The Jonas Brothers are an American pop boy band.[3][4][5][6] The band gained its popularity from the Disney Channel children's television network. From the shore region of New Jersey, the band consists of three brothers: Paul Kevin Jonas II (Kevin Jonas), Joseph Adam Jonas (Joe Jonas), and Nicholas Jerry Jonas (Nick Jonas). In the summer of 2008, they starred in the Disney Channel Original Movie Camp Rock. The band has released four albums: It's About Time, Jonas Brothers, A Little Bit Longer, and Lines, Vines and Trying Times. In 2008, the group was nominated for the Best New Artist award at the 51st Grammy Awards and won the award for Breakthrough Artist at the American Music Awards. As of May 2009, before the release of Lines, Vines and Trying Times, they have sold over eight million albums worldwide.[7]Contents [hide] 1 History 1.1 Nick Jonas: Discovery and solo album (1999–2005) 1.2 It's About Time (2005–2006) 1.3 Jonas Brothers (2007–2008) 1.4 A Little Bit Longer (2008–2009) 1.5 Lines, Vines and Trying Times (2009) 1.6 Side projects and Camp Rock 2 (2010–present) 2 Acting 2.1 Early work 2.2 2008–present 3 Personal lives 3.1 Philanthropy 4 Members 4.1 Current 4.1.1 Backup band 4.2 Former 5 Discography 6 Filmography 7 Publications 8 Awards and nominations 9 See also 10 References 11 External links
History Nick Jonas: Discovery and solo album (1999–2005) Main articles: Nick Jonas and Nicholas Jonas (album)
The band started as a solo project for Nick Jonas.[8][9][10] At the age of 7, Nicholas began performing on Broadway.[11][12] He has acted in several plays, including A Christmas Carol (in 2000 as Tiny Tim and as Scrooge at eight), Annie Get Your Gun (in 2001 as Little Jake), Beauty and the Beast (in 2002 as Chip), and Les Misérables (in 2003 as Gavroche).[12][13][14][15] After Les Misérables closed, he performed in The Sound of Music (as Kurt) at the Paper Mill Playhouse.[16]
In 2002 while performing in Beauty and the Beast, Nick had written a song with his father called "Joy to the World (A Christmas Prayer)". With background vocals from the Beauty and the Beast cast, Nick performed the song on the 2002 annual Broadway "Equity Fights AIDS" album, Broadway's Greatest Gifts: Carols for a Cure, Vol. 4.[17][18] In November 2003, INO Records received a demo copy of "Joy to the World (A Christmas Prayer)".[19] The label released the song to Christian radio, where it quickly became popular on Record & Radio's Christian Adult Contemporary Chart.[18] While Nick was working on his solo project, Joe followed in his footsteps to Broadway, appearing in Baz Lurhmann's production of La bohème. According to Nick, this was also the first year the brothers started writing songs together.[20]
By September 2004, an executive at Columbia Records found out about Nick's song.[17][18] Nick was soon jointly signed to INO Records and Columbia Records and released the single "Dear God".[21] A second single, a new solo recording of "Joy to the World (A Christmas Prayer)", was released on November 16.[22] It was supposed to be followed by a December release of a self-titled solo album Nicholas Jonas, but the album had been pushed back;[23] it did, however, get a limited release.[24] Nick, along with his brothers, Kevin and Joe, had written several other songs for the album.[17] In early 2005, Columbia Records' new president, Steve Greenberg, listened to Nick's record. Greenberg liked Nick's voice.[25] After meeting with Nick and hearing the song "Please Be Mine", written and performed by the brothers, Daylight/Columbia Records decided to sign the three as a group act.[17][26][27] It's About Time (2005–2006)
After being signed to Columbia, the brothers considered naming their group "Sons of Jonas" before settling on the name "Jonas Brothers."[28] Throughout 2005, the Jonas Brothers had gone on several tours, opening for various artists including, Jump5, Kelly Clarkson, Jesse McCartney, the Backstreet Boys, and The Click Five.[8][29] They spent the latter portion of the year on an anti-drug tour with Aly & AJ and The Cheetah Girls.[29][30] Additionally, they opened for The Veronicas in early 2006.[17] For the album, titled It's About Time, the band collaborated with several writers, including Adam Schlesinger (Fountains of Wayne), Michael Mangini (Joss Stone), Desmond Child (Aerosmith, Bon Jovi), Billy Mann (Destiny's Child, Jessica Simpson) and Steve Greenberg.[30] The album was initially supposed to be released in February 2006, but was pushed back several times.[17][26][29][30] The delay was due to executive changes at Sony (the parent company of Columbia) and the executives' desire to have "another lead single" on the album. For the album, the Jonas Brothers covered two hit songs by UK band Busted – "Year 3000" and "What I Go to School For".[25]
