Six years ago, when Kevin Jonas was a 19-year-old member of the world's most popular boy band, he said this about his brothers: "It's really amazing being in a band with your brothers. It makes everything easier. We don't fight, which is surprising to people when they hang out with us. We do get along."
Two weeks ago, Jonas, now 25, married, starring in his own reality show and reunited with the Jonas Brothers for a tour, said the following: "We definitely fight. We definitely argue. We definitely have some intense moments. We're all brothers. It's not like you have a band with some friends (where) you could walk away from the band. We're brothers. People think we're really going in for each other, but that's just our dynamic."
So that's one answer to the question: How have the Jonas Brothers changed since they were Disney's successors to the Backstreet Boys and 'NSync? They're old enough to be honest. Also, they're old enough to produce their own music, rather than submitting to studio grown-ups installed by record companies.
The trio put out two singles for its fifth album, due out this year. "Pom Poms" has the brassy, singalong feel of Ricky Martin's "Livin' La Vida Loca"; "First Time" is a ballad filled with electronic effects that, while not exactly Deadmau5, are a departure from the slick, familiar JoBros style.
"That's my brother Nick," says Kevin Jonas of the band's first album since 2010, in a 15-minute phone interview from his home in Morris County, N.J. "We had the opportunity to make the album we wanted. We took our time to make this album — we took our time to make this album. We didn't want to rush through it. I think that was the key. People were surprised; they had hoped (the time between releases) would be shorter. We needed some time to figure this out, and it worked out in our favor."
As Jonas tells it, the band on previous records looked to the past — Johnny Cash, the Beatles — and a new-wave influence that gave JoBros a rocker quality as opposed to one of boy-band balladeers. They wore jackets and skinny ties and played guitars on stage rather than dressing in futuristic costumes and pulling off Backstreet-style harmonies and dance steps. For the new album, though, the brothers looked to contemporary pop music for inspiration. There's a jump-ropey chorus on "Pom Poms" that recalls Ke$ha and Psy.
"This is listening to things that are happening now, and what's inspiring us," he says, "and using those motivations to make new music."
In this era of Justin Bieber, One Direction and the Wanted, the Jonas Brothers' commercial success — they've sold 20 million albums — already seems like a throwback. The brothers grew up in Wyckoff, N.J., and the youngest, Nicholas, was the first to break out, performing in Broadway shows at age 6. By 2005, Nick, Joe and Kevin were performing Nick's original material and landed a contract with a major label, Columbia, whose executives correctly calculated that the world was ready for another wave of teen pop. But Columbia dropped the band, and the brothers signed to Disney, which meant synergy: They were all over Radio Disney and landed a reality show and a movie, "Camp Rock," both of which drew millions of viewers during JoBros mania.They started losing steam — in 2009 they had to cancel and postpone numerous concerts due to slow sales, just as Bieber was taking off — and made a bold move. The brothers split up. Joe went solo. Nick returned to Broadway, succeeding Daniel Radcliffe of "Harry Potter" last year in "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying." Kevin got married and joined his wife, Danielle, on the cable channel E! reality show "Married to Jonas."
Kevin's show is lighthearted and fun, and he and Danielle have a certain bemused chemistry. In one episode, a Realtor shows them a potential new home, and a dozen local autograph seekers show up with cameras and star-struck grins. Kevin laughs and poses dutifully, but at one point he shares one of his housing criteria with one of the "guests": "You can imagine that privacy is an issue for us."
Later, Kevin gleefully recounts the online rumors about brother Joe's alleged sex tape: "It's explicit! Like ball gags! And, like, chains!"
Kevin enthusiastically turns to his friends and begins to explain what a ball gag is, until his wife cuts him off: "All right, Kevin."
After three years apart, almost on schedule, JoBros reunited for a tour in 2012. They've returned to amphitheaters.
"There were definitely times when we were like, 'Oh, I haven't seen my brothers in a while.' It definitely changed," Kevin says. "But the minute we started making this album, it was like we were back to square one. It was really great.
"We're lucky," he says. "I don't take any of this for granted. I know I've been blessed a lot in my life. I'm just happy we can continue to do all these things."
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