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Joe Jonas is going offline for his first solo single of the year.
Ahead of his forthcoming sophomore solo album, Music for People Who Believe in Love, the second-eldest JoBro has released his long-teased “Heart by Heart,” a booming, reflective track that blends a pop foundation with elements of ’90s country and arena rock. “Well, if he don’t ever light your spark/ Remember, I know your heart by heart,” he sings in the pre-chorus over swirling guitars and percussion, striking an impressive balance between dirty macking and heartfelt ode to the enduring power of genuine connections.
As the third offering from Music for People following 2024’s “Work It Out” and “What This Could Be,” “Heart By Heart” further solidifies Joe’s solo sound and differentiates from his work alongside his brothers and DNCE bandmates – as well as the electropop throughlines of his 2011 debut LP, Fastlife.
Accompanying the new single is a Bleeker Street Bar-set music video that finds Jonas embodying the ethos of Heineken’s new “Social Off Socials” campaign. Launched on Thursday (April 24), the new campaign seeks to remind consumers that the original social network is the bar – and that no mode of communication beats in-person connections. It’s a poignant message for a population still recovering from the psychological and emotional impact of not just the COVID-19 pandemic, but also the ever-growing pressures of existing in the digital age. Jonas also stars in the beer brand’s new video spot, which features him dramatizing his reaction to empty social media feeds before eventually stumbling on a packed bar.
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On the evening of the campaign launch, Jonas and Heineken teamed up for a special event at Bleeker Street Bar, where the Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter played “Heart by Heart” for the first time in front of an audience free of phones and social media. He even captured the crowd’s real-time reactions for the track’s forthcoming music video, playing the song twice, with a passionate rendition of “What This Could Be” sandwiched in between. Jonas will unleash his full Music for People Who Believe in Love LP on May 23 via Republic Records. Alongside his solo efforts, Jonas and his brothers will release their seventh studio album, Greetings from Your Hometown, on Aug. 8 — a little over four months after the band hosted JonasCon to celebrate their 20-year anniversary.
“I chose to debut my new song offline and in-person because it felt like the perfect time to return to what music is really about: connecting with people,” Jonas said. “The crowd was so real, so present, and completely locked into the music – that is something you can’t experience by watching on social media.”
During the video shoot, Billboard got some time with Jonas himself as he opened up about recording “Heart by Heart,” his favorite poets, and resuming his solo musical journey nearly 15 years after his debut.
What was the writing process for “Heart by Heart” like?
[“Heart By Heart”] was actually pitched to me [by] Savan Kotecha. He wrote it with Lewis Capaldi, and I just loved the messaging behind it. I really felt connected to it, so we did some tweaks, and I recorded it last year around the summer or fall. We held onto the song for a while. It felt like the song I really wanted to be the next single of my album, so I’m positioning it in a way where it speaks to where I’m at in my life and the emotional side of where I’m at. I’ve teased it long enough, so I’m eager for people to hear it.
How many takes did it take for you to nail that bridge?
Savan and the whole Max Martin team are brilliant because they will be very particular about what they want, and that’s always really encouraging. They’ll hear something and be like, “Eh, the diction on this word, etc.” [The song] took a few takes, but ultimately, when you connect with anything, it falls together quite quickly. For me, I thought it was pretty natural to get into the song emotionally. The bridge [took] a few takes, but honestly, the song itself happened quite fast – all the mixing and that.
Why does this feel like the right song to launch alongside the Heineken campaign?
I think it was good timing. Heineken came with this amazing campaign of being present [and it resonated with me]. We’re all on our phones all the time, doom-scrolling; I’ll be in bed and be like, “I could be doing so many things right now.” I went to the Masters Tournament recently, and you’re not allowed to have your phone there. The anxiousness you get is crazy; I get in line to order a drink, I’m checking my pockets, and it’s like, “Wait a minute, I can just be.” It’s a nice reminder to be present. I was about to release the song, and they were about to launch the campaign, and we chose the same day.
What’s the most interesting thing you’ve learned about yourself since returning to solo work?
It’s been a minute since I’ve released anything [solo]. The last album that I did by myself, I’m very proud of. There were a lot of cooks in the kitchen at that time in my life. I was surrounded by a lot of people that I just said, “Yes, and” to. Now, knowing who I am, feeling confident, and looking at my life, I’m so grateful for the friends and family I have around me. And I get to do it again 20-something years later, and find creative ways to speak to what I’ve been through. I know the difference of when it’s a [Jonas] Brothers song or a DNCE song; the music I’ve been making felt really personal. And I selfishly didn’t want to share it with other people. This needed to come from my voice in particular.