The Jonas Brothers' first single, "Mandy", was released on December 27, 2005.[31] Its music video was shown on MTV's Total Request Live on February 22, 2006[10] and reached number four. Another song, "Time for Me to Fly," was released on the Aquamarine soundtrack, also in February.[32] In March, "Mandy" was featured in the Nickelodeon television film Zoey 101: Spring Break-Up and the Zoey 101: Music Mix soundtrack album, with Nicholas Jonas listed as the artist name.[32] The group's music was also featured on Cartoon Network's Cartoon Cartoon Fridays.[8][32] The band covered "Yo Ho (A Pirate's Life for Me)" from Pirates of the Caribbean for the DisneyMania 4 album, released on April 4, 2006.[33] Over the summer of 2006, the Jonas Brothers went on tour with Aly & AJ.[34] The Jonas Brothers also created the theme song for the second season of American Dragon Jake Long, airing from June 2006 to September 2007 on the Disney Channel.[32][35]
It's About Time was finally released on August 8, 2006.[36] According to the band's manager, it was only a "limited release" of 50,000 copies, so the album can be bid on auction sites like eBay for up to $200–$300 USD. Because Sony was not interested in further promoting the band, the Jonas Brothers then considered switching labels. On October 3, 2006, Nick's 2004 solo single, "Joy to the World (A Christmas Prayer)," was re-released on Joy to the World: The Ultimate Christmas Collection.[37] Also in October, the Jonas Brothers covered "Poor Unfortunate Souls" from The Little Mermaid. Along with a music video, the song was released on a two-disc special-edition release of The Little Mermaid soundtrack.[38] The second single from It's About Time was "Year 3000." The song became popular on Radio Disney, and the music video debuted on Disney Channel in January 2007. The band was ultimately dropped by Columbia Records in early 2007. Jonas Brothers (2007–2008)
After briefly being without a label, the Jonas Brothers signed with Hollywood Records in February 2007.[39] Around the same time, brothers began appearing in commercials for Baby Bottle Pops, singing the jingle.[40] On March 24, two additional songs on two different albums were released: "Kids of the Future" from the Meet the Robinsons soundtrack[41] (Based on Kim Wilde's "Kids in America"), and "I Wanna Be Like You" from DisneyMania 5.[42]
The Jonas Brothers made their first appearance at the White House on Monday, April 9, 2007, during the annual White House Easter Egg Roll where they sang the National Anthem.[43] They returned on Wednesday June 27, 2007, during a Celebrating Women in Sports Tee Ball game on the South Lawn. They sang the National Anthem and after the game, the Jonas Brothers entertained at the picnic-reception with a selection of their hits.[44] Their self-titled second album was released on August 7, 2007.[45] It reached number five on the Billboard Hot 200 chart in its first week. Two singles with music videos were also released around this time — "Hold On" two weeks before, and "S.O.S." 4 days before the release of the album.
In August, the Jonas Brothers made several appearances on television. On August 17, they guest-starred in an episode of the Disney Channel show Hannah Montana titled "Me and Mr. Jonas and Mr. Jonas and Mr. Jonas." They also performed "We Got the Party" with Miley Cyrus in the episode, which premiered after High School Musical 2 and was viewed by 10.7 million people that night.[46] On August 24, the Jonas Brothers performed two songs at the Miss Teen USA contest.[47] The following day, the closing ceremonies of the Disney Channel Games aired, featuring a performance from the Jonas Brothers. The games were taped on April 27, 2007 in Orlando, Florida.[48] On August 26, the Jonas Brothers co-presented an award with Miley Cyrus at the Teen Choice Awards. On November 18, 2007, they performed at the American Music Awards, performing the song "S.O.S." On November 22, the brothers appeared in the 81st annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. For their final performance of 2007, the three brothers performed their singles "Hold On" and "S.O.S." at Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve. The Jonas Brothers kicked off their Look Me In The Eyes Tour on January 31, 2008 in Tucson, Arizona. They performed several new songs on the tour that were slated to be on their third studio album, A Little Bit Longer. A Little Bit Longer (2008–2009)
The Jonas Brothers performing a concert in February 2008
The Jonas Brothers' third studio album, A Little Bit Longer, was released in the United States on August 12, 2008, with CDVU+ technology, just like their second album, Jonas Brothers. On June 24, 2008, iTunes announced that it would release four songs from A Little Bit Longer, one roughly every two weeks.[49] The purchase of each of the songs applies to the cost of the entire album, which could be purchased via iTunes' Complete the Album feature after release. Each song released also featured a podcast. The schedule: June 24, 2008 for "Burnin' Up"; July 15, 2008 for "Pushin' Me Away"; July 29, 2008 for "Tonight"; and August 5, 2008 for "A Little Bit Longer." All of them have occupied the number 1 spot on iTunes for at least 3 days.
