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Jonas Brothers

Ch. 1 of 8
— CH. 1 · INTRODUCTION —

Contents

Jonas Brothers

8 sections
  • The Jonas Brothers released seven studio albums in two decades, yet ten full years separate their fourth record, from 2009, and their fifth, from 2019. Kevin, Joe and Nick Jonas were raised in Wyckoff, New Jersey. In 2005 the family moved to Little Falls, also in New Jersey, and there the brothers wrote their first record.

    From that starting point, the band rose through Disney Channel into a pop rock act that sold records by the million. Three questions run through the story. How did a label that signed them end up letting them go? What pushed a band at the height of its popularity to cancel a tour and part ways? And why did a return after years apart land so much harder than anyone could have predicted?

  • The first song the brothers ever recorded was "Please Be Mine", in 2005. Columbia Records president Steve Greenberg heard it and decided to sign the three as a group. They had considered calling themselves Sons of Jonas before settling on the name Jonas Brothers.

    Touring started before the debut album did. Through 2005 they played shows alongside Jump5, Kelly Clarkson, Jesse McCartney, the Backstreet Boys and the Click Five. They closed out the year touring with Aly & AJ and the Cheetah Girls, and opened for the Veronicas in early 2006.

    For the album, It's About Time, the brothers worked with a crowd of professional writers. Adam Schlesinger of Fountains of Wayne was one, and Desmond Child, known for his work with Aerosmith and Bon Jovi, was another. Michael Mangini, Billy Mann and Greenberg himself also took part. The band added covers of two hits by the British group Busted, "Year 3000" and "What I Go to School For".

    February 2006 was the original release target, and it slipped again and again. Executives changed at Sony, the parent company of Columbia, and the executives wanted another lead single on the record. The first single, "Mandy", came out on the 27th of December 2005. Its video aired on MTV's Total Request Live on the 22nd of February 2006 and climbed to number four.

    Small placements filled the long wait. "Time for Me to Fly" appeared on the Aquamarine soundtrack. "Mandy" turned up in a Nickelodeon television film, Zoey 101: Spring Break-Up, with the artist listed as Nicholas Jonas. The brothers recorded a version of "Yo Ho (A Pirate's Life for Me)" for the Disneymania 4 album, released on the 4th of April 2006. They also wrote the theme for the second season of American Dragon: Jake Long. Later in 2006 they covered "Poor Unfortunate Souls" from The Little Mermaid.

    It's About Time reached shelves on the 8th of August 2006. The band's manager described it as a limited release of 50,000 copies. That scarcity explains why copies have sold for between 200 and 300 dollars on auction sites such as eBay. Sony showed little interest in promoting the band further, and the brothers weighed a move to another label. Their second single, "Year 3000", had its video premiere on Disney Channel in January 2007, only weeks before Columbia dropped them.

  • In February 2007 the Jonas Brothers signed with Hollywood Records, a Disney-owned label, after a brief stretch with no label at all. Around the same moment, they began singing the jingle in commercials for Baby Bottle Pops. On the 24th of March, two more songs landed on two different albums. "Kids of the Future" went to the Meet the Robinsons soundtrack and spoofed Kim Wilde's "Kids in America". "I Wanna Be Like You" went to Disneymania 5.

    Monday the 9th of April 2007 brought their first White House visit. They sang the National Anthem at the annual Easter Egg Roll. They came back on Wednesday the 27th of June for a Tee Ball game on the South Lawn. Again they sang the anthem, then played a set of their hits at the picnic afterward.

    Their self-titled second album arrived on the 7th of August 2007 and reached number five on the Billboard chart in its first week. "Hold On" came out two weeks earlier and "S.O.S." four days before. Ten days after the album, on the 17th of August, they guest-starred on Hannah Montana in an episode called "Me and Mr. Jonas and Mr. Jonas and Mr. Jonas". They sang "We Got the Party" with Miley Cyrus, and the episode, which followed High School Musical 2, drew 10.7 million viewers that night.

    The rest of 2007 was a blur of appearances. They performed at the Miss Teen USA contest on the 24th of August. Two days later they co-presented an award with Cyrus at the Teen Choice Awards. They played "S.O.S." at the American Music Awards on the 18th of November and appeared in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade four days after that. Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve was their last performance of the year.

    Camp Rock gave them their first film. In the Disney Channel Original Movie they played a band called Connect Three. Joe was lead singer Shane Gray, Nick was the guitarist Nate, and Kevin was the guitarist Jason. The movie premiered on the 20th of June 2008 to mixed reviews. Its soundtrack opened at number three on the Billboard 200, with 188,000 copies sold in the first week.

