Podcrushed - [Rerun] Jonas Brothers

Episode Date: April 29, 2026

[Original air date: July 23, 2025] Well folks, they’re here. The Jonas Brothers — a once-in-a-generation trio who’ve helped define pop culture for the past 20 years — join the pod for a candid, unfiltered conversation about their early years. From playing mall shows in Wyckoff, New Jersey to headlining stadiums across the globe, they reflect on family, fame, and the road to their monumental comeback. Plus, they share a sneak peek at their new album, Greetings From Your Hometown, out August 8. 🎧 Want more from Podcrushed? 📸 Instagram 🎵 TikTok 🐦 X / Twitter ✨ Follow Penn, Sophie & Nava Instagram Penn Sophie Nava TikTok Penn Sophie Nava  

Lemonada. So 12 years old, just started new school in New Jersey, and it's actually the year I picked up the guitar. Oh, okay. Yeah. I started a day to just picked it up. He didn't do it. I just picked it up for the first time.

What is this way? Welcome to Podcrushed. We're hosts. I'm Penn. I'm Nava. And I'm Sophie. And I think we would have been your middle school besties. Craming for finals 15 minutes before they start.

Shit. Welcome to Pod Crush. Sophie and Sari, where is Penn Badgley? He's here. Not to worry. Do not click away, listeners. He's coming. He's actually coming with his three honorary brothers, the Jonas brothers. He filmed one TikTok with them. People pointed out they were all brunettes. And now he goes by Penn Jonas and he refused to do this intro with us. So, you know, there you have it. Before we jump into this episode, which we loved, I was smiling for days after. I think you all will love it too. We want to thank our friends at Sirius XM who allowed Penn Jonas and the rest of the Jonas brothers to use the studio today for filming. We're so grateful.

We couldn't have done it without you, especially a shout out to Adam and Gian who made it happen. I do not need to tell you anything about the Jonas brothers. You already know who they are. They have been at the beating heart of culture for the last 20 years, which is such a crazy thing to be able to say about such young men. Yeah. They're back today in support of their. a new album called Greetings from Your

Home Town. There's already a few singles out that you can listen to and their album will be out August 8th. We talked all about it and all about so many other things. You think you're going to love this episode. So, don't go anywhere. Stick around. So I'm not sure if you're aware, but what we do here is, you know, it's pod crush.

The idea is adolescence, middle school. We start at 12th because that's a formative time of life for everybody, right? Definitely. Particularly for performers. It is the case. You guys are right there in the pocket because your adolescence was, well, largely documented, right? And there's like...

Too largely documented. Well, exactly. And we want to go to the highs or lows, everything. But we like to start just at a snapshot, like daily life at 12. Now, obviously, you're not all the same age. So I was wondering if maybe we could just get, you know, like Kevin at 12, Joe at 12, Nick at 12, and the way you were, as much as you can weave it together, just like, you know, the way you were influencing each other's adolescence.

And you all had a different life, right? But let's just get a snapshot, maybe just from the eldest to the youngest. Yeah, so 12 years old, just started a new school in New Jersey, private school. We came out of a public school thing and went to a private school. and I was the only one at this point still going to like to school. Nick was already starting to work on Broadway.

I was doing slightly some commercials, some commercial work and I was like in and out of school a little bit but mostly I was just in school and it's actually the year I picked up the guitar. Oh, okay. Yeah. I started it, he just picked it up.

He didn't do anything. I just picked up for the first time. How much is this way? Yeah, I was homesick from school with strep. I used to get a lot of strep throw. All year. I faked it for another week,

but I had it for like a true like, you know, we've, fevers, the whole thing. And I, at that point, obviously, like it's not like today where you have a million things to watch at any given time. So I got really bored if the price is right at 10 a.m. Oh, wow.

That just gave me a flashback. It's like Nick Jr. was on, you know, like it's just like Nick Jr.'s on. Then it moves to Nickelodeon, but you're just kind of like waiting for any content that you might like. So I was bored of it And I picked up a teach yourself guitar book

And that was when I started like doodling around on the guitar Wow Did you have to Was there a guitar at home already? There was. We grew up in a very musical home Our father is a great musician Grew up singing, playing in different like country clubs

Not like golf but like actual country western Oh right. Okay. Like singing and then like led Then we were in my dad was a pastor Arda was a pastor of a church at the time So we were also like music was a part of the church and so like growing up playing and being around it a lot.

