camp rock

Finneas and Joe Jonas sat down for a discussion for The Hollywood Reporter’s Songwriters Roundtable last month, in which the Grammy-winning producer told the Jonas Brothers member a sweet confession.

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“Camp Rock made me want to learn how to play guitar,” he shared.

Finneas then discussed his process creating fictional boy band 4*TOWN’s “Nobody Like U” alongside his sister Billie Eilish for Pixar’s Turning Red. “The preamble was that the working titles of the songs were what the songs needed to accomplish in relationship to the character,” he explained. “So [director] Domee [Shi] would be like, ‘This song specifically, “Nobody Like U,” is called The Confidence Booster.’ That was what it needed to accomplish. It was fun to have the characters internalizing the lyrics during these moments in this narrative. I mean, we did want them to have a three-dimensionality.” 

When Jonas, a member of a boy band himself, was asked what he thought of the track, Finneas quickly interrupted him and said, “Jonas Brothers wrote all of those great songs, which are great,” and went on to note that the sibling trio’s songwriting abilities are what separate them from the traditional boy band. 

Jonas responded by praising Finneas and Turning Red. “Well, I love the film… I think he crushed it. And I’m a fan. I’m a big fan of Finneas, and the sister and what they’ve been able to accomplish. And naturally, that the soundtrack is great. And yeah, it definitely brought me back.” 

Other participants for the roundtable included Oscar winner David Byrne, who wrote along with Son Lux and Mitski, “This Is a Life” for A24’s Everything Everywhere All at Once and Oscar winner Diane Warren, who composed “Applause” for Tell It Like a Woman.

Read the full Songwriters Roundtable transcript here.