    The video for "Burnin' Up" followed the film on Disney Channel. Brendan Malloy directed it, and it featured cameos from Selena Gomez, Robert Davi, Danny Trejo and David Carradine. It earned two nominations at the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards. While filming Camp Rock, the brothers also co-wrote and co-produced six songs for their castmate Demi Lovato. Her album Don't Forget came out on the 23rd of September 2008.

  • On the 24th of June 2008, iTunes announced a staggered rollout for A Little Bit Longer. Four songs would appear roughly two weeks apart, and each purchase counted toward the full album. Each song came with a podcast, and each held the top spot on iTunes for at least three days. The finished album went on sale in the United States on the 12th of August 2008.

    The touring schedule matched the pace. The When You Look Me in the Eyes Tour opened on the 31st of January 2008 in Tucson, Arizona. It ended on the 22nd of March. That spring the brothers joined Avril Lavigne's The Best Damn Tour for its European leg, together with Boys Like Girls. The Burnin' Up Tour began on the 4th of July 2008 at Molson Amphitheatre in Toronto.

    Disney Digital 3-D cameras filmed two Burnin' Up shows in Anaheim on the 13th and the 14th of July 2008. Lovato joined the brothers for "This Is Me", and Taylor Swift sang "Should've Said No" with them. The footage became Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience, in theaters on the 22nd of February 2009.

    Recognition piled up. The July 2008 issue of Rolling Stone made them the youngest band ever on its cover. On the 22nd of August they had a sold-out show at Blossom Music Center. Before it, they visited the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland. There they handed over the suits from the cover of A Little Bit Longer. In December the group was nominated for Best New Artist at the 51st Grammy Awards, and it won Breakthrough Artist at the American Music Awards.

    Saturday Night Live hosted them as musical guest on the 14th of February 2009. A world tour was announced for mid-2009, with the Korean group Wonder Girls opening as they made their American debut. Their own Disney Channel series, Jonas, premiered on the 2nd of May 2009. On the 22nd of May the brothers voiced three stone cherubs in Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian.

    Lines, Vines and Trying Times came out on the 15th of June 2009, by which point the band had sold over eight million albums worldwide. The brothers explained the title to Rolling Stone this way: "Lines are something that someone feeds you, vines are the things that get in the way, and trying times, well, that's obvious." Nick described the songs as "our journal in songs". He added that they tried to use metaphors to mask literal events. The album debuted at number one, their second to do so. A month before, "Paranoid" had come out as a single, and "Fly with Me" arrived seven days before the album.

    The label side grew too. On the 7th of July 2009 they announced they had signed Honor Society to a record label they had started with Hollywood Records. Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam was filmed in Ontario, Canada, between the 3rd of September and the 16th of October 2009. It aired on Disney Channel on the 3rd of September 2010. Late in 2010 came an unusual invitation. At a White House concert honoring Paul McCartney's Gershwin Prize for Popular Music, the brothers covered "Drive My Car" by the Beatles. McCartney had asked for it personally.

  • In 2011 the brothers stepped away from one another to chase solo careers. Joe released his debut album, Fastlife. Nick toured with his band, Nick Jonas & the Administration, and Kevin studied music production. They also parted ways with Hollywood Records, their label since February 2007.

    A new song, "Dance Until Tomorrow", leaked onto the internet in December 2011 and was never officially released. Rumors of a split spread, but Kevin pushed back. "I think the tides are perfectly lining up for the future of the Jonas Brothers again," he said. In August 2012 he starred with his wife Danielle and his brothers in the E! reality series Married to Jonas. It followed the young couples at home.

    On the 17th of August 2012 the group announced a new tour, ending two years without shared work. The tour opened on the 11th of October 2012 at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. A new song, "Let's Go", debuted there, along with "Wedding Bells", "First Time" and "Neon". The run continued with Jingle Ball in Los Angeles on the 1st of December 2012. Dates in South America followed, including the Viña del Mar International Song Festival in Chile on the 28th of February 2013.

    A fifth album, to be called V, was planned for 2013. It would have been their first release outside Hollywood Records since 2006. The lead single, "Pom Poms", came out on the 2nd of April 2013. Its video was shot in New Orleans in February and premiered the same day on E!. "First Time" followed on the 25th of June, and that summer the Jonas Brothers Live 2013 tour promoted the new material.