And when you were 12, how old were you guys? Maybe you would know better? We're what, four years apart, five years apart? Yeah. I was like eight. Okay. 10 and a half, depending on how old camera was when he was 12. Okay, can I ask how you do you remember?

It's getting real specific, so it doesn't need to be better. How did you at 12 when you were 12, let's get you at 12, and then how did you perceive your older brother? Because older brothers are a thing. By the way, I'm an only child very much. Okay. And also just for our listeners, obviously you know,

we all know who you're pointing to and talking to, but just anyone who's listening, you all, because your brothers, sound remarkably similar when you're just listening in headphones. Yeah. Yeah.

Just what we're like, who is it? That was Kevin. I just told my 12-year-old life story. Yeah. I did say we were starting eldest. Thank you. So.

Yes, yes. But then just now you said, and you, and you? And you? And you couldn't say you more. Joe. When I was 12, these guys were both very athletic, and I was not. So I would hang out with them or go to a lot of their gymnastics meets or they would go skateboarding a lot.

So I was the guy that would film skateboarders. So somebody hit a nice Ollie in the documentary. Was that you? I was you. I was Kevin. I lived my best life with skating. I like there's like I will listen to the music and I watch the documentary. I like you pointed out something from it.

You're prepared. You're prepared. I appreciate it as a prep. Thank you. So, yeah, 12 years old, I was just starting to think about music because the crush that I had at the time, I brought her to see Nick on Broadway. Nick, Nick, the youngest brother. What show was the end? You remember?

At the time, I think it was Le Miz. Okay. So it was Le Miz. That was your first or second? When you were 12. When you were 12, he was in a late Miss. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, when you were 12.

I just sent me out to sound like a jerk there, but yeah, it was my third. Yeah, okay. his first Broadway show. And seeing that show with somebody that I had a crush on, and she was like, wow, that is so amazing. I immediately wanted to get into theater or be an actor of some sort. So I was interested, and Nick was already doing theater. Kevin was doing commercial work, so we started all kind of acting.

And I loved comedy, but I was also funny because I was too shy to stand up and do anything with comedy, but I love the idea of doing something in the comedy world or space. So, again, not very athletic, but I would hang out these guys all the time. So I would go and film, like, with, I bought, I think my parents bought me for Christmas one year, like a Sony, like VHS cam. So I could go and film pretty much whether it was home videos, home movies, or these guys and their talents. So, yeah, that was me at 12. That's thoughtful that you were, I mean, it was the 90s, right?

But you were, but like that you were filming your brothers, that feels to me like, I don't know that's that's giving you know to not necessarily initially want to turn it on yourself yeah I mean I wish I could have I just didn't have to do

I didn't have I wasn't as gifted in those talents as they were and then how I viewed my older brother Kevin I it was great to be the middle child where

if one of them didn't want to hang out with you or if Kevin when he started like his first I guess girlfriend I was Then I was able to be like able to be like Well Nick's gonna be around He's gonna hang on me too

So I was always able to like kind of have somebody to befriend And I think those years Like we were just starting to get into music too The idea of Of listening to the same kind of bands A lot of like emo punk pop bands Jersey was like They would do shows

You'd see these funny videos of people performing in little I hops or basements of clubs we were like one day we're going to go see these concerts. So music was just on the forefront. Right. And so by the time you're 12, Nick, it's really there, right? I mean, because you had started so early. Like, you really, I mean, if, to whatever degree,

the documentary reflects all the things that were happening. I know stuff is left out, but it seems like you really kind of... You started super early. I started, yeah, about eight years old. Right, okay. So by the time you're 12, where in the evolution of, Your own path and also the Jonas Brothers path, are we? Yeah, it was early stages for the Brothers Path.

But basically during my 12th year of life, I was making a solo album. So I'd been signed by Columbia Records as a solo artist first, coming out of the Broadway shows that I was doing as a kid. I did shows from the time I was 8 to about 11. And then somebody heard this song that I'd written with our dad for a Broadway cares, Equity Fight, Say, Christmas compilation. And, you know, my dad and I would,

I did too, our father and I would... I get it. It's my story. You know, we would write songs, basically, silly, fun songs on the way to New York City from our home in New Jersey, just as a way to pass the time. And then eventually it started getting

more and more serious, and we started, you know, really kind of writing real songs. And so when they, you know, said that our show was going to do a number for this compilation, and my dad very boldly asked if we could present an original song as Beauty and the Beast's contribution. And they very boldly said yes.

