AJR facts for kids

AJR is an American pop band made up of three brothers: Adam, Jack, and Ryan Met. They are singers, play many instruments, and write all their own songs. The brothers grew up in New York City. They started by performing on the streets, singing popular songs, and even tap dancing. Later, they began writing their own music. They record their songs in a studio they built at home. AJR has released five studio albums and many popular songs. Some of their biggest hits include "I'm Ready," "Sober Up," and "Bang!". They are known as a multi-platinum band, meaning their music has sold millions of copies.

Quick facts for kids AJR
AJR performing in 2023. From left to right: Ryan Met Jack Met Adam Met
Background information
Origin	New York City, U.S.
Genres	Indie pop electropop
Years active	2005–present
Labels	AJR Productions Mercury Republic Black Butter Sony Warner S-Curve BMG
Members	Adam Met Jack Met Ryan Met

The Start of AJR: Street Performing and "I'm Ready" (2005–2013)

AJR began performing on the streets of New York City in 2005. At first, they were known as TB³ (Tapping Brothers to the Third Power). Before writing their own songs, they shared cover versions of popular songs on YouTube. The brothers tried a few names before choosing AJR, which stands for Adam, Jack, and Ryan. In 2012, they released their first small collection of songs on a CD.

In November 2012, Ryan tweeted a link to their first original song, "I'm Ready," to many famous people. Australian singer Sia saw it and told her manager about the band. This led them to Steve Greenberg, a music industry expert who became their manager. "I'm Ready" uses a fun sound clip of SpongeBob SquarePants saying "I'm ready." The song became very popular on the radio. It was later included on their first album, Living Room, released in 2015. The song was a big hit, becoming Platinum in America and three times Platinum in Australia.

Early Albums and EPs (2013–2015)

AJR released their second EP, called 6foot1, in December 2013. An EP is a collection of songs, shorter than a full album. This EP was later re-released as the I'm Ready EP. In 2013, Clear Channel named them "Artist on the Rise." The next year, iHeartRadio called them their Artist of the Month.

The band's third EP, Infinity, came out in September 2014. It had five songs, including the main song "Infinity." AJR made a lyric video for this song themselves. They decided to release this EP before their first full album, Living Room. This was because they wanted to add some of their newest songs to the album. Living Room was then released in March 2015. In October 2015, they also released a single song called "Let the Games Begin."

The Click Album and Big Hits (2016–2018)

AJR on Border Crossings in 2015

In September 2016, AJR released their fourth EP, What Everyone's Thinking. It included the song "Weak," which became a huge hit. "Weak" earned Platinum awards in many countries and was streamed over 250 million times on Spotify. All five songs from this EP were later part of their second studio album, The Click. This album came out in June 2017.

The Click was released with S-Curve Records in the U.S. and other labels worldwide. Another song from the album, "Sober Up," became their first number-one song on the Billboard Alternative Airplay chart. This song featured Rivers Cuomo from the band Weezer.

The music on The Click kept AJR's unique pop sound. They mixed in styles like hip-hop, electronic dance music, and jazz. To share the album, AJR went on the Click Tour in 2018. The album was streamed over two billion times on Spotify.

AJR performing "Turning Out" at the White House in 2017

A special version of The Click came out in September 2018. It had three new songs, including "Burn the House Down." This song also reached high on the Billboard Alternative Airplay chart. They also worked with EDM artist Steve Aoki and rapper Lil Yachty on a song called "Pretender." Years later, in 2021, they released a music video for "The Good Part" because it became popular again.

Neotheater and World Tour (2019)

AJR performing in Amsterdam in 2019

On January 30, 2019, AJR released "100 Bad Days." This song became the main single for their third studio album, Neotheater. A music video for the song came out in March. Even Taylor Swift included "100 Bad Days" on her Apple Music playlist of songs she loves.