    On the 9th of October 2013 the group cancelled 23 tour dates running from October through December. It cited a "deep rift within the band" over "creative differences". Twenty days later, on the 29th of October, the break-up was official, with more than 17 million albums sold worldwide by then.

    Nick explained what the fans would still get. "We want to do something special for our fans because they've been so supportive of us for so many years," he said. The package would hold 10 live tracks from the summer tour plus four songs meant for V. Counting "Pom Poms" and "First Time", that made six V songs in all. It was released as Live, with the letter V capitalized as a nod to the album that never was.

  • On the 28th of February 2019 the Jonas Brothers announced their comeback on social media. The next day, the 1st of March, they released "Sucker" through Republic Records. They appeared on The Late Late Show with James Corden every night from the 4th to the 7th of March. The single debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and the US Hot Digital Songs chart. It sold 88,000 copies in its first week.

    It was the band's first number-one song, and the 34th song in history to debut in the top spot. No boy band had reached number one since B2K's "Bump, Bump, Bump" in 2003. Only one group had ever debuted at number one before them, Aerosmith with "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing". That made the Jonas Brothers the first group of the century to manage it. The song was also their first chart entry since "Pom Poms" in 2013 and their first top 10 since "Tonight" in 2008.

    "Cool" followed on the 5th of April. On the 22nd of April the brothers announced Happiness Begins. A documentary named Chasing Happiness premiered on Amazon Prime Video on the 4th of June. The album arrived on the 7th of June 2019 and topped the Billboard 200. It had the biggest debut of the year until Taylor Swift's Lover came out on the 23rd of August.

    The Happiness Begins Tour, their tenth headlining tour, played 92 shows around the world. On the 8th of June they performed at Capital's Summertime Ball in the United Kingdom. They played "Year 3000" with Busted, the band behind the original. A Christmas song, "Like It's Christmas", came out on the 8th of November. They also appeared on songs by Sebastián Yatra, Daddy Yankee and Natti Natasha, and by Diplo.

    Then came 2020. A Las Vegas residency at the Park Theater at Park MGM was due to begin on the 1st of April. The COVID-19 pandemic cancelled it. At the 62nd Grammy Awards on the 26th of January 2020 they had revealed "Five More Minutes". On the 15th of May they released the two-track bundle XV. It paired that song with "X", featuring Colombian singer Karol G.

    The Remember This Tour began on the 20th of August 2021 in Las Vegas, with 44 outdoor shows in the United States. It was their eleventh headlining tour, and Kelsea Ballerini joined most dates as a special guest. Every fan had to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination or a negative test. The brothers explained, "We believe this is the best thing we can do for our fans, our hard working crew, and the communities we're visiting."

    In June 2022 they played five Las Vegas shows, from the 3rd to the 11th. Three more followed that November.

  • In January 2023, on The Kelly Clarkson Show, Nick Jonas said the band's new album was finished. On the 30th of January the brothers received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. They also announced that The Album would come out on the 5th of May. It slipped a week to the 12th of May 2023, and Jon Bellion produced its 12 tracks. It debuted at number three on the Billboard 200, their seventh top-ten album.

    Three singles led the way. "Wings" came on the 24th of February and "Waffle House" on the 7th of April. "Summer Baby" went to adult contemporary radio on the 5th of June. The accompanying tour carried the name "Five Albums. One Night. The World Tour". Collaborations kept coming: the South Korean group Tomorrow X Together on "Do It Like That", and Bailey Zimmerman on "Strong Enough". On the 27th of July 2023 Busted released "Year 3000 2.0" with the brothers, a nod to Busted's 20th anniversary.

    The Grey Cup halftime show on the 17th of November 2024, in Vancouver, was one of their stages. In January 2025 came "Slow Motion", their second collaboration with Marshmello, and "I Dare You" with the trio Rascal Flatts. That same month, Disney+ announced a Christmas comedy that they would produce and star in as fictionalized versions of themselves. In it they race from London to New York to be home with their families. A Very Jonas Christmas Movie arrived on the 14th of November 2025. Its soundtrack of 10 songs included "Coming Home This Christmas" with Kenny G.

    JonasCon, a fan convention for the band's 20th anniversary, was held on the 23rd of March 2025 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. There the brothers revealed that Greetings from Your Hometown would arrive on the 8th of August 2025. Its singles were "Love Me to Heaven", "No Time to Talk" and "I Can't Lose". The album debuted at number six on the Billboard 200, their eighth top-ten album.

