Gerald Maxwell Rivera was born in Brooklyn, NY in 1973 to a Haitian mother and Puerto Rican father. His early influences came from early 80’s soul and R&B music. He began performing in the New York City club scene in the early 90’s. It was through these early experiences and influences that Maxwell was able to craft a career in music in his own way.

It was during this time that he recorded his demo and circulated it amongst his friends and peers. He continued to perform in small NYC venues until he built up a big enough reputation to earn the interest of Columbia Records. He signed with them in 1994. Neo Soul was born.

Maxwell released his first studio album, “Maxwell’s Urban Hang Suite” in 1996. It was met with critical acclaim as it had a more “Soul” and less “Hip-Hop” sound and influence.

His second studio album, “Embrya” was released in 1998 and was certified Platinum after one year. It was nominated for a GRAMMY and won the Soul Train Music Award for Best Male Soul/R&B Album.

“Now”, his third studio album was released in 2001. Another Platinum record, it was his first album to reach number one on the Billboard 200.

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After this album he took an eight-year hiatus. About the break, he said to Reuters:

“The time away gave me a better appreciation of things, so I took the time I needed to live to make this album something of substance. People tend to be so hell-bent on remaining famous that you become desensitized to the music industry to some level. But my passion is making music and promoting and supporting great musicians.”

He came back in 2009 with BLACKsummers’night, which was the first in a trilogy of albums. It debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200, selling 316,000 copies the first week. It was his highest selling first-week ever. The lead single “Pretty Wings” debuted at number one on the US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. It stayed on the chart for 47 weeks.

In 2016 he released the second part of the trilogy, blackSUMMERS’night. It debuted at number three on the Billboard 200 and was his fourth album to reach top 10 in the chart. It was met with critical acclaim.

According to an interview with Billboard, Maxwell had been dealing with a nerve issue, and if it wasn’t for that, we’d already have the final installment, “Night”, of the trilogy albums.

He’s currently wrapping up his "The Serenade Tour“.