And someone basically that we knew a family friend who happened to be our chiropractor of all people, Dr. Wallony, shout out Dr. Walney, played it for somebody that worked at Sony Records. And we thought that could be anybody who knows who this person is. And it turned out that it was the head of international affairs for all of Sonny Music Group. Wow.

Who then brought me in to have me meet. This guy David Massey, who had signed, you know, incredible acts and happened to have signed a couple of acts of brothers. Good Charlotte. Oasis. Oh, wow. Some, you know, major acts. Some people.

Some people. He named me kind of on the spot at 11 years old, and I spent a year working with songwriters, so I would drive into a city with my dad or our mom, and basically kind of be dropped. Can I interrupt you to ask you a question? Is it normal for them to allow an 11-year-old to write part of the songs? Like I would imagine that they would not include you in the writing process. Like how did you end up being able to be a songwriter on that album?

Yeah, it's a great question. I think the thing for me was that I was so ambitious. And I credit our parents with instilling a lot of confidence in us at an early age and empowering us in our desire to create music and not just perform it, but to create it. To where, you know, when we were negotiating the deal points for my album, my dad said that, you know, it was important that I be a part of the writing process. And so I'm sure these songwriters were all rolling their eyes going, yeah, sure, this is 11,

12, okay, is going to walk in, yeah, and be a part of it. But what ended up happening is I cut my teeth in that time and really learned the craft and kind of went to school, getting to work with some of the, you know, the best writers here in New York City. to a point where basically I would come home and listen to Kevin and Joe through the wall workshopping different songs each night. Kevin would play, Joe would sing. And I one night went and heard them singing a song called 24 by the band Switchfoot,

an album that we all loved, a beautiful letdown. And I was taken aback by just how brilliant they sounded together. And then we started working on a song together, and it was the first one we'd ever written. So really the genesis of the band happened when I was 12. and formed kind of out of a wild set of circumstances to where that song that we wrote that night ended up being the song that got us all three signed

and ruined my life. There is a fourth Jonas brother. You have a younger brother, Frankie, who's quite a bit younger, so I think from an outsider's perspective, it makes sense that the three of you have gone on to form this band. But I'm curious how that has played a role, or, you know, was there ever a time when

it would have maybe made sense for him to join you all, or was that ever something he wanted? How much younger is he, can I ask for us? He's 18 years younger than me. Okay. But 12 or 13 years younger. 13 for me, yeah, right, right. So he was, you know, he was not a surprise. Wow. Which our parents,

you know, they wanted to have another child and, thankfully, you know, God, God did God's things, and Franklin appeared. And he, you know, from the time he was born, he was like, he was, just so full of life and funny. You know, like, I have a three and a half year old now,

and I'm sort of watching some of the same character traits that Franklin, her uncle, possessed, you know, at that age where he was just funny and carefree and had a really interesting perspective on everything, and she kind of shares that same thing. It's fun to see that connection points generationally. But, you know, I don't know if there's ever a point where he wanted to join the band,

but I think that naturally growing up, you know, with your brothers being on TV and touring and, you know, it can certainly affect your sense of reality and your perception of, you know, kind of what life is or what normal life is because he had only known one speed. We had, you know, at least in my case, 12 or 13 years of real normalcy or perceived normalcy and a very sort of simple life, you know, there's not a whole lot of money in ministry, turns out. You're doing God's work.

We were, you know, we were, I think, really fortunate to have early days where we had a real sense of what hard work meant and, you know, that great things could be achieved, but it takes time and how to treat people. And so I'm sure for Franklin a bit disorienting, but he's really grown into to be the absolute, like, most wonderful human beings. being who's got the biggest heart and shows up not only for the three of us in so many ways, but for our kids and our family. I'm lucky. I get to do a show with him. We didn't do this season, but we do a show for ABC

called Claim to Fame, so we actually co-host it together. Which is really fun because the concept is, you're related to someone that's extremely famous because you're trying to keep that a secret and trying to figure out who these people are. That's the whole goal of the show. And so for him, it's like he just plays along with them as like the younger brother,

even to these cast members, which is so cool and so fun. And his whole energy. You get to like say that you're related to us, which is just so great. I finally know. I'm also related to celebrities. Yeah.

For better or for worse. I want to go back to this point you were making about having these years of normalcy and they're not being a lot of money. And I think at some point I read in one of these things that you were essentially like a touring family band, living in a really small apartment.