    The Jonas20: Greetings from Your Hometown Tour started on the 10th of August 2025. Demi Lovato joined the first show to sing "This Is Me" and "Wouldn't Change a Thing". A month later Disney announced Camp Rock 3, with the brothers as executive producers and in their old roles. A live album from the tour, Friends from Your Hometown, followed on the 13th of March 2026. On the 3rd of December 2025 they pressed their hands and feet into cement at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood.

    Behind the three brothers stands a touring band. Jack Lawless has played drums with them from 2006 to 2013 and again since 2019. Chase Foster has served as musical director since 2019 and added violin in 2023. The 2023 additions brought a horn section and a cello. The band's sound has generally been described as rock, pop rock, pop punk and power pop.

  • The Jonas Brothers earned an estimated 12 million dollars in 2007. They have given 10 percent of their earnings to a charity of their own, Change for the Children Foundation. Contributors to the foundation direct money to charities such as Nothing But Nets, the American Diabetes Foundation, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Children's Hospital Los Angeles and Summer Stars Camp for the Performing Arts.

    Nick Jonas was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at age 13. Since the 6th of August 2008, Bayer Diabetes Care has partnered with him as a diabetes ambassador. The goal is to promote the idea that young people should manage the disease. Nick also testified in the United States Senate to push for more research funding.

    In 2007 the brothers filmed a public service announcement for Do Something about teenage homelessness. It urged teens to organize "jeans drives" in their communities. In 2010 Nick offered his time as a prize to teens who donated jeans to Do Something and Aeropostale's "Teens for Jeans" campaign. He also filmed another announcement, for the group's "Battle of the Bands" campaign for music education in schools.

    The band has appeared several times at We Day, an event that encourages young people toward charity. The band announced that a portion of every ticket for their Toronto show would go to WE. That money helps provide secondary school scholarships for girls in Kenya.

    In August 2021 they partnered with Feeding America, holding a competition to have dinner with a chosen fan at a Los Angeles restaurant. In early 2022 they teamed up with Global Citizen, which fights extreme poverty among other issues. The partnership continued their push against hunger around the world.

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Updated

Common questions

When did the Jonas Brothers form and who are the members?

The band formed in 2005 and consists of the brothers Kevin, Joe and Nick Jonas, who were raised in Wyckoff, New Jersey, and moved to Little Falls, New Jersey, in 2005.

Why did the Jonas Brothers break up in 2013?

On the 9th of October 2013 the group cancelled 23 tour dates, citing a deep rift within the band over creative differences. They confirmed the split on the 29th of October 2013.

How did the Jonas Brothers come back in 2019?

They announced their return on the 28th of February 2019 and released the single Sucker on the 1st of March. It debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, their first number-one song.

How many studio albums have the Jonas Brothers released?

Seven: It's About Time (2006), Jonas Brothers (2007), A Little Bit Longer (2008), Lines, Vines and Trying Times (2009), Happiness Begins (2019), The Album (2023) and Greetings from Your Hometown (2025).

What Disney projects did the Jonas Brothers star in?

They starred in the Disney Channel Original Movie Camp Rock in 2008, its 2010 sequel Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam, and their own Disney Channel series Jonas, renamed Jonas L.A. for its second season.

