Nick Jonas

• 1. Introduction

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  Nick Jonas was six years old when someone in a barber shop noticed his talent while his mother sat nearby getting her hair cut. That moment sent the family toward a professional show business manager. It also began a career that has run through stage, studio and screen for decades. Two questions run through this documentary. How does a child discovered between haircuts keep reinventing himself for so long? And why did so many of his early musical projects stall, vanish or break apart before the hits arrived?

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• 2. A Musical Household

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  Nicholas Jerry Jonas was born on the 16th of September 1992 in Dallas, Texas. He was the third son of Denise, whose maiden name was Miller, and Paul Kevin Jonas. His father worked as a songwriter and musician and had once been an ordained minister at an Assemblies of God church. His mother had taught sign language and worked as a singer.

  Joe and Kevin were his older brothers, and Frankie was his younger one. The family settled in Wyckoff, New Jersey, where his mother homeschooled him.

  At the age of seven, Jonas began performing on Broadway. His roles included Tiny Tim, Chip Potts, Little Jake and Gavroche, among others.

  In 2002 Jonas was appearing in Beauty and the Beast when he wrote "Joy to the World (A Christmas Prayer)" with his father. Fellow cast members sang the background vocals. The recording appeared on the compilation Broadway's Greatest Gifts: Carols for a Cure, Vol. 4. In 2003 INO Records sent it to Christian radio, and it became his debut single.

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• 3. Label Troubles

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  Columbia Records took notice of that Christian radio single, and Jonas signed with both Columbia and INO to make a debut album. "Dear God" arrived in 2004 as the lead single, followed by a re-recorded "Joy to the World (A Christmas Prayer)". His two older brothers co-wrote songs for the project and sang background vocals. Nicholas Jonas reached listeners in a limited release on the 5th of September 2004. A wide release was planned for December, but it was pushed back and then cancelled altogether.

  Steve Greenberg, the new president of Columbia Records, liked Jonas's voice but did not like the album. Then he heard the song "Please Be Mine", and his plan changed. He signed Jonas and his brothers as a group. They considered the name Sons of Jonas before settling on Jonas Brothers.

  Throughout 2005 the new band toured with Jump5, Kelly Clarkson, Jesse McCartney, the Backstreet Boys and The Click Five, among others. Their first single, "Mandy", came out in December 2005. A debut album had been expected in February 2006. Executive changes at Columbia's parent company, Sony, caused delay after delay. While they waited, the brothers appeared on Disney Channel-related soundtracks and toured with Aly & AJ during 2006.

  It's About Time finally came out on the 8th of August 2006. The label offered little backing and showed no further interest in promoting the group. The first run was limited to 50,000 copies. Unhappy with the handling of the record, the brothers hoped to find a new label. In 2007 it was confirmed that Columbia had dropped them. The album eventually sold a total of 1,750,000 copies.

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• 4. The Disney Years

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  The 7th of August 2007 brought the self-titled second album from Jonas Brothers, released through Hollywood Records. It entered the top five of the Billboard 200 and sold over two million copies in the United States. The single "S.O.S" became the group's first top twenty hit on the Billboard Hot 100. It has sold over 1.5 million copies in the country.

  An August 2007 episode of the Disney series Hannah Montana, titled "Me and Mr. Jonas and Mr. Jonas and Mr. Jonas", was the brothers' acting debut. They performed "We Got the Party" with the show's lead actress, Miley Cyrus. The episode drew over ten million viewers. That made it the most-watched series telecast in the history of basic cable.

  In May 2008 the band began starring in their own Disney series, Jonas Brothers: Living the Dream. The film Camp Rock followed in 2008, with Demi Lovato as co-star. Its soundtrack came out on the 17th of June 2008 and sold 188,000 copies in the first week in the United States. The movie drew 8.86 million viewers and became a major hit for the network.

  A Little Bit Longer, the third studio album, arrived in 2008. It was the band's first album to debut at number one on the Billboard 200, with first-week sales above 525,000. It sold over two million copies in the United States and remains the group's highest-selling release. Its lead single, "Burnin' Up", was their first top five hit there.

  The 3D film Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience opened in theaters on the 27th of February 2009. It was a financial success and ranks as the sixth highest-grossing concert film. A second Disney Channel series, Jonas, premiered on the 2nd of May 2009. Lines, Vines and Trying Times followed on the 16th of June 2009. It debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 247,000 copies.

  After that fourth album, the brothers confirmed a hiatus so each could pursue solo projects.

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• 5. Breakups and Comebacks

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  Nick Jonas & the Administration was the band Jonas formed during the hiatus, and it signed with Hollywood Records. The group released one album, Who I Am, in 2010 and later toured. Joe, by contrast, chose to record a solo record.

