Claim: The Voice is a reality series.

Adam Noah Levine -LRB- born March 18 , 1979 -RRB- is an American singer , songwriter , multi-instrumentalist , actor , and record producer . He is the lead vocalist for the pop rock band Maroon 5 .   Born and raised in Los Angeles , California , Levine began his musical career in 1994 , when he co-founded the alternative rock band Kara 's Flowers , of which he was the lead vocalist and guitarist . The band split up after their only album , The Fourth World -LRB- released in 1997 -RRB- , which did not gain popularity . In 2001 , the group was reformed -- with guitarist James Valentine joining the line-up -- and began a new musical chapter , changing their name to Maroon 5 . In 2002 , the band released their first album , Songs About Jane , which went multi-platinum in the US . Since then , they have released four more albums , It Wo n't Be Soon Before Long -LRB- 2007 -RRB- , Hands All Over -LRB- 2010 -RRB- , Overexposed -LRB- 2012 -RRB- and V -LRB- 2014 -RRB- . He also has released two singles `` Do n't Wan na Know '' and `` Cold . '' As part of Maroon 5 , Levine has received three Grammy Awards , two Billboard Music Awards , two American Music Awards , an MTV Video Music Award and a World Music Award .   Since 2011 , Levine has served as a coach on NBC 's reality talent show The Voice . The winners of the first , fifth and ninth seasons , Javier Colon , Tessanne Chin and Jordan Smith , were on his team . In 2012 , he made his acting debut as a recurring character in the horror television show American Horror Story : Asylum for the series ' second season . He also starred in the film Begin Again .   As an entrepreneur , Levine launched his own eponymous fragrance line in 2013 . The same year , he collaborated with K-Mart and ShopYourWay.com to develop his menswear collection . He also owns a record label , 222 Records . In 2013 , The Hollywood Reporter reported that `` sources familiar with his many business dealings '' estimated Levine would earn more than $ 35 million that year .