After the Look Me In The Eyes Tour ended on March 22, 2008, the Jonas Brothers announced that they would be opening up for Avril Lavigne's Best Damn Tour along with Boys Like Girls, but only on the second leg of the tour in Europe which lasted from late May to late June 2008. While filming the film Camp Rock, the Jonas Brothers co-wrote and co-produced six songs for fellow Disney Channel star and close friend, Demi Lovato, for her upcoming album, Don't Forget.[50] Lovato retooled some of her songs to give it the Disney Signature. "I (Lovato) tend to write songs that are, I guess, a little bit more intense and less catchy, and I needed help writing catchy songs," she said, adding that the album also features a guest spot from Rooney frontman Robert Schwartzman. "So that's where they came in. I put a lot of my musical input and lyrics into these songs, and they just helped me with hooks and stuff like that."[51] "I'm more of a writer whose stuff wouldn't make it on a Disney album. It's too dark..."[52] The album was released on September 23, 2008. The brothers also helped produce Lovato's album.
A soundtrack was released for the film Camp Rock on June 17, 2008. It debuted at #3 on the Billboard 200 with 188,000 copies sold in its first week.[53] During the summer of 2008, the Jonas Brothers started their North American tour, the Burning Up Tour, promoting A Little Bit Longer and Camp Rock Soundtrack, and performing songs from previous albums as well: It's About Time and Jonas Brothers. The tour kicked off July 4, 2008, at Molson Amphitheatre in Toronto, Ontario. A Disney Digital 3D production crew filmed the two shows in Anaheim, California on July 13 and July 14[54] with Taylor Swift,[55] who sang a few singles from her self-titled album, Taylor Swift, for a theatrical film that was released in theatres as a 3D concert film on February 22, 2009.[56] On July 14, Nick Jonas announced onstage that the band had already written five songs for their fourth studio album (third with Hollywood Records).[55]
The band was featured on the July 2008 issue of Rolling Stone Magazine and became the youngest band to be on the cover of the magazine.[57] The Jonas Brothers visited downtown Cleveland, Ohio's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame before their sold-out concert on the evening of August 22, 2008, at Blossom Music Center. The band presented the suits and pants they wore on the cover artwork of A Little Bit Longer to Jim Henke, vice president of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The suits are part of the Right Here, Right Now! exhibit, which includes some of today's most popular artists.[58] In December 2008, the Jonas Brothers were nominated for the Best New Artist award at the 51st Grammy Awards. It was recently confirmed that the Brothers will be collaborating with R&B producer Timbaland on a song called "Dumb" for his new album Shock Value 2.[59] In an interview Chris Brown told JustJared.com that he is collaborating with The Jonas Brothers. Brown said, "I'm possibly doing something with them. If they want me on the record, I'll stay on the record, but I just wanted to write a record for those guys." The Jonas Brothers appeared as musical guest on Saturday Night Live during the February 14th show. This was their SNL debut.[60] Lines, Vines and Trying Times (2009)
Jonas Brothers performing at the Kids' Choice Awards 2009
The brothers finished recording their fourth studio album, Lines, Vines and Trying Times, they began to talk about the album in the beginning of 2009. They said on several occasions that they have been working on writing and recording songs since their Burnin' Up tour in mid-2008.[61] On March 11, 2009, the Jonas Brothers announced that their fourth studio album, Lines, Vines and Trying Times, would be released on June 15, 2009.[62]
Nick said about the title in the interview with Rolling Stone that, "Lines are something that someone feeds you, vines are the things that get in the way, and trying times, well, that's obvious." Nick Jonas told Billboard, "We're trying to learn as much as we can, continuing to grow." Kevin added, "The overall message is its the same old Jonas Brothers, in a sense, but we're adding more and more music, including different musical instruments that are going to add and build to the sound we already have." Nick also said the songs on the album are "our journal in songs, about all things we've gone through, personal experiences we get inspiration from. We've also been working on trying to use metaphors.. to kind of mask a literal thing that happens to us."[63]
The band also announced on March 11, 2009 that they will be embarking on a world tour in mid-2009.[64] They were joined by the popular Korean girl band Wonder Girls, who debuted in America, as their opening act.[65]
