Nick Jonas, September 2008
|
| Background information |
| Birth name |
Nicholas Jerry Jonas |
| Born |
September 16, 1992 (1992-09-16) (age 16), Dallas, Texas |
| Origin |
Wyckoff, New Jersey, USA |
| Genre(s) |
Teen pop, pop rock |
| Occupation(s) |
Vocalist, musician, actor, Singer-songwriter |
| Instrument(s) |
Vocals, guitar, drums, piano |
| Years active |
1999 - present |
| Label(s) |
Hollywood, Columbia |
| Associated acts |
Jonas Brothers |
| Website |
JonasBrothers.com |
| Notable instrument(s) |
| Gibson guitar, Drums, Keyboard |
Nicholas Jerry "Nick" Jonas (born September 16, 1992) is an American singer-songwriter and actor best known as one of the Jonas Brothers, a pop-rock band he formed with his brothers Joe and Kevin. The Jonas Brothers originally started with a solo singing career for Nick, but when his brothers Kevin and Joe sang backup for him, the record producer liked their sound and signed all three of them.[citation needed]
Background
Jonas was born in Dallas, Texas,[1] the son of Denise, a former sign language teacher and singer, and Paul Kevin Jonas, Sr., a songwriter, musician and former ordained minister at a Pentecostal Assemblies of God church.[2][3][4] He is of Italian descent on his mother's side.[3][5] Jonas was raised in Wyckoff, New Jersey and homeschooled by his mother.
The Jonases are known for their wholesome, "family-friendly" image,[citation needed] and the brothers are all committed Evangelical Christians. Their father is a former Assembly of God pastor, and they were homeschooled by their mother. In addition, to signify their vow to abstain from premarital sex, on their left-hand ring finger they all wear purity rings. Joe has said that the rings symbolize "a promise to ourselves and to God that we'll stay pure till marriage," and Nick had stated that "it's purity rings pretty awesome, and the rings are just one of our ways of kind of like being different than everybody else out there." They reportedly started wearing the rings when their parents, Denise and Kevin Sr., asked them if they wanted to.[6] They also reportedly abstain from alcohol, tobacco, and drugs.[7]
Career
Acting
Broadway
Nick's career started when he was discovered at the age of 6 in a barber shop while his mother was getting her hair cut and was referred to as a professional show business manager.[8][9][10] At the age of 7, he began performing on Broadway.[11][12] He had acted in several plays, including A Christmas Carol (in 2000 as Tiny Tim and Scrooge at eight), Annie Get Your Gun (in 2001 as Little Jake), Beauty and the Beast (in 2002 as Chip), and Les Misérables (in 2003 as Gavroche).[12][13][14][15] After Les Misérables closed, he performed in The Sound of Music (as Kurt) at the Paper Mill Playhouse.[16]
Television
On August 17, 2007, Nick, along with his brothers, guest starred in an episode of Hannah Montana. The episode debuted alongside High School Musical 2 and a sneak peek of the new Disney Channel show Phineas and Ferb.[17] The episode broke basic cable records with a record 10.7 million viewers and became basic cable's most watched series telecast ever.[18]
Nick and his brothers, Joe and Kevin, filmed a Disney Channel Original Movie called Camp Rock where they play a band called "Connect Three." Joe plays the lead male role and lead singer "Shane Gray"; Nick plays the role of "Nate," a guitarist; and Kevin plays the role of "Jason," also a guitarist. A soundtrack for the movie was released on June 17, 2008. The movie premiered on June 20 in the USA on Disney Channel, and Canada on Family.
The Disney Channel reality short series, Jonas Brothers: Living the Dream, premiered on Disney Channel on May 16, 2008. The show, which ran until September 5, 2008, documents Nick, Kevin, and Joe's lives on the Look Me In The Eyes Tour.
He and his brothers will also be starring in their own Disney Channel Original Series, entitled J.O.N.A.S., which they are currently filming.
Singing
Solo artist
In 2002 while performing in Beauty and the Beast, Nick had written a song with his father called "Joy to the World (A Christmas Prayer)." With background vocals from the Beauty and the Beast cast, Nick performed the song on the 2002 annual Broadway "Equity Fights AIDS" album, Broadway's Greatest Gifts: Carols for a Cure, Vol. 4.[19][20][21] In November 2003, INO Records received a demo copy of "Joy To The World (A Christmas Prayer)."[22] The label released the song to Christian radio, where it quickly became popular on Record & Radio's Christian Adult Contemporary Chart.[20] While Nick was working on his solo project, Joe followed in his footsteps to Broadway, appearing in Baz Lurhmann's production of La Boheme.
