State Champ Radio Jonas Brothers
The forthcoming KISS biopic has found an unexpected star, with Nick Jonas reportedly set to portray the band’s frontman, Paul Stanley.
Per a report from Deadline, Jonas is preparing to close a deal which will see him taking on the role of KISS’ vocalist and rhythm guitarist in Shout It Out Loud. The role will also reportedly see Jonas doing his own singing as he takes on cuts from the hard rock outfit’s celebrated back catalog.
The upcoming film will be directed by McG, with a screenplay written by Darren Lemke set to go into production towards the end of the year. Deadline also reports that the highly-anticipated role of bassist Gene Simmons is yet to be cast.
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Though Jonas may seem like an intriguing choice given his role as a member of the decidedly more clean-cut and pop-rock focused Jonas Brothers, he’s been a constant presence in the world of stage and screen for over two decades.
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Alongside stage credits which include productions such as Hairspray, The Sound of Music, and How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, Jonas has also appeared in films such as Goat, Midway, and the recent Jumanji franchise. He is also slated to appear alongside Paul Rudd in the forthcoming musical comedy Power Ballad.
The KISS biopic has been in the works since 2021, with manager Doc McGhee revealing in early 2023 that it would initially arrive the following year, with Shout It Out Loud reportedly set to focus on the group’s early period.
“It’s a biopic about the first four years of KISS,” McGhee explained. “We’re just starting it now. We’ve already sold it, it’s already done, we have a director, McG. That’s moving along and that’ll come in ’24.”
KISS first formed in New York City in 1973, with their self-titled debut arriving the following year. Their hard rock stylings and theatrical stage presence made them one of the most iconic bands of the era, with the group being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014.
The veteran group would perform their final show in December 2023 following their lengthy End of The Road tour, and are reportedly set to launch a digital avatar show in Las Vegas in 2027
Joe Jonas has taken a look back at South Park‘s famous spotlight of the Jonas Brothers, admitting that he views it as a personal “claim to fame.”
Joe’s comments appear in the new episode of Mythical Kitchen’s Last Meals (via Entertainment Weekly), where he explained to host Josh Scherer that his opinions were not shared by his brothers at the time.
“I think I was the only brother that loved it,” Joe explained. “Our skin was not as thick back then, and I thought it was hilarious, because I watched South Park, and I was like, ‘This is so funny, I know what they’re doing, they make fun of everyone!’
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“To be made fun of by a comic is usually a sign that they give a s–t, and they care, and it’s funny,” he added. “They really went for us.”
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Joe, along with brothers Kevin and Nick, were spotlighted as part of The Ring, the premiere episode of South Park’s 13th season in March 2009. The episode, which was inspired by the release of Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience just weeks earlier, sees the fictionalized trio convincing their fans to wear purity rings at the behest of Disney mascot Mickey Mouse.
However, Jonas agreed that he was able to see the humor in the South Park parody, noting that the band weren’t the specific focus, but rather it was “Boss Mickey” that was in the sights of the creators.
“I mean, what an honor to get my ass kicked by Mickey,” Jonas added. “I think it’s one of my favorite episodes. And later on, now, we just laugh. We love that. I think it’s so great. Definitely a claim to fame for me.”
The recent comments from Joe align with Nick’s own from 2016, in which he addressed the episode in a Reddit ‘Ask Me Anything’ session.
“When it first came out I didn’t think it was funny to be honest, but probably because I was actually living all of that in real time and so it just made it harder to come and live your life as a young person and have all that going on,” he explained. “But years later and once the purity rings were no longer around, it was very funny to me and I’ve actually watched the episode a few times.”
Joe himself reflected on the episode just months later in his own AMA session, stating he was “so pumped” when it first aired, but conceded that “Nick was really kind of not into watching it.”
“I thought it was the funniest thing at the time and it’s kind of a compliment because obviously if you go to a comedy show and they pick you out and make fun of you, you can’t heckle back, you gotta just take it and enjoy it,” he explained. “And for me I’ve always been a fan and I knew that was kind of a wow we made it moment, and also they were kind of attacking Disney more than me, so I didn’t really feel threatened.
“Now I watch it back and laugh and Mickey kicked my ass so I won the episode by being beat up by Mickey Mouse.”
Joe’s comments also come just days after the release of his second studio album, Music for People Who Believe in Love, which will be followed in August by the Jonas Brothers’ seventh album, Greetings from Your Hometown.