  By May 2012 the Jonas Brothers had parted ways with Hollywood Records, and they bought the rights to all of their music from the label. In March they confirmed that work on a fifth album had begun. On the 2nd of April 2013 they released "Pom Poms" through their own record label. The video was filmed in New Orleans in February 2013. "First Time" followed as the second single.

  In October 2013 the band cancelled a much-anticipated tour only days before it was due to begin. They cited a "deep rift within the band" over "creative differences". On the 29th of October they confirmed that the group had split for good. The comeback album was cancelled, although the band released a live album with five songs from its unreleased fifth record.

  In 2014 Jonas served as musical and creative director on Demi Lovato's Neon Lights Tour. He oversaw video, wardrobe, lighting, staging and song arrangement, and he joined her on stage to perform three of her songs. He returned to his own music with "Chains" as the lead single from his second studio album. The second single, "Jealous", became his first top ten hit as a solo artist on the Billboard Hot 100. It peaked at number seven.

  Work on his third studio album began as early as 2014. It was first going to be called Unhinged, but he changed the title to Last Year Was Complicated. The lead single, "Close", was a collaboration with Tove Lo. The album was released on the 10th of June 2016. It sold 66,000 equivalent album units in its first week and entered the Billboard 200 at number two. That remains his highest-peaking solo album. His songwriting also earned him the Hal David Starlight Award from the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

  In May 2015, Billboard revealed that Jonas was starting a new "artist-centric" label called Safehouse Records. He would co-found and co-own it with Demi Lovato and her then-manager Phil McIntyre. It would operate in partnership with Island. On the 29th of June 2016, he and Lovato began the co-headlining Future Now Tour, which ended on the 17th of September.

  On the 20th of October 2017, the Ferdinand soundtrack came out with two Jonas songs, "Home" and "Watch Me". "Home" was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song.

  On the 28th of February 2019, after weeks of online rumors, the Jonas Brothers announced their return. Their single "Sucker" followed the next day. The fifth album, Happiness Begins, was released on the 7th of June 2019.

  Spaceman, his fourth solo album, arrived in 2021 and saw some success. Jonas later signed with Republic Records. On the 30th of November 2025 he announced his fifth studio album, Sunday Best. Its first single, "Gut Punch", was released on the 1st of January 2026.

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• 6. Stage and Screen

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  On the 21st of June 2010, Jonas made his West End debut as Marius Pontmercy in Les Misérables. It was his second time in the show. He was meant to play the role for only three weeks. Changes to the Jonas Brothers touring schedule let him extend the run until the 24th of July 2010. He played Marius again at the 25th Anniversary Concert at The O2 Arena on the 3rd of October 2010.

  The Hollywood Bowl hosted Jonas as Link Larkin in Hairspray from the 5th to the 7th of August 2011. In 2012 he was due to play J. Pierrepont Finch in Broadway's How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying from the 24th of January to the 1st of July. The musical closed on the 20th of May. Jonas recorded five songs for the project, which came out as an extended play in 2012. In 2025 he played Jamie Wellerstein in The Last Five Years on Broadway, from the 18th of March to the 22nd of June.

  In 2011 Jonas played Eli Cutler, a rising singer who wants everything his own way, in the series Mr. Sunshine. He also guest-starred on Smash as Lyle West, a young musician and television star backing a promising Broadway musical. He returned to the role for the season finale. Later he played a computer hacker on an episode of Hawaii Five-0.

  The drama Kingdom gave him a starring role as Nate Kulina. It premiered on DirecTV's Audience Network and was renewed for two more seasons only two weeks later. The series ran from 2014 to 2017. In 2015 he played Boone Clemens in five episodes of the comedy horror series Scream Queens.

  On the 23rd of September 2016, the drama film Goat reached audiences, with Jonas starring beside James Franco. In 2017 he appeared as Jefferson "Seaplane" McDonough in Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle and again in Jumanji: The Next Level in 2019. He voiced a character in the animated film UglyDolls, released on the 3rd of May 2019 with Kelly Clarkson and Pitbull. Roland Emmerich's World War II film Midway opened on the 8th of November 2019 with Jonas in the cast. Chaos Walking followed in 2021 and Power Ballad in 2026.

  In October 2019 it was announced that Jonas would join The Voice as a coach for its eighteenth season and later its twentieth. Earlier he had been a guest mentor for Christina Aguilera on the show's eighth season. On the 27th of February 2021 he hosted Saturday Night Live for the first time. He was also the musical guest, for the fourth time, performing "Spaceman". He will play Frankie Valli in a professionally filmed taping of the musical Jersey Boys.

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• 7. Brand and Image

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  In 2014 Jonas signed a contract with the modeling agency Wilhelmina Models. In 2017 he released a shoe collection called 1410 in collaboration with the sneaker company Creative Recreation. A spring clothing line with John Varvatos followed in 2018 under the label JV x NJ. The partners added a fragrance later that year, and in 2019 they released two more, JVXNJ Red and JVxNJ Silver.