You did get some money from the album. had to be split with like the whole family and they were extended family members maybe coming into the picture at some point. So can you tell us about that time when you're like in the small apartment, you do have a deal, but you know, it's it's a simple time. I think because we didn't understand like the complexities of what our parents went. And now as parents were all like, you guys are unbelievable that you did. You went through this. Our mom was pregnant with Franklin at the time and we're just kind of starting as a band and our dad is kind of weighing two different jobs, three different jobs.

And also just like kind of letting us chase our dream, which is amazing, but teenagers who don't even know who they are yet. And also living this life of quote unquote rock stars. So you'd go and play these concerts with thousands of people in the audience. And then we'd go live in a bedroom of four boys in a small little house in New Jersey. That are, I think the police chief that was like cool with our dad gave some mates rates and they gave us like a cheap rental so we could all live still in New Jersey at the time.

So basically, yeah, when our father finished at the church that he was pastoring, that also meant that we had to move out of our home. So the parsonage is the home owned by the church that the family of the pastor will live in. And you'd grown up there. We'd grown up there. I mean, yeah, we'd been there for about 11, 12 years.

And so this very kind sort of friend of the family had a home that his mother, who had just passed that he said we could live in for very little to basically no rent because he knew how strapped we were because my dad had basically self-funded

our father had self-funded the band because at that time you know this is, keep in mind it's like 0-4, 05 when you really needed a spark for a record label to invest any money or you needed to have a champion they would say

I'm doing finger quotes for people listening in the building who is an executive who has enough clout or power to say yeah I believe in this project so I'm going to commit to spending X on supporting the tour or supporting the album budgeting stuff but we didn't have that and we had basically

been shuffled around the building with a bunch of different champions to the point where our dad was deeply in credit card debt just by buying gear for us to play shows and we would kind of roll up to these school auditoriums this was the record labels genius idea and it kind of worked so

I'm not being facetious here, but we roll into school auditoriums at about like 8, 9 a.m., play a 30-minute performance, which would then be followed by our uncle, Uncle Josh, shout out, getting on stage and doing like an anti-drug speech. So it was the strangest way for us to sort of like loophole into being able to play shows before we had any fans.

And then we would leave that and go to shopping malls and basically do the same thing, which came full circle for us this last, what was it, March, we did an event at this mall in New Jersey called The American Dream, where we celebrated the 20 years of his band, kind of going back to our roots playing at malls. Because, again, we would just go set up and play, hoping that people shopping would stop and listen.

And, you know, eventually something clicked and things started to happen, but it was a grind at first, for sure. So there is this period where your father is no longer, what we say? Pastor. a pastor at the church at the church and that was

that was a big departure because it was sudden and unexpected as I understand correct right and and it and it really felt probably in many ways

just like like you were being I'm just imagining I'm reading a children's book to my son right now where these these actually their troubadours interestingly enough

they get kicked out of the the town they're in because they're playing so loud. And I'm just imagining like, you know... Similar. Yeah, so, you know... Exactly. It's actually about that. But I'm just thinking, for you guys,

you're still, I mean, I know that you're into your teens and stuff, but you're young, your kids. Definitely. And we felt it slightly responsible, too, for the departure of our father. That's what I mean. So this has an origin story to me feels very potent, you know? It's kind of like it's now or never,

it's a lot of pressure. I mean, look at the three of you were here being like, all right it worked but that also made us feel like anything could be stripped from us any minute so it's hard it took us a long time to enjoy things because just like our

dad losing his or I guess leaving his job and the record label at the time dropping us it kind of was like one two punch and it happened within like the same month because by the time that you guys were known as the Jonas brothers nobody was

that none of that was the image that was presented initially right yeah We definitely had a full album and videos and all this stuff. And when all that happened, we were feeling a little bit of shame, but also like embarrassed and frustrated, a little like mad at our dad at the time. Like, why would you leave this great, like our home and our amazing life?

And you have no idea as a kid. That's like that's the best thing he'd possibly be doing for us in that situation. And it was like kind of treading water, at least for us, As we're going and feeling like we're living double lives, which it is what it is, but we're so grateful for those humble upbringings now, but sharing that room and then going playing these shows, and you're like, this doesn't feel like real.

