A series dedicated to what the media does not broadcast about your favorite musical artist. Now, I present to you the Jonas Brothers.
The infamous Kevin, Joe, and Nick. The Jonas Brothers are back together in 2019. If you were to ask anyone a year ago if this band would reunite no one would have guessed it.
Where did the brothers come from?
The Jonas Brothers have had an interesting ride to success and their career is unlike any other musical group to ever exist. Coming from a small town in New Jersey with a family that does not have much money, to signing a record deal, then getting dropped, to get a gig with Disney channel, to prove themselves as artists, to breaking up, to reuniting as a band. It has been a bumpy ride for the band but they could not be in a better state than they are in today. Happiness truly begins with this new era.
Disney Days
Becoming famous from Disney Channel can have its negatives in this day and age. The brothers even admit on Carpool Karaoke with James Corden that they were robots back in the Disney days. They were afraid to be themselves because Disney was a clean-cut “machine,” as Nick says, that was giving them this opportunity to be performers while also controlling their actions in a way. Artists who come from Disney are often viewed as artists who only appeal to younger audiences who don’t have real talent. Because of how fast their life changed from Disney, the boys were scared of it leaving just as quick as it came; they were afraid to be themselves. This was all a part of the Disney management, as they were expected to keep a squeaky clean reputation.
What people may not know is the reason the Jonas Brothers were even considered by Disney was that they were already a band putting out music. In the documentary, which was released on Amazon this past year, Nick says that many people think they were a manufactured group put together by the Disney, but in fact, they were signed to a record company before Disney and started writing and performing songs together at a very young age.
Did you know that the Jonas Brothers write all of their own lyrics?
In the new documentary, it revealed that one of their most famous songs, “Lovebug“, was written by Nick in response to his first real love with co-Disney star Miley Cyrus. Not only can the brothers perform, but they are also all songwriters. Their newest album, Happiness Begins, was all written by the brothers themselves. This album reflects where they are in life showing love and happiness to the world.
The Jonas Brothers worked very hard to be where they are today.
They were dropped from a record label after their first album release. At the same time, their family was living in a two-bedroom apartment because their dad lost his job at a church. The family began to receive judgment from the church due to the brothers not singing Christian music. This was one of the lowest points for their careers and also their personal life. However, the brothers kept pushing towards their dreams; they had no other choice but to keep trying. Then one day… Disney called and changed their whole life.
Never give up.
Disney may have helped them skyrocket their fame but they are always performers and talented young men. They prevail through the hard times and reach the light at the end of the tunnel. The brothers wrote the majority of their self-titled album in that one apartment basement during the most difficult time of their life. They never gave up on their dreams. In life, you cannot appreciate the happy times without going through the hardships. One thing that people need to understand is how the brothers represent hard work and dedication and to never give up on what you want in life.
The Jonas Brothers always thank Disney for what they did for them but in the documentary, they all agree that they regret doing the second season of their show, Jonas, because it was not who they were anymore. It felt too young for them and feel like it stunted their growth as a band. They were young adults wanting to continue on with life but were stuck in a show for children playing a 14-year-old at age 23, as Joe says in the Bazaar interview from this year.
The Music
The Jonas Brothers produce catchy music that people jam to all the time. However, what people do not notice is the deeper meaning behind these songs. The brothers are just normal human beings from a small town who happen to write songs and perform. Have you ever stopped and actually listened and processed the lyrics you are so energetically singing? One big hit song they have is called “Hold On” which is about how you have to keep pushing through the hard times life throws at you. It is not the happiest of songs lyrically, but the brothers paired the words to an upbeat tempo that makes for a great anthem to sing when one is feeling down.
“There’s more to life than just to live, ’cause an empty room can be so loud
Hold On – Jonas Brothers
It’s too many tears to drown them out, One single smile a helping hand
It’s not that hard to be a friend
So don’t give up stand ’til the end.”
The brother dynamic and connection that they bring to their songs and performances is undeniable. In their most recent performances since their reunion, their presence oozes happiness. They brought together the band because they missed the magic that was the Jonas Brothers. All they were craving was to be happy together again and playing music.
I can say from personal experience that the Jonas Brothers are incredible live performers. The feeling they bring to their concerts is something that only brothers can create. Happiness truly begins at the start of their shows.
Break up?
You may or may not know that when the band broke up it was not at all a happy moment for anyone, including Kevin, Joe, and Nick. It was not a mutual break up, as Nick was the one to say that the Jonas Brothers should be no more. In their new documentary, you find out that the brothers did not even talk after they called it quits for the time being. I cannot imagine not talking to your best friends for more than a day. They went through a rough patch as a family but it was much needed for them to come back even stronger. What makes the Jonas brothers so relatable is that they do not hide anything in regards to their journey as a band and family.
Diabetes Turned Positive.
At the beginning of the Jonas Brothers journey, Nick was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at the age of 13. This was a hurdle in his life that he has now found a way to help others who have the same chronic diagnosis. He is the co-founder of Beyond Type 1 which is an organization that uses social media to educate young people on how to live with type 1 diabetes. Nick has been vocal about how he knew no one with diabetes and felt alone when he was diagnosed. He uses his platform to help others not feel the same way he did. Nick even posted on Instagram that it has been 13 years since he was diagnosed and he is now a happy and healthy man.
He vocalizes that it can be hard but you can live with this disease as long as you take care of yourself. Out of all that, Nick wrote a song called “A Little Bit Longer” back in 2007 that was about his diagnosis. He embraced his sadness and fear in the song and hopes that it can help people living with the same disease. That is what music is all about.
I am so happy the Jonas Brother are back together. When they were younger, the media was so caught up in the purity ring “scandal” that they were not focused on the music. Side note, if you don’t know what the purity ring scandal is, then watch this interview here where the brothers explain it. It was a running joke that every media platform loved to talk about. People began to question the Jonas Brothers for no reason. Nick expresses what it felt like back then.
“The very simple answer is that it was incredibly annoying. And then it became a defining factor of who we were as a band, which was disappointing. I was just trying to navigate love, and romance, and what sex even meant to me, at a sensitive age. The question should have been: Is it appropriate for people to talk about a 16-year-old’s sex life? It’s absolutely not—and it wouldn’t necessarily fly today.”
Nick Jonas – Bazaar, 2019
This Happiness begins album is the start of a new era for them.
The Jonas Brothers stand for those small-town kids who may think they cannot go anywhere in life. Never stray away from your dreams no matter what happens. Keep pushing for what you believe in. In the spirit of the Jonas Brothers, chase the happiness you are so longing for in life. Happiness is what matters in life and the Jonas Brothers have now shared that with the world.