What are some of those musical elements that help you differentiate between a solo song, a JoBros song and a DNCE song?
DNCE – our drummer Jack [Lawless] is here, actually – is a funky, sexy, wild, free band, and our audience loves that. We’re a party band; a bar wouldn’t be an unfamiliar place to find us. For the [Jonas] Brothers, [we’re] the guys you know and grew up with. It’s like a warm hug; it’s emotional. But, lyrically, sometimes we can’t always speak. We have three minds going through three different things in our lives. With my solo album, I feel like this music is like my journal that I carry around all the time, and the poetry I’ve been working on.
Who are some of your favorite poets? 
I have a few! Mary Oliver is probably my favorite among many people. I love her poetry. At the beginning of my solo shows right now, I project a Mary Oliver poem [“The Journey”] about realizing the only person you can save is yourself. It’s so powerful. I’m most encouraged by her writing.
What’s your go-to bar order?
I usually go with tequila. Tequila soda with an orange wedge. I don’t know why, but I’m doing the rocks glass — it feels like it tastes different from a tall glass. I’ve also been getting into martinis.
What’s your go-to bar song?
If you’re doing karaoke, you can always do “Don’t Stop Believin’,” and everyone is thrilled. If it’s just me, I like “Piano Man” by Billy Joel. But I’ve Shazamed Brazilian and Spanish hip-hop, so it can be different for any setting.
Where’s your dream place to perform “Heart by Heart?”
A giant stadium, so hopefully this song will be popular enough by when we open the tour on Aug. 10 and people request it!
The Chainsmokers dropped a remix of Chappell Roan‘s “Pink Pony Club” on Thursday (April 24), with the duo shaving down the original from four-plus minutes to a tight two-minute and 11-second edit. The remix bounces along on a dark house beat before taking a turn into brighter and quintessentially Chainsmokers sonic terrain around the one-minute […]
On Thursday (April 24), Benson Boone released his new song “Mystical Magical,” following its live debut at Coachella. It’s the second single from Benson’s American Heart album, due June 20 via Night Street Records/Warner Records.
With a jangly pop-rock production, Boone is clearly having a blast on the song, showing off his famous falsetto on the chorus as he tries to describe the otherworldly feeling of his love. “‘Cause it feels so mystical, magical, oh baby/ ‘Cause once you know, once you know/ My love is so mystical, magical, oh baby/ ‘Cause once you know, once you know,” he sings in the light-as-air chorus.
Boone made his Coachella debut on April 11, where he brought out Queen guitarist Brian May to cover the epic 1975 hit “Bohemian Rhapsody” and also gave his fans in the desert a sneak peek at his brand-new single, performing “Mystical Magical” for the first time live.
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An official lyric video for the song, directed by Matt Eastin, also debuted on Thursday, showing Boone dancing around in a series of colorful outfits and settings, as balloons float all around him or, just like the lyrics says, “dancing at the movies.”
“Sorry I’m Here for Someone Else,” the first single from American Heart, hit the top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100, so far peaking at No. 36, and has also climbed to No. 13 on the Pop Airplay chart.
Boone will make his Saturday Night Live debut as the May 3 musical guest alongside host Quinta Brunson. He also has a string of festival dates lined up throughout the summer, including BottleRock in Napa, California; Summerfest in Milwaukee; and Governors Ball in New York.
Find the “Mystical Magical” lyric video below:
Houston, we have liftoff. Just 10 days after making headlines for her trip to space, Katy Perry kicked off her highly anticipated Lifetimes Tour with a celestial show in Mexico City Wednesday (April 23) — featuring a setlist that the pop star first revealed while hurtling through the Earth’s atmosphere on Blue Origin’s first all-woman […]
Five For Fighting‘s Grammy-nominated “Superman (It’s Not Easy)” became an anthem of solidarity and a No. 14 Billboard Hot 100 hit in 2001 after it was repurposed as a tribute to the victims and first responders of the horrific Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks. The gentle piano ballad on which band mastermind John Ondrasik sings “I’m more than a bird, I’m more than a plane/ I’m more than some pretty face beside a train/ And it’s not easy to be me” in his homage to heroes who have the right to bleed provided succor at a time when Americans were wounded to their souls over the deadly assault.
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Now, Ondrasik’s song has gotten a second life as a means to call attention to the estimated 59 Israeli hostages still being held hostage in Gaza in the wake of militant group Hamas’ murderous Oct. 7, 2023 attack in which around 1,200 Israelis were murdered and 250 were taken hostage.