In March, the band announced that Neotheater would be released on April 26. They also released a song called "Birthday Party" and performed "100 Bad Days" on Jimmy Kimmel Live!. Another single, "Dear Winter," came out in April with its own music video. When Neotheater was released, it quickly reached number 8 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart. It also hit number one on Billboard's Top Rock Albums chart. The band then went on the Neotheater World Tour. In October 2019, they released a new version of "Dear Winter" called "Dear Winter 2.0." They changed the music to make it even more emotional.

OK Orchestra and Awards (2020–2021)

AJR performing "Bummerland" at "We the People" in 2021

"Bang!" was released in February 2020 as the first song from their fourth album. This song was a huge success, reaching number eight on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. This was AJR's first song to make it into the top ten of the Hot 100. The album's second song, "Bummerland," came out in August 2020. AJR performed "Bummerland" at a special online concert called "We the People" in January 2021.

In December 2020, they released "My Play," followed by "Way Less Sad" in February 2021. Their album, OK Orchestra, was officially released on March 26, 2021. The Blue Man Group even appeared on one of the album's songs. At the 2021 Billboard Music Awards, "Bang!" won the "Top Rock Song" award. AJR performed "Bang!" and "Way Less Sad" at the event.

After OK Orchestra, AJR worked with other bands. They released a new version of Weezer's "All My Favorite Songs" in May 2021. They also created a remix of Daisy the Great's "Record Player" in August 2021.

The Maybe Man and First Arena Tour (2022–2024)

AJR on 96.5 TDY's interview in 2022

In April 2022, AJR announced new music was coming. They signed with Mercury Records/Republic Records in May 2022. Their song "I Won't" was released in July with a music video. In November, the band shared a teaser for their new album, called TMM. They then released "The DJ Is Crying for Help" in November. In January 2023, AJR was featured on Quinn XCII's song "Too Late."

In April 2023, "The Dumb Song" was released as the album's third single. A music video showed how they created the song over a year and a half. In July, they released a lyric video for "God Is Really Real." This song was about their father, Gary, who passed away around that time. In August, AJR announced the album's full title, The Maybe Man, and its release date of November 3. The album's songs and artwork were shown in September. They released the last single from the album, "Yes I'm a Mess," in September with a music video in October. The release date for The Maybe Man was moved to November 10. In November 2023, AJR announced "The Maybe Man Tour," their first tour in large arenas, starting in 2024.

In May 2024, the band released an acoustic version of "Inertia." The music video for it was filmed in an arena in Jacksonville, Florida. In November 2024, AJR shared a YouTube video called "AJR - The Making of The Maybe Man Tour." This video showed how the tour was planned and rehearsed, including lighting, sound, and funny parts of the show.

New Music and Tours (2025–Present)

In January 2025, AJR announced they would perform at the Sips and Sounds Festival in Austin, Texas, in March. They also shared that they would play at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo in Houston, Texas, in March.

In March 2025, the band announced their "Somewhere in the Sky Tour." This tour featured special guest artists like Cavetown, Goth Babe, Quinn XCII, and Chelsea Cutler.

On June 16, 2025, AJR announced a new EP called What No One's Thinking. An EP is a shorter collection of songs than a full album. This new EP is a follow-up to their 2016 EP, What Everyone's Thinking. In July 2025, they released the song "Betty" from the new EP. They also announced that What No One's Thinking would be released on August 29, 2025. The release was later moved to September 5, 2025, to make it even better. When the EP came out, it was revealed that AJR was no longer with Mercury/Republic Records. They had returned to being an independent band, making music on their own. The What No One's Thinking EP was released on September 6, 2025. It included songs like "The Plane That Never Lands," "A Dog Song," "Betty," "I'm Sorry You Went Crazy," and "The Big Goodbye."

About the Brothers: Their Lives and Background

The Met brothers are Jewish and describe their family as "culturally Jewish." Their father, Gary Metzger, was an architect who passed away in July 2023. Their mother, Laurie Marvald, also started as an architect. She later became a business owner and helped start AJR Productions, LLC. She worked in management for the band until 2022.