  In September 2019 Jonas announced Villa One, an ultra-premium tequila made with John Varvatos and the spirits giant Stoli Group. It launched in the United States that month in three expressions: Silver, Reposado and Añejo. The tequila reached the United Kingdom at the end of 2020 and Canada in May 2021.

  In July 2022 Jonas and his wife, Priyanka Chopra, announced an investment in Perfect Moment, a company founded in 1979 that focuses mainly on womenswear. The company said the couple would play a "substantial role" in its markets in Asia and the Middle East. October 2022 brought a golf capsule collection with PXG, called PXG x NJ, with apparel and accessories from hats and bags to shirts, pants and socks.

  Netflix released Dash & Lily on the 10th of November 2020, with Jonas as an executive producer alongside Stranger Things producer Shawn Levy. Jonas helped with casting, filming and music. He also appeared in a cameo giving love advice and performed "Like It's Christmas" with his brothers. On the 29th of September 2021 he and Chopra joined the producing team of Douglas Lyons' Broadway comedy Chicken & Biscuits. In 2020 Amazon Studios also greenlit an unscripted series about engaged couples preparing for their sangeet, an Indian pre-wedding tradition, with Jonas as an executive producer.

  The purity rings the Jonas Brothers wore during their Disney Channel years drew heavy media attention, because fans saw the brothers as role models and teen idols. Jonas said in 2016 that all of the youth at their church had been asked to wear them. He added that he did not fully understand what the ring meant. His faith, he felt, became more about a personal relationship with God.

  Later, a series of provocative photo shoots earned him a reputation as a sex symbol. He has often rejected the label, saying he tries to be humble and make sexy music. OK! put him on its list of 2014's Sexiest Men Alive. People ranked him number ten on its Sexiest Men Alive list in 2015. Capital FM placed him sixth among the Sexiest Men in Pop in 2016.

  His new image brought a large following in the LGBT community, which he says leaves him "thrilled". Some interviews and comments drew criticism as "gay pandering", a charge he has denied. In 2020 People named him Sexiest Reality Show Judge, and he was nominated with Joe and Kevin for Sexiest Brothers.

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• 8. Health, Home, Giving

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  In 2005, at the age of thirteen, Jonas was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. He uses an insulin pump to manage it. He developed the Change for the Children Foundation, which partners with five charities to raise money and awareness. A public service announcement with the Washington Nationals supported diabetes care at Children's National Medical Center in Washington, D.C. Since the 6th of August 2008, Bayer Diabetes Care has partnered with him as an ambassador encouraging young people to manage the condition. Jonas has also testified in the U.S. Senate to promote more research funding.

  Miley Cyrus and Jonas dated from June 2006 to December 2007. He briefly dated Selena Gomez in 2008, and she appeared in the video for "Burnin' Up". Australian singer Delta Goodrem was his girlfriend from May 2011 to February 2012. Olivia Culpo, who held the Miss Universe 2012 title, dated him from 2013 until 2015. She inspired his most successful song, "Jealous", and appears in its video.

  In May 2018, Jonas began dating the Indian actress Priyanka Chopra. He proposed on the 19th of July 2018 in Crete, Greece, a day after her birthday. They became formally engaged the following month in a Punjabi Roka ceremony in Mumbai. In December 2018 they married at Umaid Bhawan Palace in Jodhpur, in Hindu and Christian ceremonies photographed by Jose Villa. In January 2022 Jonas announced that they had welcomed their first child, a daughter, via surrogacy.

  In 2009 Jonas joined his brothers in Disney's Friends for Change, which promoted environmentally friendly behavior. With Demi Lovato, Miley Cyrus and Selena Gomez, they recorded the charity single "Send It On". All proceeds went to the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund, and the song debuted at number 20 on the Billboard Hot 100.

  In January 2010 Jonas donated $25,000 from his family foundation to the North Texas Food Bank. The visit was part of an effort with the television program The Biggest Loser and Feeding America. That year he also volunteered for Do Something, offering his time as a prize to teens who donated jeans to its campaign with Aeropostale. In 2017 he joined Demi Lovato and DNCE in a CrowdRise campaign for Hurricane Harvey relief.

  In March 2020 Jonas and Chopra announced donations to several organizations to help fight the COVID-19 outbreak, including UNICEF, Feeding America, Doctors Without Borders and No Kid Hungry. In June 2020 they also gave to the Equal Justice Initiative and the American Civil Liberties Union during the widespread protests after the murder of George Floyd. In April 2021, with COVID-19 resurging in India, they urged fans to give to GiveIndia through a fundraiser called "Together for India". By the 13th of May 2021 it had met its initial target of $1 million, so they raised the goal to $3 million.

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