Are we supposed to be living in like this luxurious home while we're doing this? But now it's like you see why we think why that's like probably why we're probably somewhat normal people, I guess, mentally. And then there was a record label who was a record label who was a. associated Hollywood Records who was underneath the Disney like umbrella gave us a call and was like hey we want to meet with you we have an idea for a pilot for a TV show and we want to sign you

a record label but we want to meet with you guys first so we literally packed our bags and moved to L.A. and they put us up in a one Toluca Lake Estates Drive which is right off universal so when I was 12 years old I moved to North Hollywood first and then when I was 13 I lived in Tulsa Lake

not exactly but everyone was in that beginning everyone was in that little neighborhood and we took a meeting and it was like the dream pitch it was like we want to do a TV show and maybe a movie and then we're going to sign a record label and we're like where do we sign? And of course our dad's like let's just wait. Our dad's like but then that feeling back to your question like

or I guess the Tribador book we kind of felt like well like what if it happens again we wouldn't allow ourselves to just enjoy those things and we kind of talk about it in the documentary a lot just some of those like I want to call them traumas but those feelings of being abandoned. Let me call them that. I'll call them that.

Okay, the dramas of being like... The traumas. We'll call for now a small tea, but... Yeah. A spicy memory. Something that may or may not happen to us because we're going to enjoy it. Yeah.

It took us years before we could just look back and be like, wow, that was... Now we're here. Celebrate the winds. We're good. We're like, celebrate the day, not the, I guess, milestone or like massive year that you had.

Was this right around the time? I mean, I just watching the duck, I was thinking like, this is a moment of the kind of the silent quiet sacrifices that like all people in music and entertainment make, particularly people who make it to that level of a certain kind of pop stardom.

And you guys weren't there yet, but when you had this diabetes scare? Yeah. Yeah, I was diagnosed at 13. Yeah. So basically we were doing that school tour and I started losing a ton of weight and drinking a ton of water,

using the bathroom all the time, all the signs now that I know are symptoms of type 1 diabetes. but I think it's actually a testament to kind of the lack of information and awareness there was around type 1 at this time. And so I had no idea. I just knew that I wasn't feeling well and was losing all this weight. Joe and I went ahead of our parents by like a day to this place in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, which there was like a convention at every year for pastors and their families. So we jumped ahead.

Joe was 16, so he was sort of like chaperoning me. We went to the pool one day and he saw my back and called my parents and said, you know, something's really wrong. You had to get down here. Because you're so skinny. So skinny, yeah. You can see every bone. And I, yeah, I was, I was, uh, I was feeling just awful.

And anyway, so I went to the doctor and normal glucose should be between 70 to 120 for a person not living with type 1 diabetes. Mine was like north of 900, which is, which is, which is very high. But I, you know, had great doctors and a couple days in the hospital and was back on stage, within a week's time of being diagnosed. I'm coming up on my 20th year living with the disease, which coincides with the 20th year of the band,

coincidentally. Don't call them that. The band. Just the leaps we've made, though, it's pretty astounding, you know, tech-wise and even just information that we have now as opposed to what we had then is really wild.

Yeah, wow, that's amazing. And we'll be right back. There's this moment in the documentary. We keep mentioning it. Everyone just pause the podcast to go watch chasing happiness. It's so good. Yes, can very much recommend it. Thank you. There's this moment where Kevin takes a phone call and you're on the phone with someone named Danielle. I'm like, is that his wife? Is that Kevin's I had to go up and look it up because Joe says at one point like, that's your future wife. Like tell her you're so excited to see her. It was such a cute like brother moment, which was so nice to

see. It's all AI. I'm pretty lucky. All AI, actually. Amazon Brian has lots of money. Yeah, exactly. I'm pretty lucky to have that kind of footage, like, of that call, me inviting her to see her first show.

Yeah. That's pretty cool. But there is a question that we ask all of our guests on the show, which is to tell us about their first crush and maybe first heartbreak. And yours will be interesting because, sorry, so just to interject, I just want to give the framing. It's interesting because, you know, so much about your, adolescence is completely abnormal,

as are many people on the show, by the way. It's like, it's more or less, nor was mine. But, you know, finding those places where you were just normal kids. Yeah, right. Everybody has those feelings. Yeah. Who wants to go first?

Elder's brother. Where are you at? Elder Kevin. Elder Kevin. We were so, Elder Kevin. Speaking of church. I will say it's a little surreal, by the way, talking about this age right now

and thinking to myself like, oh, that's my daughter. now. Is she that old? She's about to be, she'll be 12 next year. Yeah. So it's like, it's a little bit like,

oh, no, like her. Everything I'm doing will affect her life. Oh, no. You know, like I'm doing that a little bit in my brain right now. She just graduated fifth grade.