The three brothers grew up in Bayside, Queens, New York. In 2001, they moved to Chelsea, Manhattan. Jack went to the Professional Children's School in Manhattan. As a child, Jack was an actor. He appeared in the movie The Pink Panther 2 and an episode of Law and Order: Criminal Intent.

Adam studied business and philosophy at Columbia University. He also earned a master's degree from New York University. Later, he studied important global issues at the University of Birmingham. Ryan and Jack both studied film at Columbia University.

AJR's Unique Music Style

The brothers are all talented singers and songwriters. They are known as a "DIY" band, which means "Do It Yourself." They write, produce, and mix all their music together in their home studio. AJR describes their music as a mix of many different styles. These include dubstep, doo-wop, hip-hop, and even sounds from Broadway musicals. People often describe their music as indie pop and electropop. Their songs are also seen as "Theater Core," which means they are very dramatic and tell a story.

They also use a special music technique they created called "spokestep." This is where they cut up vocal sounds and use them as part of the song's beat.

Meet the Band Members

AJR performing "World's Smallest Violin" with Arnetta Johnson (far right) and Chris Berry (far left)

AJR

• Adam Met – vocals, bass guitar, percussion, programming
• Jack Met – lead vocals, guitar, sampler, ukulele, drums, percussion, cowbell, horn, banjo, melodica, programming
• Ryan Met – vocals, bass guitar, piano, ukulele, sampler, production, programming

Touring members

• Arnetta Johnson – trumpet, piano (2020–present)
• Chris Berry – drums, guitar (2018–present)
• Ginny Luke – violin, saxophone, piano (2024–present)
• JJ Kirkpatrick – trumpet (2018–2019)

Awards and Nominations

AJR's Music: Albums and EPs

Studio albums

• Living Room (2015)
• The Click (2017)
• Neotheater (2019)
• OK Orchestra (2021)
• The Maybe Man (2023)

Extended plays

• AJR (2012)
• 6foot1 (2013)
• Infinity (2014)
• What Everyone's Thinking (2016)
• What No One's Thinking (2025)

AJR on TV and Tours

Television Appearances

Headlining Tours

Other Concerts and Special Shows

• AJR Festival shows (2023)

COVID-19 concerts

• A Night in Your Car with AJR (2020)
• One Spectacular Night (2020)
• One More Spectacular Night (2021) (rerun)

In 2020, the band had to postpone and then cancel some tours because of the COVID-19 pandemic. To still perform, AJR announced a special drive-in show called "A night in your car with AJR." This took place in August 2020 in Philadelphia. The first show sold out quickly, so they added a second one. At the first show, they performed "Bummerland" for the first time.

In November 2020, AJR announced their first online concert, AJR's One Spectacular Night. This happened on December 26, 2020. It was an interactive show where viewers could clap after songs and change camera views, making it feel like a real live concert.

Opening Acts for Other Artists

AJR has opened for many other artists, including Andy Grammer, American Authors, Demi Lovato, Fifth Harmony, Fitz and the Tantrums, Hoodie Allen, Imagine Dragons, Ingrid Michaelson, Lindsey Stirling, Melanie Martinez, Sammy Adams, the Wanted, Train, and We the Kings.

Giving Back: Philanthropy

• On March 31, 2017, AJR released the charity song "It's On Us." This song was made to support people who have experienced harm across the United States.
• For "The Maybe Man Tour," $1 from every ticket sold goes to Planet Reimagined. This is a non-profit organization co-founded by Adam Met. It helps train future climate leaders to find fair solutions for people and the planet.

See also

In Spanish: AJR (banda) para niños

• List of indie pop artists
• List of bands formed in New York City
• List of artists who reached number one on the U.S. alternative rock chart
• List of sibling groups