Maroon 5 is an American pop rock band that originated in Los Angeles, California, United States. The group was formed in 1994 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). Kara's Flowers 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.