Maroon 5 is an American pop rock band that originated in Los Angeles, California. The group was formed in 1994 as Kara's Flowers while its members were still in high school. The original members of the band were Adam Levine, Jesse Carmichael, Mickey Madden and Ryan Dusick; 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. In 2001, the band regrouped, with James Valentine added to the lineup, and pursued a new direction under the name Maroon 5.

The band signed with Octone Records and released their debut album, Songs About Jane, in June 2002. The album's lead single "Harder to Breathe", received heavy airplay, which helped the album to debut at number six on the Billboard 200 chart. The album's second and third singles, "This Love" and "She Will Be Loved", became worldwide hits reaching the top five on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The band won the Grammy Award for Best New Artist in 2005. For the next few years, the band toured extensively worldwide in support of Songs About Jane and produced two live recordings: 2004's 1.22.03.Acoustic and 2005's Live – Friday the 13th. In 2006, drummer, percussionist and backing vocalist Ryan Dusick left the band and was replaced by Matt Flynn. The band recorded their second album, It Won't Be Soon Before Long, and released in May 2007. The album reached number one on the US Billboard 200 chart and the lead single, "Makes Me Wonder", became the band's first number-one song on the Billboard Hot 100.