The Jonas Brothers are feeling nostalgic, with a sweet note to their fans about upcoming plans momentarily leading to fears of an impending split.
The familial trio are diving headfirst into a big 2025, with their 20th anniversary bringing with it some rather sizable plans. On Wednesday (Feb. 12) however, the group shared a lengthy post to their social media accounts, with its formal nature swiftly causing panic that their 20th year may be their last.
“To our incredible fans, as a family, we have been reflecting a lot lately,” the post began. “It’s been 20 years since we started this journey together. To us, it feels like just yesterday we were loading up our family mini-van with a couple of guitars and copies of It’s About Time CDs, en route to an afternoon performance at a local to play for anyone who would listen.
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“We were chasing our dream to play music and connect with others in a deep way that only music can provide,” they added. “We were teenagers then.. actually, Nick wasn’t even old enough to get into a PG-13 movie.”
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Understandably, the opening lines were enough to add some fears into the mix. As it stands, the top comments on their posts all relate to unfounded fears the note was a farewell to their fans.
As their message continued though, it was made clear that the Jonas Brothers weren’t intending to break some hearts, instead they were sharing an appreciation post to the fans that had allowed them to continue their journey for these past two decades.
“In the years that followed, you’ve given us a thousand lifetimes of incredible memories. We wake up each day filled with gratitude that you’ve been on this 20-year journey with us,” they continued. “Together, we have celebrated wins, made mistakes, overcome obstacles, and grieved losses. Put simply: we’ve all grown up together.
“It’s seemingly impossible to put our appreciation into words. None of this would have been possible without you. You’ve shown up for us. Rooted for us. Encouraged us. And inspired us. We’ve made memories with you at shows, bumped into you on the street, run into you at airports, and read your amazing stories on socials. We treasure our connection with you as much today as we did when we played our first show. We are celebrating this wild 20-year journey by doing what we love, and we can’t wait to share it with you.”
Wrapping up their post, the group promised that the coming year will be “a year of music”, teasing new music from the Jonas Brothers, a live concert album, a soundtrack, and solo music.
“Nick returns to Broadway this spring for The Last Five Years. And we are nearly wrapped on our holiday movie that we can’t wait for you to see this fall,” they added.
Initial fears of a split wouldn’t have been unfounded for fans of the Jonas Brothers. After all, 2013 brought with it the news that after eight years together as a band, and four albums, the brothers would be calling it quits.
While Joe and Nick launched solo careers in the interim, Kevin found himself working on music production, appearing in reality television, and even getting involved in a handful of business ventures. The brothers would reunite officially in 2019, however, relaunching their music career and issuing two new records, including 2019’s Happiness Begins and 2023’s The Album.
Having previously teased big plans during their appearance on Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest in New York City on Dec. 31, the Jonas Brothers closed out their latest message to fans by promising that formal announcements would be made in the coming days and weeks. Currently, the band’s website boasts a countdown clock which is set to conclude on Valentine’s Day (Feb. 14).
“From the bottom of our hearts: thank you!” they wrote. “Here’s to the next 20 years, and here’s to doing it together. The best is yet to come.”
Joe Jonas’ upcoming album is not technically his solo debut: Back in 2011 during a Jonas Brothers hiatus, the middle JoBro released Fastlife, a club-aimed rhythmic pop foray featuring contributions from Lil Wayne and Chris Brown that couldn’t quite turn the then-22-year-old into a radio star. “I have so much love for those songs — they actually aged pretty well!” Jonas says today with a wide smile. “But it feels like a different person.”
Fastlife might as well be a lifetime ago for Jonas, now 35. Since then, he found his radio hit with 2015’s “Cake by the Ocean” as the leader of pop collective DNCE, then reunited with his siblings Nick and Kevin in 2019, for a Jonas Brothers comeback that produced the No. 1 smash “Sucker” and a global arena tour, among other achievements.
Jonas also married actress Sophie Turner in 2019, welcomed two daughters, then experienced a very public divorce in 2023. “I was going through a lot of life changes,” he says of the past few years, “finding out who I was as a person and father and friend, and living under the microscope of what the music industry can be. And I think, at such a crazy time in my life, I looked to music as an outlet.”