By September 2004, an executive at Columbia Records found out about Nick's song.[19][20] Nick was soon jointly signed to INO Records and Columbia Records and released the single "Dear God".[23][24] A second single, "Joy to the World (A Christmas Prayer)" (a new solo recording), was released on November 16.[25] It was supposed to be followed by a December release of a self-titled solo album Nicholas Jonas, but the album had been pushed back;[26] it did, however, get a limited release.[27] Nick, along with Kevin and Joe, had written several other songs for the album.[19]
In early 2005, Columbia Records' new president, Steve Greenberg, listened to Nick's record. While Greenberg did not like the album, he did like Nick's voice.[28]
Jonas Brothers
Main article:
Jonas BrothersAfter meeting with Nick and hearing the song, "Please Be Mine", written and performed by the brothers, Daylight/Columbia Records had decided to sign the three as a group act.[19][29][30] After being signed to Columbia, the brothers considered naming their group "Sons of Jonas" before settling on the name "Jonas Brothers."[31]
It's About Time, the brothers first album was released on August 8, 2006.[32] According to the band's manager, it was only a "limited release" of a little over 50,000 copies. Because Sony was not interested in further promoting the band, the Jonas Brothers then considered switching labels. The band was ultimately dropped by Columbia Records in early 2007.
After shortly being without a label, the Jonas Brothers signed with Hollywood Records in February 2007.[33][34] Around the same time, brothers began appearing in commercials for Baby Bottle Pops, singing the jingle.[34] Their self-titled second album, Jonas Brothers, was released on August 7, 2007.[35] It reached number five on the Billboard Hot 200 chart in its first week.Its sold 2x million copies worldwide.
The Jonas Brothers' third studio album, A Little Bit Longer, was released in the United States on August 12, 2008.It sold 2 milion copies worldwide.The Jonas brothers were listed number 9 on the richest pop acts of 2008 with Coldplay and AC/DC making over 62 million.
Personal life
Nick was diagnosed with Type I diabetes at the age of 13 and wears an OmniPod insulin pump to help him manage his diabetes.[36] He has developed the Change for the Children Foundation. Partnering with five different charities, their goal is to raise money and awareness for diabetes.[37] He has dated Disney stars Selena Gomez and Miley Cyrus.[38]
Filmography
References
- ^ http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1596863/20081013/jonas_brothers.jhtml
- ^ http://www.suntimes.com/entertainment/movies/1449237,w-jonas-brothers-3d-interview-022509.article
- ^ a b http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/music_blog/2009/02/the-jonas-broth.html
- ^ http://www.newsweek.com/id/105564
- ^ http://www.roanoke.com/extra/wb/151404
- ^ "The Boy Band Next Door". NewsWeek.com. http://www.newsweek.com/id/105564.
- ^ Sue Zeidler (February 1, 2008). "Straight-laced Jonas Brothers defy rocker image". Reuters.com. http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSN0136625220080201. Retrieved on 2009-03-13.
- ^ MTV: More Blink-182 Than Hanson, It's Time For The Jonas Brothers
- ^ Jonas Brothers - CCMmagazine.com
- ^ MTV News: Jonas Brothers
- ^ Jonas Brothers: It's About Time
- ^ a b Clubhouse Magazine
- ^ Playbill News: Beauty and the Beast Becomes 8th Longest-Running Show Aug. 4
- ^ Playbill News: Photo Call: Les Misérables: Leading Mann
- ^ Playbill Biography: Nicholas Jonas
- ^ Playbill News: Meg Bussert Joins Paper Mill Sound of Music; Complete Casting Announced
- ^ Gina Scarpa, "'Hannah Montana' Airs New Episode On Big Night", BuddyTV.com, August 11, 2007.
- ^ Joal Ryan, "High School Musical 2 Big 2 B Ignored", E! News, August 18, 2007.
- ^ a b c d Kansas City Star: Band interview: The Jonas Brothers, on the road, promoting their first CD
- ^ a b c Allentown Morning Call: The Jonas Brothers: heartthrobs of the Hanson kind
- ^ Broadway's Greatest Gifts: Carols for a Cure, Vol. 4
- ^ INO Records: Nicholas Jonas - Dear God
- ^ Dear God by Nicholas Jonas
- ^ About.com: INO Records Signs 12-Year Old Singer/Actor Nicholas Jonas
- ^ Joy To The World (A Christmas Prayer) by Nicholas Jonas
- ^ About.com: Jonas Brothers It's About Time
- ^ WalMart.com: Nicholas Jonas
- ^ Jonas Brothers deliver squeaky clean 'punk' music
- ^ New Haven Register: Brothers In Arms
- ^ The Cute Boy Choir & Soloist Directory: Nicholas Jonas
- ^ MTV - The New Boy Bands
- ^ Billboard Discography - Jonas Brothers - It's About Time
- ^ PR Newswire: The Jonas Brothers Sign Record Deal With Disney's Hollywood Records
- ^ a b Topps' Baby Bottle Pop Sweetens Its Effort
- ^ Billboard Discography - Jonas Brothers
- ^ http://www.diabeteshealth.com/read/2007/04/26/5150.html
- ^ http://www.cosmogirl.com/blog/daily-kiss-jobro-diabetes
- ^ Liz McNeil (2008-08-07). "Miley: Nick Jonas and I 'Were In Love'". People. http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20217447,00.html. Retrieved on 2009-03-15.
