Trying Times No More: The Tumultuous Careers of the Jonas Brothers
After shocking fans with a surprise revival, the Jonas Brothers have scored their first number one hit and hinted at much more to come, but what can past fans expect from the next life of the band? And how has nostalgia clouded our understanding of who the brothers were in the first place?
Written by Kasey Clarke
The Jonas Brothers performing in Los Angeles in March 2019. Photo Courtesy of Variety
On March 1, the Jonas Brothers ended a six-year hiatus by releasing the music video for their new single “Sucker,” which almost immediately stole the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100.
Rumors of a reunion rumbled among latent fans for years, but after a canceled album in 2013 and no studio releases since Lines, Vines and Trying Times in 2009, the likelihood of getting new music was hopeful at best. In fact, it seemed like rumors were quelled by the revelation that the brothers were filming a documentary, making it more likely the JoBros were reminiscing on their career, rather than plotting a revival.
However, after announcing a comeback through social media on Feb. 28, the brothers have been on a relentless promotional campaign, appearing on late night TV and radio shows, officially announcing their documentary with Amazon, and even holding secret concerts at The Box Theatre in New York and El Rey Theater in Los Angeles. In all of these appearances, the brothers have talked about their past and shown excitement about this next chapter, but have not revealed much as to what their next releases will sound like.
One publicized reveal from their numerous interviews is that Nick was the one responsible for breaking up the band in 2013 due to creative differences between the brothers. Creativity conflicting with record label desires is all too common in the music industry. However, the combination of familial relationships, stressful careers, and a smothering label made for a unique industrial fallout.
In a tell-all with New York Magazine in 2013, Joe Jonas gave his take on his family’s rise to fame. Joe recalled opening for electro pop duo The Veronicas in 2006 and struggling to convince other bands’ fans they were serious musicians. Because of their lack of success without a record label, the boys were ecstatic to be signed by Hollywood Records in 2007.
The Jonas Brothers during their Disney days with co-stars Selena Gomez, Miley Cyrus, and Demi Lovato. Photo Courtesy of E! Online
Once backed by Disney, the brothers’ freefall into fame took only about six weeks. But fame turned into scrutiny, and the Jonas Brothers found themselves censored in the writing room and trapped in high school personas on television.
Nick, who had originally intended on being a solo artist, started Nick Jonas and the Administration in 2009. However, Hollywood Records treated the band as a passion project undertaken by Nick, rather than a serious musical endeavor. Songs the label decided they liked would end up in the Jonas Brothers’ repertoire rather than in Nick’s. Disputes with the label eventually led Nick to buy the rights of his music and release his album Who I Am under Polydor Records, an affiliate of Universal Music Group.
Joe’s debut solo album, Fastlife, faced even more trouble. In an interview with Billboard, Joe revealed he felt immense pressure from Hollywood Records to emulate an R&B sound even though Joe mainly sourced inspiration from Freddie Mercury and Hall & Oates.
Disney’s control extended into the brothers’ personal lives. Joe was forced to keep quiet about drug addiction he saw in his fellow Disney co-star and friend, Demi Lovato. None of the brothers could be pictured partying or drinking. Any potentially sexually suggestive lyrics were scrubbed from their songs.
Forced to work within the confines of designated personalities, Nick and Joe itched to break away from Hollywood Records while Kevin, who got married in 2009, wanted to break away from music altogether. After leaving Hollywood Records in 2012, the brothers intended to release a fifth album under proprietary label Jonas, but the project came to a halt when the brothers could not mend creative disagreements, causing a seemingly final breakup of the group in 2013.
All of this shows that fans (and critics) of the Jonas Brothers have a very limited picture of who the Jonas Brothers actually are. After years of overexposure, including a foray into reality TV with “Married to Jonas,” the brothers have never released a collaborative album that encapsulates their adult sound.
“Sucker,” the band’s first number one hit, was written by a team of writers including Ryan Tedder, Grammy Award-winning songwriter and frontman of pop-rock group OneRepublic. The upbeat pop track certainly brought attention to the Jonas Brothers, but might not be a good indicator of where the band will go.
On “The Elvis Duran Show,” the JoBros revealed over 30 new songs have already been recorded. We don’t know how many of those songs will see the light of day, but it’s very likely that they will sound similar to their older, pre-Disney tracks.
The Jonas Brothers on “Total Request Live” (TRL) in 2006. Photo courtesy of Just Jared Jr.
In 2006, the Jonas Brothers released the album It’s About Time under a deal with Columbia Records. The album featured the single “Mandy” and a cover of rock band Busted’s “Year 3000,” which they eventually re-recorded for Disney. The boys’ performances on “TRL” and “Fearless Music” earned them some acclaim as a promising punk rock trio. However, Columbia dropped the brothers due to low record sales. Despite being unsigned, and probably because of their youth, the band attracted a devoted fan base of teen girls, which is eventually what got Disney’s attention.
Although indicative of their rock roots, that music is now 13 years old. It’s still unclear what route the brothers will take under Republic Records. However, we're much more likely to hear something resembling the guitar-heavy track "Video Girl” than another "That's Just the Way We Roll" or "Burnin' Up."
Nostalgic Jonas Brothers fans may be longing for a revival of a band they don’t really know. But hold on fans, only a little bit longer and we’ll get to see who these brothers really are.