him after only 3 hours on the floor. Of course, he managed to screw up multiple orders in that time.
5. Sugar
Adam Levine was once attacked outside of Jimmy Kimmel's studio by a fan who dumped powdered sugar all over him. The fan was detained and later arrested for Battery.
6. Famous Friends
Adam has known Jason Segel and Jake Gyllenhaal since kindergarten. They remain friends to this day.
Toglenn, CC BY-SA 4.0, Dora Britt, Mingle Media TV, Wikimedia Commons
7. Goes Both Ways
Levine is ambidextrous. He writes and draws with his left hand but prefers his right hand for most other activities.
8. Flower Power
His musical career began in 1994, when he started his first rock band, Kara's Flowers. He was the lead singer and guitarist.
Michael Springer, Getty Images
9. Gilded
Maroon 5 has been nominated for 12 Grammys, winning three. They won Best New Artist in 2005 and Best Pop Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal in 2006 for This Love, and in 2008 for Makes Me Wonder.
Sign up to our newsletter.
History’s most fascinating stories and darkest secrets, delivered to your inbox daily. Making distraction rewarding since 2017.
10. Bros
He has become great friends with fellow The Voice judge Blake Shelton and the two are said to be intertwined in quite the bromance. Speaking of Shelton Levine said, "I love this guy. He's as much of a pain as I am!"
Frederick M. Brown, Getty Images
11. I am the Walrus
Levine says The Beatles have been a major source of inspiration for him in his music career.
12. I am That Somebody
Levine says that listening to renown R&B artist Aaliyah (with hits such as "Are You That Somebody?") changed his performing style to pursue a more soulful sound than that of his first band, Kara's Flowers.
13. Nobody's Perfect
Levine has ADHD (attention-deficit-hyperactive disorder) but manages to keep it under control. He also lends some of his time to help children who are also suffering from ADHD.
14. Opportunities
Like so many before him, Levine made his television debut in 2007, when he made an appearance on Saturday Night Live.
15. Man's Best Friend
Levine is an animal lover and had a Golden Retriever named Frankie who sadly passed away in 2013. He has since welcomed two more dogs, Bones, the golden-doodle, and Charlie, another female golden retriever to his family.
Justin Higuchi, Wikimedia Commons
16. Yup
He was named People Magazine's Sexiest Man Alive in 2013.
Yes, he is!
17. Superstitious
His favorite musicians are Prince and Stevie Wonder. He even refers to Stevie as his spiritual leader.
18. Mind=Blown
Adam has some pretty strong feelings about performance-enhancing drugs (coffee) saying "Caffeine is like a really attractive girl that has nothing to say. You get all jacked up on it and then you're left feeling hollow and empty." Despite this, those close to him say he drinks coffee frequently as he is constantly on the go.
Jenniferlinneaphotography, Wikimedia Commons
19. Lock Him Down
Later on, he met Sports Illustrated (and later Victoria's Secret) model Anne Vyalitsyna and they dated for two years before calling quits.
Kevork Djansezian, Getty Images
20. Gotta Start Somewhere
Before his music career took off, Adam worked as a writer's assistant for the TV show Judging Amy.
Justin Higuchi, Wikimedia Commons
21. The Biggest Fish
Levine's band Kara's Flowers briefly toured with Reel Big Fish. It was on this tour that they acquired guitarist James Valentine, who, at the time, was subbing in for Reel Big Fish's guitarist who broke his hand.
22. You Never Forget the First
Adam had his first kiss at age 11. He recounted the story in an interview, "Her name was Katie. She asked me to take a walk after dinner. We walked 10 feet west of the cafeteria, which felt like forever. She went in for the kiss. I was freaked out and amazed. Then it got weird, once I got comfortable and started experimenting."
Justin Higuchi, Wikimedia Commons
23. In Case I Forget
The "222" tattoo on his forearm represents room number of the first studio that Maroon 5 ever recorded in.
24. Horror Story
Levine made a cameo on FX's American Horror Story: Asylum, starring alongside Jenna Dewan-Tatum, as the two set out on their honeymoon to explore the country's most haunted locations.
25. Inspiration Comes in Many Forms
Early in his career, Adam got deep into songwriting and used recently failed relationships as a source of inspiration. Regarding a long-term relationship, he said, "When we broke up, my heart was broken. I didn't have money or a job. All I had was a girl I was in love with and the dream of being a famous musician...I was like, 'I need to turn this into something good or it's going to be a bad thing.'"
26. Inked
It's no secret he loves tattoos and has a number of them all over his body. He has a paw print on the back of his right shoulder that says 'Frankie Girl' underneath it in honor of his first dog.
27. Jew-ish
Levine has Jewish ancestry on both sides of his family. His father and his mother's grandfather were both Jewish and he considers himself Jewish, though he does not practice the religion in the traditional manor. Instead, he has a more generalized, spiritual way of life. He does do yoga, after all.
28. The Right Way
Levine, whose brother Michael is openly gay, is an outspoken supporter of same-sex marriage and LGBT rights.
29. He's a Keeper
One of Levine's most meaningful tattoos is a heart with the word mom scrawled through it on a ribbon.
This is a man who is world famous, but still wants to honor his mom.
Husband. Material.
30. Finding Love
In the early days of his career, he was seen with several high profile ladies including Cameron Diaz, Lindsay Lohan, Jessica Simpson, and Maria Sharapova. In his own defense, he said, "There are two kinds of men. There are men who are f-ing misogynist pigs, and then there are men who really love women, who think they're the most amazing people in the world. And that's me...Maybe the reason I was promiscuous, and wanted to sleep with a lot of them, is that I love them so much." Well played sir.
31. And They Do
Even after playing in front of numerous sold-out crowds, Adam still gets nervous before a show. He deals with this by employing a very simple ritual.
He said, "Before I go on stage I pretend that everyone loves me." They do, Adam. They all do.
Scott Cunningham, Getty Images
32. Tough Cookie
One writer for Rolling Stone claims that Levine got him fired from the magazine in 2014.
Rob Tannenbaum was a Rolling Stone writer who, in an effort to get a fun story, once asked Levine to apologize for making a song as catchy as "Moves Like Jagger". It was a light-hearted joke, and Levine didn't seem angry at the time...
It turns out, though, that Levine didn't like the resulting interview at all. He complained to the magazine's editors, who proceeded to have the writer fired!
33. Starting Early
It's hard to believe, but Levine actually made his professional debut when he was in Grade 7!
That first gig was at The Troubadour, an iconic club in Los Angeles.
Jenniferlinneaphotography, Wikimedia Commons
34. And They Do
There's a huge difference between Maroon 5's biggest hits and biggest failures.
Their biggest hit of all-time is "Moves Like Jagger", which is actually one of the highest-selling digital recordings ever, with over 15 million copies downloaded.
Meanwhile, their biggest disappointment was 2011's "iTunes Session", which was only downloaded 10,000 times.
Christopher Polk, Getty Images
35. And They Do
In 2011, Levine helped to develop a potential TV show that was going to be set in a karaoke bar.
The show was picked up by NBC after a massive bidding war...but it was never actually made. Who knows why?
.jpg){kind=link}
