Chances are, if you’re over 30 and don’t have children, you may not be aware of how huge the Jonas Brothers actually are. If, however, you’re still in your formative years, there’s a good chance you have pictures of the non-threatening, clean-cut trio adorning your bedroom walls, know all the lyrics to their rock-pop infused songs and are shaking with excitement about their imminent visit to Abu Dhabi.
For the past few years, the siblings from New Jersey have been sweeping up hordes of pre-teen fans in their rise to the top. After releasing a few unnoticed singles, they hit the big time teaming up with Disney and guest starring on the smash TV show Hannah Montana alongside all-American favourite Miley Cyrus. Their eponymously titled second album went platinum, and in July 2008 they became the youngest ever band to feature on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine, while also starring in hit film Camp Rock.
They are also symbols of Middle American wholesomeness, famously wearing purity rings that signify their pledge to pre-marital sexual abstinence, worlds away from the usual sleazy shenanigans of your average rock star. So what’s it like to be a hero to millions of fans across the world? Over to Joe, Nick and Kevin…
Who inspired you to become musicians?
Kevin: It would have to be The Beatles, but, you know, we’re not trying to be like them. The Beatles are The Beatles and I think we’re just trying to be the Jonas Brothers. For us, we just love what we do and the fact that we get recognised and have so many fans is really cool.
Like The Beatles, do you ever get chased by swarms of adoring fans?
Joe: Yeah, we’ve had some crazy instances on tour. I think the craziest was in Germany. I was going to visit a family friend there with my mom, so it was me, my friend and my mom in a van behind our tour bus at the time. The concert had finished and the traffic from the concert was so backed up that we were in dead stopped traffic. Our bodyguard Big Rob got out the car to figure out what the problem was. So it was just us and fans started to surround the car. There were about a few thousand surrounding that one little van that I was in. It was to the extent that they opened the trunk somehow and they started crawling inside the car. As you can imagine, for us it was really scary. Eventually the driver got out and screamed at them in German. Those girls said some loud words, too, but I think that towards the end they backed off.
What do you say to critics who accuse you of being a manufactured band?
K: It’s not true because we took a path where we fell in love with playing music on our own, the three brothers, and really writing songs together. Other artists have incredible backing with songwriters and choreographers and different things and that’s not wrong in any way. Entertainment is entertainment and I think that, for us, we’re just on our journey and we respect all the others.
Are you excited about this current tour?
K: Yeah, because this tour is going to be really cool. I think what we’re telling people right now is that we’re going to be doing things with lighting…
Joe: Robots.
K: Robots, yes. Transformers, no. But with lighting and actually video that we haven’t been able to incorporate before the way that we’ve wanted to. But now the technology is there so that we can really do some incredible things. It’s huge.
Spending so much time together, do you ever have any massive fall outs?
N: No, not really. I think that as time has gone on our dynamic has changed as a group and, in this past year in particular, we’ve had some changes. Obviously, an addition to the family with Kevin getting married. I was able to venture out and do a side project that took some time and, with the support of my brothers, it was an amazing experience. So we’ve grown in this past year specifically and we’ve kind of become stronger as a group.
K: It also helps that we all have a laugh and poke fun at each other. Like we all have stupid nicknames for each other.
J: Kevin’s is K2.
K: Nick’s is Mr President, because one day he will be the president of the free world.
N: Vote Nick.
J: And they’ve given me the nickname Danger. I don’t know why.
K: He’s reckless onstage, meaning he doesn’t have a care in the world. He just does it for the performance and goes all out. It’s amazing and it adds another level to the performance. It’s great.
The Jonas Brothers play Yas Arena, Yas Island, on November 18. Tickets, www.time outtickets.com.
Good kids gone bad
The Jonas Brothers are riding a clean-living, morally upstanding wave at the moment. But so did these other wholesome acts, until the temptations of fame caught up with them…
Backstreet Boys
In the early ’90s, there was no bigger boy band on the planet. But as their fame declined, the problems set in, and two members, Nick Carter and AJ McLean, have admitted to drug and alcohol addictions.
The Jackson Five
Behind the giant afros and snappy dance moves, Michael, Tito, Jermaine, Jackie and Marlon were actually an incredibly dysfunctional group, terrorised by their tyrannical father, Joe. Michael’s much-publicised descent into a bizarre fantasy world is well documented.
Take That
Robbie Williams, the cheeky member of the British five-piece, was kicked out of the band following a shambolic appearance at Glastonbury Festival. After battling with addiction for years, he has recently exorcised his demons and been readmitted into the Take That fold.
Britney Spears
From pig-tailed cutesy singer on The Mickey Mouse Club to bizarre head-shaving antics and messy custody battles, the misdeeds of her fellow Club members Justin Timberlake and Christina Aguilera paled in comparison.