The boys then released Lines, Vines and Trying Times, before the release they released two singles Paranoid a month before and Fly With Me 7 days before. Lines, Vines and Trying Times became their second number 1 album.[66] It debuted at number-one and dropped to the second position on its second week. On July 7, 2009, the Jonas Brothers announced that they have signed Honor Society to the record label they started with Hollywood Records.[67] A month later, "Send It On" was released on Radio Disney. The radio single was performed with Demi Lovato, Miley Cyrus, and Selena Gomez for Disney's Friends for Change.[68] Disney Channel will premiere the song's music video on August 14, 2009.[69] On August 9, 2009, the Jonas Brothers hosted and performed on the 2009 Teen Choice Awards.[70] Hollywood Records announced via Youtube Demi Lovato and Jonas Brothers' Wal-Mart CD-DVD Soundcheck.[71] Side projects and Camp Rock 2 (2010–present)
Joe (without Nick and Kevin) was a guest judge on American Idol. Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam was filmed all around Ontario, Canada.[72] Production on the film began on September 3, 2009 and wrapped on October 16, 2009.[73] It is scheduled to premiere summer 2010.[74][75] Nick (without Joe and Kevin) will work on Nick Jonas and the Administration with former members of The New Power Generation.[76] They will also participate in We Are The World: 25 For Haiti with various other artists. Joe has co written with Demi Lovato a song called Make a Wave for charity. It will debut February 26, 2010 on Radio Disney. Joe also appeared in the music video for "Giving Up the Gun" by Vampire Weekend. Acting Early work
The Jonas Brothers made their acting debut in season 2 of the popular Disney Channel Original Series, Hannah Montana, where they guest starred on the episode, "Me and Mr. Jonas and Mr. Jonas and Mr. Jonas". Soon after, they collaborated with Miley Cyrus again on her 3D Concert Film, Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert, which takes place during the tour for which they were Cyrus' opening act. While on the Look Me in the Eyes Tour, the Jonas Brothers filmed a Disney Channel reality short series entitled, Jonas Brothers: Living the Dream, that premiered on the Disney Channel on May 16, 2008. The show, which ran until September 5, 2008, documents their lives while on tour. It features clips of the band rehearsing, traveling, performing, studying, and their personal life with their family and friends. The Jonas Brothers also did a special, half-hour variety show on the Disney Channel special entitled, Studio DC: Almost Live, that features The Muppets and other Disney Channel stars. During this time, the Jonas Brothers also appeared on the Olympics based special miniseries, Disney Channel Games, for the third annual show. 2008–present
The Jonas Brothers with former Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne in 2008.
The band made their film debut in the Disney Channel Original Movie called Camp Rock where they play a band called "Connect Three". Joe Jonas plays the lead male role and lead singer "Shane Gray"; Nick Jonas plays the role of "Nate" a guitarist; and Kevin Jonas plays the role of "Jason" who is also a guitarist. The film premiered on June 20 in the USA on Disney Channel, and Canada on Family. It received mixed reviews.[77][78] A Disney Digital 3-D production crew filmed the two shows in Anaheim, California on July 13 and July 14, 2008[54] which was released in theatres as a 3D concert film on February 27, 2009.[79]
In April 2009, the Jonas Brothers finished filming the first season of their Disney Channel Original Series titled JONAS.[80] The series was created by Michael Curtis (of Phil of the Future and Friends) and Roger S.H. Schulman (Shrek) and directed by Jeremiah S. Chechik (National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, The Bronx is Burning). The show title was originally an acronym for "Junior Operative Networking as Spies".[81] The original pilot was about a teenage rock band (Jonas Brothers) having double lives as government-hired spies. However, after the pilot was shot, the storyline changed and is now about a band of three brothers who have to cope with being rockstars while trying to live an ordinary life. The series premiered on May 2, 2009.[82]
After the success of Camp Rock, a sequel is in development. The Jonas Brothers will return as the band, Connect Three, and their youngest brother, Frankie Jonas, is also expected to star. Disney has confirmed that they are currently writing the script,[83] and will start filming some time in late spring or summer 2009.[84] The Jonas Brothers made their big screen feature debut as the voices of the Cherubs in 2009's Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian. They will next appear in Walter the Farting Dog; an adaptation of the bestselling series of the same name written by William Kotzwinkle and Glenn Murray. It will be a family film starring the four brothers.[85] On May 29, 2009, the Jonas Brothers were involved in a ABC television special called Un-broke: What You Need to Know About Money, where they talked about the importance of understanding the stock market.