It's a big deal. That is a big deal. It's a big deal. As you know, middle school, you know. Yeah, I used to teach fifth grade. There you go. It's such a good year.

God bless you. Anyway, first crush. I think like first like real girlfriend, like I felt like was my girlfriend was in, from when we were in church, we actually kind of dated sisters at one point.

I never dated, is that, Lauren. Yeah. I never got there. Never got, okay, well, I did her older sister. And she, yeah, it was definitely, like, early, like, definitely into, see a girl fall in love right away, thinking you're going to marry them at 15. But that didn't happen. Yeah.

But, like, you know, back and forth, on and off again, the entire high school, like years, actually, which is pretty crazy. We were born a day apart. Just as an aside, did you end up graduating high school? Yes, I did graduate. You mean like in a school or you mean it's just in general? In a school. Oh, well, kind of.

We went to... We're homeschooled. So junior year, I left like traditional, like... It's not your question. I thought she was actually like, do you have a high school diploma? I actually graduated high school. I was like, arrested. I thought you were asking if I graduated high school, like...

I just see like visualized Kevin's middle school. I just see like visualized... school principal burst in the doors open with handcuffs. Yeah, she's put on her middle school principal. Just because you said they were on and off through high school, so I was curious. Yes, high school. I associate that until I got my license because at 17, I was a junior, but I left our Eastern Christian high school in New Jersey and went to a homeschool program. But I was on, I was in AP courses through high school.

So once I got to the homeschool program, I was pretty much done, except for two years of Bible. So whatever school my parents picked knew that I could be done pretty quickly. So I spent about a month and a half of just ripping through two years of that. And I graduated. New Testament, no big deal. Exactly. And I pretty much graduated when I got my license at 17. So just so you guys know, I'm in a similar boat.

And again, they've had such normal lives when it comes. A lot of their lives is not. But when it comes to their academic, they're just like, So did you finish high school, my love? Are you, oh, I don't. Teenal multiplication. No judgment. Yeah.

I do have a diploma. I don't know where it is or where of what school is from, but it's somewhere. I like that. I did the proficiency test. Next oldest. Tell us about your sort of first infaturation for a break. Her name is Becca. We can believe her out.

Becca Idaho, shout out. And she was the police chief's daughter that let us rent that home. Oh, wow. That family just kept in you a solid. Watched me in every movie made. The four ring cameras, so it was good. And, yeah, big crush on her. And I was going to, like, you know, early age, helpless romantic,

started listening to a lot of, like the weird time earlier, Copeland, emo pop music, there's a band called Copeland. Look them up, they're great. And I was going to show up, and at this point I'm homeschooled. And I was going to show up. My big plan was to show up to her school, that I used to go to school, at Eastern Christian, with roses on Valentine's Day and ask her to be my girlfriend.

It's going to be like the next step. And her sister, I guess, called Kevin to tell me not to do that. That's right. Oh, she found out that you were going to do that. And that we'd be better as friends. And then I cried in my room and listened to the whole album, this Copeland album, which encouraged me. I was like, I'm going to write songs now.

For real. I was like, I'm going to write sad music like this. I want to do what these guys are doing. So there was a little happy outcome to it. Thank you, Rebecca. Yeah. But that was my first crush and first heartbreak. Oh.

How about you, Nick? My first crush was kind of a two-part deal here. It's kind of embarrassing. But I was doing a show called The Christmas Carol, my first show, technically off Broadway, but I was around people who love to sing and dance and tell stories for the first time and I really felt like I belonged in this community and specifically

one of my castmates named Lily but I also I had a crush on the child wrangler oh for those who don't work in the business that's uh hold on this is a whole different

so basically they're chaperuns because the parents can't be there on site for the production right so if you drop your kids off they go and do their job and there are adults there to oversee both their school work, and also just to make sure that they don't die

on set. And, yeah, so I was really concerned, though, this is at eight years old, you know, that Lily, my, my, you know, co-actor and the child wrangler would know that I had a crush on that one of them. So I was having to keep cool, you know, I couldn't let them... Imagine yourself in a love triangle.