All sources

180 references cited across the entry

  1. 2((( Jonas Brothers > Overview )))James Christopher Monger
  2. 3NewsJonas Brothers: Power-pop, oversungSam Adams — July 24, 2009
  3. 4Climbing the LadderMelinda Newman — New Jersey Monthly — December 12, 2011
  4. 5NewsJonas Brothers Are Starting to Feel the HeatBrooks Barnes — May 24, 2009
  5. 13Jonas Brothers – It's About TimeKim Jones — About.com
  6. 15The New Boy BandsMTV — March 9, 2006
  7. 17Disneymania, Vol. 4 > Overview
  8. 22Press releaseThe Jonas Brothers Sign Record Deal With Disney's Hollywood RecordsHollywood Records — February 8, 2007
  9. 23Jonas Brothers thrill tween audience at SummerfestPaul Kosidowski — July 7, 2008
  10. 262007 White House Easter Egg Roll: Frequently Asked QuestionsGeorgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov — April 9, 2007
  11. 27Tee Ball 2007Georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov
  12. 30Press releaseMiley Cyrus Launches 54-Date 'Best Of Both Worlds Tour' On October 18Hollywood Records — August 8, 2007
  13. 31iTunes StorePhobos.apple.com
  14. 35MagazineColdplay Cruises To No. 1 On The Billboard 200Katie Hasty — June 25, 2008
  15. 42MagazineJonas Brothers' Fourth Album Due June 15Gary Graff — March 18, 2009
  16. 43MagazineArtist Chart History
  17. 44NewsWhat's on TV Monday nightAugust 10, 2009
  18. 56Moscow, the Jonas Brothers are headed your way!JonasWorld.Org — March 30, 2008
  19. 57Nick JonasNick J Online
  20. 59Jonas Brothers New Song: Listen to 'Meet You In Paris' on CambioWendy Michaels — Cambio.com — October 3, 2012
  21. 61POPSTAR! " New Songs From The Jonas Brothers!October 11, 2012, at 3:16 pm 3 Comments — Popstaronline.com — October 11, 2012
  22. 65Chile and Russia performances confirmed!JonasWorld.Org — September 7, 2012
  23. 84Jonas Brothers Land A No.1 Album With 'Happiness Begins'Laura Stavropoulus — June 17, 2019
  24. 91New Music Releases for 27 September 2019Paul Cashmere — September 27, 2019
  25. 92MagazineJoy to the World, the Jonas Brothers Have a New Christmas Tune ComingTaylor Weatherby — November 5, 2019
  26. 98Jonas Brothers release new single 'X'Lisa Respers France — May 15, 2020
  27. 99I Need You ChristmasOctober 30, 2020
  28. 105MagazineJonas Brothers Plot 'Remember This' Summer TourJon Blistein — May 19, 2021
  29. 108MagazineJonas Brothers Announce 'Live in Vegas' ResidencyGlenn Rowley — March 1, 2022
  30. 109MagazineJonas Brothers Announce Second Las Vegas ResidencyTomás Mier — August 15, 2022
  31. 110MagazineNick Jonas Confirms Next Jonas Brothers Album Is 'Done'Rania Aniftos — January 13, 2023
  32. 112Sometimes the best projects take a little bit longer than originally planned. We're moving The Album release date back one week to May 12th and releasing it on vinyl too.Jonas Brothers — February 22, 2023
  33. 114Jonas Brothers Announce Release Date For New Single 'Wings'Melissa Romualdi — February 9, 2023
  34. 117Hot/Modern/AC Future ReleasesAll Access Music Group
  35. 126MagazineHear Rascal Flatts, Jonas Brothers Join Forces on 'I Dare You'Emily Zemler — January 31, 2025
  36. 133MagazineJonas Brothers Drop 'Love Me To Heaven': Stream It NowJessica Lynch — March 21, 2025
  37. 137MagazineJonas Brothers Reveal 20th Anniversary Living the Dream Tour DatesMitchell Peters — Penske Media Corporation — March 23, 2025
  38. 139MagazineJonas Brothers Reunite With Demi Lovato for Camp Rock Classics at Stadium Tour OpenerLarisha Paul — Penske Media Corporation — August 11, 2025
  39. 145NewsMGK Recruits Jonas Brothers for Surprise 'Cliche' Remix: ListenMichael Saponara — Billboard — November 25, 2025
  40. 147NewsVanessa Hudgens Reunites With the Jonas Brothers at the 2026 Disney Legends EventJoel Calfee — Harper's Bazaar — August 17, 2026
  41. 153D-VisionChange for the Children
  42. 163MagazineBoys to Men: The Jonas BrothersJuly 9, 2009
  43. 164NewsJonas Brothers: Not just another boy bandGreg Kot — August 24, 2008
  44. 166NewsJonas Brothers are "each other's best friends"Elysa Gardner — March 26, 2008
  45. 168Jonas Brothers bring power popSarah Rodman — Boston.com — August 15, 2008
  46. 174Will you buy Jonas Brothers: The Journey?Bauer Publishing — January 7, 2011
  47. 177BookBurning Up: On Tour with the Jonas BrothersLaura Morton — Disney Publishing Worldwide — 2008
  48. 178BookJammin' with the Jonas Brothers: An Unauthorized BiographyLexi Ryals — Price Stern Sloan — 2008
  49. 179BookThe Jonas Brothers: Rock StarsMaggie Murphy — The Rosen Publishing Group — 2010
  50. 180BookThe Jonas BrothersSarah Parvis — Andrews McMeel Publishing — 2010
  51. 181BookThe Jonas BrothersKatherine Rawson — The Rosen Publishing Group — 2009
  52. 182BookJonas BrothersSarah Tieck — ABDO Publishing Company — 2009
  53. 183BookJonas Brothers: Hello Beautiful – Stars of Camp RockPosy Edwards — Orion Publishing Group — 2008
  54. 184BookI Love the Jonas BrothersKat Miller — The Rosen Publishing Group — 2010

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