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Ondrasik told NPR on Wednesday (April 23) that he re-wrote some of the song’s lyrics at the behest of the mother of 24-year-old hostage Alon Ohel. “When they reached out, I’m like, ‘of course. I’m honored to do this.’ And very quickly, it became clear that ‘Superman’ should be the song,” Ondrasik said, noting that some original lines, such as “Find a way to lie about a home I’ll never see” didn’t fit the assignment.
“I couldn’t have that line, ‘a home I’ll never see,’ because we all hope and pray they will see – and many of the hostages have come home,” said Ondrasik, who traveled to Israel last April to perform the song in Tel Aviv’s so-called “Hostages Square” on Ohel’s piano; he also released another song, “OK (We Are Not Okay)” last year to honor the hostages. The new “Superman” lyrics find him singing: “Found a way to fly to a home I will soon see.”
Ondrasik, 60, who is not Jewish, told NPR that for him, “this is a moral issue. It’s not political. It’s not religious. Everybody should be demanding to release the hostages. It’ll put much more pressure on Israel to end this war.”
The singer uploaded a new video for the song to YouTube on April 14 — two days after the start of the Passover holiday — with a message of hope, writing, “The strength and perseverance of our hostage families, while enduring over seventeen months of unimaginable torment and devastation, often seems Superhuman. I am honored to collaborate with current hostage Alon Ohel’s mother Idit, brother Ronen, and family and friends with this new version of ‘Superman’ to support Alon and all hostages and their families.”
Check out the new video Ondrasik recorded with footage from Hostage Square below.
We’ve been talking about it on the Greatest Pop Stars podcast for nearly half a year already, but it didn’t actually get here until last weekend: The Grand National stadium tour, co-headlined by Billboard‘s No. 1 Greatest Pop Star of 2024 (Kendrick Lamar) and our No. 2 Greatest Pop Star of 2023 (SZA) finally began […]
Haim have given their two-month notice. The sister trio revealed the title of their upcoming fourth album during an underplay gig at L.A.’s The Bellwether theater on Wednesday night (April 23), flashing the phrase I Quit on the screen behind them at their first full show in nearly two years. They posted a photo of the moment on Instagram, as well as a video in which the phrase appeared amid a jumble of flashing boxes, followed by a robotic female voice reading the phrase “I quite what does not serve me.”
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A cascade of other quits followed, including “I quit overthinking, I quit shame, I quit nicotine, I quit fear, I quit d–k, I quit judgement, I quit avoiding emotional intimacy, I quit my job, I quit caring about what you think, I quit waiting for an apology, I quit f–king around, I quit f–king everything, I quit f–king you, I quit wondering if someone will save me.”
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The barrage of loud quitting ended with the phrase “I quit new haim album coming June 20th.” The follow-up to 2020’s Women in Music Pt. III has been previewed so far with the first single, “Relationships,” as well as “Everybody’s Trying to Figure Me Out.”
According to Setlist.fm, the show opened with the second new single, followed by a run of classics including “The Wire,” “Want You Back” and “Forever,” and the live debut of new tracks “Down To Be Wrong” and “Blood in the Streets,” with the latter featuring a surprise appearance by Addison Rae, who rolled around provocatively on stage in a long white tank top and sunglasses during the performance. The show ended with an encore run through “Relationships.”
The 1970s pop anthem “Down To Be Wrong” is due out on Thursday (April 24), with a video slated to drop on Friday (April 25). Haim will be back at Bellwether on Thursday night for a second show.
Watch Haim’s album title announce and “Down To Be Wrong” preview below.
Madonna‘s steamy video for her 1987 True Blue single “La Isla Bonita” has joined the YouTube billion-views club. The visual for the song featuring flamenco guitar, maracas and Latin percussion was helmed by prolific film (Pet Sematary Two, Best. Christmas. Ever!) and TV director Mary Lambert, known for her work on music videos for Janet […]
When romantic comedy 10 Things I Hate About You was released in 1999 — a seminal time for the Shakespeare adaptation-as-teen-movie — it was a watershed pop cultural moment. The winning take on The Taming of the Shrew cemented the star power of actors Heath Ledger, Julia Stiles and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and boasted a spunky […]
Sara Bareilles is heading back to her alma mater to deliver this year’s commencement address. UCLA announced on Tuesday (April 22) that the Grammy-winning “Brave” singer will deliver the keynote address at the 2025 UCLA commencement ceremonies on June 13 in Pauley Pavilion. “My time at UCLA held some of the most treasured years of […]