Additionally, Disney Channel has renewed the trio's short-form reality series "Jonas Brothers: Living the Dream" for a second season. Filming already has finished, and premired March 21, 2010 in America Personal lives
The Jonases are known for their wholesome, "family-friendly" image,[86] and the brothers are all committed Evangelical Christians. Their father is a former Assemblies of God pastor, and they were homeschooled by their mother. In addition, to signify their vow to abstain from premarital sex, on their left-hand ring finger they all wear purity rings. Joe has said that the rings symbolize "a promise to ourselves and to God that we'll stay pure till marriage," and Nick had stated that the rings are "just one of our ways of kind of like being different than everybody else out there."[87] They reportedly started wearing the rings when their parents, Denise and Kevin Sr., asked them if they wanted to.[88] They also reportedly abstain from alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs.[89]
Russell Brand made fun of the purity rings during the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards.[90] Brand held up a silver ring, claiming to have relieved one of the brothers of his virginity,[90] and said: "Well done the Jonas Brothers. Each wear a ring to say they are not going to have sex; I'd take them more seriously if they wore it around their genitals."[91] Brand later faced criticism and apologized for his comments. He later confirmed his apology during the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards.[91]
The Jonas Brothers were satirized for their views in a South Park television episode called The Ring.[92][93][94] They were also mentioned in the song "On to the Next One by Jay-Z.[95]
The Jonas Brothers are of Cherokee, Irish (maternal grandfather), Italian, and German descent.[96][97] Philanthropy
The Jonas Brothers with the then First Lady Laura Bush during a First Bloom event in Dallas, Texas, November 2, 2008
The Jonas Brothers earned an estimated $12 million in 2007, and have donated 10% of their earnings to their charity, Change for the Children Foundation.[98][99] Change for the Children Foundation is a foundation started by the Jonas Brothers, where contributors donate to charities and places such as "Nothing But Nets", "American Diabetes Foundation", "St. Jude Children's Research Hospital", "Children's Hospital Los Angeles", and "Summer Stars: Camp for the Performing Arts". The band stated that:
We started The Change for the Children Foundation to support programs that motivate and inspire children to face adversity with confidence, determination and a will to succeed. And we think the best people to help children are their peers – kids helping other kids who are a little less fortunate.
Since August 6, 2008, Bayer Diabetes Care has partnered with Nick Jonas as a diabetes ambassador to promote the idea for young people to manage their diabetes, as Nick was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when he was 13.[100] Nick testified in the U.S. Senate to promote more research funding for diabetes.[101] Members Current Joe Jonas – lead vocals, percussion, guitar Kevin Jonas – rhythm guitar, backing vocals Nick Jonas – lead vocals, rhythm guitar Backup band John Taylor – lead guitar Greg Garbowsky – bass guitar Jack Lawless – drums, percussion Ryan Liestman – keyboards Former Alexander Noyes – drums Discography Main article: Jonas Brothers discography 2006: It's About Time 2007: Jonas Brothers 2008: A Little Bit Longer 2009: Lines, Vines and Trying Times FilmographyYear Title Joe Nick Kevin Notes 2007 Hannah Montana Himself Himself Himself Episode: Me and Mr. Jonas and Mr. Jonas and Mr. Jonas 2008 Jonas Brothers: Living the Dream Himself Himself Himself Main role Camp Rock Shane Gray Nate Jason Disney Channel Original Movie 2009 Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience Himself Himself Himself Main role JONAS Joe Lucas Nick Lucas Kevin Lucas Main role Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian Cherub Cherub Cherub 20th Century Fox 2010 Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam Shane Gray Nate Jason Disney Channel Original Movie