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The result is Music for People Who Believe in Love, a solo album full of unvarnished thoughts and sonic experiments that Republic Records will release Oct. 18. The full-length doesn’t sound anything like Fastlife, but it doesn’t resemble Jonas Brothers or DNCE, either. Jonas lands on a shimmery pop sound that synthesizes a wide array of influences, from garage-rock to alt-pop to ’90s country, while singing about navigating life’s uncertainties and finding gratitude amid loss.
“Things you can’t imagine/Remind you of what you’ve always had/Maybe they need to happen/So you know the worst ain’t all that bad,” he sings on “My Own Best Friend,” a pleading anthem marked by mournful whistling. Elsewhere, Jonas races through a fuzz-heavy synth workout on “Velvet Sunshine,” offers a gently strummed “lullaby to my kids” on “Hey Beautiful” and, on the wide-reaching lead single, “Work It Out,” addresses his “head full of insecurities” while slipping into falsetto over a percolating beat.
Jonas says that Music for People Who Believe in Love began with the song “Only Love,” a funked-up and flirtatious pop-rock jam that he originally conceived with his brothers. During the writing process in Australia as they worked with producer Joel Little, “I noticed that the song was going toward the direction of some personal stuff that I went through,” Jonas recalls. “So I go to Kevin and Nick, ‘Hey, can I use this as a catapult to go explore what this sound could be, and also what I’m trying to figure out emotionally?’ They were very supportive — Nick said, ‘Well, damn, I really like that song. But I get what you need to do, so go for it.’ ”
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Jonas quickly went to work, corralling studio whizzes including Alexander 23, Justin Tranter, Jason Evigan and Tommy English to Los Angeles’ House of Blues studio and knocking out the majority of the album in two-and-a-half weeks. Following the sunny Jonas Brothers full-length The Album in spring 2023 — and then a slew of tabloid headlines detailing his divorce last fall — Jonas says that hunkering down on a more personal project ultimately proved to be therapeutic.
“It was scary at times, and also freeing,” he says. “I’m not trying to come for anyone on this album. I’m not trying to put stuff on blast. I have a beautiful life that I’m grateful for. I’ve got two beautiful kids. I’m a happy person, and the music needed to resemble that — but also, the journey to get here.”
Republic vp of marketing strategy Alyssa LoPresti adds, “This campaign starts and ends with Joe. From his personal taste in music, which is highlighted by [his] notable and exciting choice of collaborators, to the way he’s engaging with fans on his platforms and the content he’s filmed to support the release, it is all authentic to who Joe is and reflective of this chapter of his life.”
Jonas says that more album tracks, and their featured guests, will be unveiled in the coming weeks following the July release of “Work It Out,” and that he’s “definitely” planning to showcase the album live, potentially around release week.
If Jonas’ last solo project was a bid for stardom when he was still figuring out who he was, Music for People Who Believe in Love represents a check-in from an artist at peace with his choices. “At the core of it,” he says, “if this body of work helps people through what they’re going through, that’s all I can really wish for.”
This story appears in the Aug. 24, 2024, issue of Billboard.
Joe Jonas called for an S.O.S. after an unusual interaction with a security guard at CVS. The Jonas Brother took to TikTok on Wednesday (Nov. 1) to playfully share the moment while walking around in the drugstore’s snack aisle. “I just walked into CVS and the security guy goes, ‘Oh! Joe Jonas?’” he said. “And […]
Nick Jonas enjoyed a month of soaking up the summer sun with his family, and took to Instagram to document his activities over the month of July. In the series of photos shared to Instagram on Tuesday (Aug. 1), the Jonas Brothers star is seen lounging at the beach and on boats with his wife […]
The military has always had a special place in Nick Jonas‘ heart, as a number of his family members — including his grandfather Gerald Miller — have selflessly served the United States of America.
That’s why the superstar jumped at the opportunity to headline NBCUniversal’s Salute to Summer concert event at Universal Studios Hollywood, which also celebrated the U.S. Army with a series of physical challenges and one-of-a-kind installations that inspire viewers to push beyond their boundaries.
“I’m so grateful to celebrate in the setting of the concert to kick things off, but I also love the ideology behind all this to inspire young people to be the absolute best they can be and find opportunities within the ecosystem of the military to find themselves,” Jonas tells Billboard of performing at the event, which will stream on Peacock starting Friday (July 7).
Staff Sgts. Lamar Riddick (L) and Nicholas Feemster (R)
While he’s fresh off the release of Jonas Brothers‘ recent project The Album, Nick says he enjoys a chance to perform solo tracks every once in a while “to keep it fresh,” like in the case of Salute to Summer.
However, Nick was still thrilled to reflect on the sibling trio’s recent release, which peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 albums chart when it dropped back in May. “Approaching this album-making process, it was really apparent to all of us that we needed to meet each other where we were at, which is very different than it was even four years ago when we released Happiness Begins,” he shares, before noting that his, Joe and Kevin Jonas’ experiences as fathers also shaped how the album turned out.
“Our experiences have grown quite a bit, and the biggest one of those is the lessons of parenthood,” he explains. “I think ‘Waffle House’ does a good job of teeing up what built the foundation for us as a family to be able to have open, honest communication, even in tough moments. That’s something I think all of us want to bring into the way we build our families and I’m so thrilled with the reaction to that song and the people really resonating with the message of the song and what it means for them.”
Speaking of growth, Nick adds that becoming comfortable with themselves and maturing in their relationship allowed him and his brothers to create music they’re truly proud of. “Anytime we tried to do something that some gatekeeper or executive said would work usually ended up not working,” the 30-year-old says with a laugh. “What’s been incredible as an artist is watching, over the last couple of years, the power that the consumer has to be their own gatekeeper. That goes for everything from streaming to creators online and also how we consume content and music and everything else. For us, that’s a plus because it seems that when we’re being true to ourselves and what’s relevant to us and what’s truly authentic, then it seems to resonate with our fans, which means the world to us.”
The JoBros will see their fans in person soon, as they’re slated to kick off their North American tour in support of The Album on Aug. 12. The ambitious Five Albums. One Night. The Tour. is set to be a celebration of the group’s decadeslong career. While Nick says trying to navigate putting five albums worth of songs into one setlist is a “monster” to figure out, he’s excited to bring the idea to life.
“I think all of us really love the idea of challenging ourselves not only to remember all the lyrics but to also dig in and walk down memory lane in a way that felt celebratory and not overly nostalgic, like some sort of weird victory lap towards the end of a career,” Jonas explains, “Because this is truly the start of the next chapter. We all feel ready to get out there and play some shows for our fans here in the U.S. and then eventually, probably top of next year, overseas.”
Check out the Jonas Brothers’ full list of tour dates here, and catch Nick Jonas’ Salute to Summer performance on July 7 via Peacock, which you can sign up for here.
Summer may have just started, but the Jonas Brothers are ready to welcome Kevin Jonas’ two daughters back to school with an adorable new The Children’s Place campaign. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news In the ad released on Thursday (June 22), Kevin Jonas is seen FaceTiming […]
Jonas Brothers were Amelia Dimoldenberg’s latest lunch guests on her popular Chicken Shop Date segment, and she didn’t hold back on asking the hard-hitting questions.
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“How did you guys all meet?” she hilariously asks the siblings at one point in the video. “It happened in stages, and these other two people introduced us,” Kevin Jonas jokingly replied, before Joe Jonas added, “We met through our parents.”
And yes, Nick Jonas still loves a “red dress,” which Dimoldenberg made sure to wear to their date in reference to the 30-year-old singer’s famous ad-lib in the group’s 2008 hit, “Burnin’ Up.”
“It was just a pure coincidence,” the journalist jokes of her outfit choice. “Looking through my wardrobe, I thought, ‘Oh, look at that –“
“Red dress!” Nick interjects in the tone from “Burnin’ Up,” before teaching Dimoldenberg how to sing it properly.
Joe’s wife, Game of Thrones star Sophie Turner, also makes an appearance at the end of the episode, when the host cuts her date with Joe short to hang out with his wife instead. “I’m bored. Can we go?” Turner asks Dimoldenberg from a table nearby, before the two happily leave the restaurant together.
The Jonas Brothers are fresh off the release of their sixth studio album, The Album, which gave the band their fourth No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart (dated May 27). The trio previously led the list with Happiness Begins (2019), Lines, Vines and Trying Times (2009) and A Little Bit Longer (2008).
Watch the Jonas Brothers’ Chicken Shop Date in full below.
Kevin Jonas had a tough decision to make on Watch What Happens Live on Sunday night (May 14) during a round of host Andy Cohen’s popular “Plead the Fifth” game with the Jonas Brothers. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news “Which former Disney star has the better […]