Yeah, exactly, Eddie. It was very, very sweet. First heartbreak. You know, I think, yeah, probably around 11 or 12. It's not a fantastic story, but just another school crush or something that didn't materialize. Probably because I was seen as sort of weird because I like to go and sing songs and tell stories. But similar to Joe's story, it sort of like forced me to music as a way of being able to process my very big feelings at like 10 or 11. And I'm really grateful for that outlet because it is.

has turned out to be a good one. Yeah. You know, you just said something that jogged my memory. Like you, I feel like I think all three of you, at least two of you have said in interviews just along the way when you began performing. Or at least I know that you said it about acting or at least being on stage, Nick, that it was the first time that you felt like a part of accepted, a part of. accepted a part of something and I really do feel you there a lot of performers feel the same way

at the same time it's interesting because you know you guys were you were like as you also say in the doc sort of the first family of the church where your dad was a pastor and you were it sounds like you were very much a part of a community and it sounds like it was

a real community you know and so I'm curious like if there were like pressures of being in that position within that community that, I don't know, like, would later mirror the stardom you would enter and just this thing about feeling accepted, this thing, you know what I mean? Absolutely. And I think it wasn't very much a mirror a little bit. And Joe kind of touched on it a little bit, like not enjoying the moments that we were celebrating or things like that. Because I think one for sure was that everyone's watching, right? And how you are perceived, or at least this is my, my, my version of that, right? This is Kevin for all those listening.

Sitting in the front row of that church, being all eyes on you and having to behave and having to be a certain way and playing guitar on stage. Like I remember my dad, you know, cutting my teeth with my dad in eighth grade, going to Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Kualempur, like flying there, performing, you know, worship songs and music with him.

But he, his music there while I was playing guitar. So you were already flying, that's interesting. I didn't quite gather all that. That was like church music with my dad. Like his music was, He would go visit churches and play for like three weeks. And I went to some amazing places with him and did that. But I yawned on stage because, you know, 12-hour difference.

And then I was on the screen or whatever behind. And he literally said to me after he goes, like, great job, but never yawn again on stage. Wow. And I like, Will, there are times for like. I'm going to call him up and talk about it. Yeah. Come on, Kevin. Come on, senior.

No, and I will say, at first I was like traumatized. Like, oh, my God, I messed up. I messed up. You're not traumatized at all now, right? Yeah. But now, like, it's pretty funny. Scott's so mad at you for doing that. I'll be, like, listening to them doing their show,

and I'll be wanting to yawn and, you know, no, I'm just kidding. And, like, I'll be wanting to yawn on stage and just, like, doing everything in my power to, like, do not yawn. Surprise. I'm just, you see somebody yawn? It happens sometimes. I'm just saying it happens. I'm just, who knows.

Yeah. But it's more or less about yawning, more than it's about always being excellent, right? And I think that that maybe is what you're asking, kind of like how we perceived in like the public eye and how we let things affect us and definitely myself. And it was hard. Like at the time being,

it was hard being the firstborn, but it was just me going through things first. Sure, sure, sure. Well, and then I guess there's also, you know, look, the adolescence is a time. Life is a time where we're all struggling to feel accepted. Like, no, I mean, you learn that in marriage.

You're like, oh, I thought I felt accepted everywhere. But like, I realize there's parts of me that I don't accept because my partner is reflecting that back to me. You know, all that stuff. Marithood, I mean, I mean, how old are your kids right now? Four and two. Four and two.

You have a three and a half-year-old. You have a 12? I have an 11-and-eight. So I fight with myself every day. Right. So you guys know exactly what I'm saying. I'm just, you know, I'm just, and maybe my lovely co-hosts can help me throughout a question here, but I'm just thinking about coming of age in the public eye.

It's something that, it's a topic well. tread, but you guys also seem like super well adjusted all that considered. I do have a question. Maybe this will fast forward us a little bit, but I did listen to your episode with Dax, Armtrakspurt. Great episode. And as you guys get into the breakup, I thought it was interesting thinking about how each of you felt like maybe one of you felt underappreciated, maybe one of you felt like

things were being taken too seriously, maybe one of you felt like you were working too hard. I was like, oh, those dynamics are so familiar. like I've certainly felt that in different group settings. And so I'm just curious like as in the podcast. Which one does Navajo feel in this dynamic? But yeah, I was just curious like as you're coming of age, your brothers, you're each on your own path. You're also in this collective group.

You're struggling with feelings that at some point, you know, do lead to breaking up. How is that all coming to the surface as you're going through your career? I guess it wasn't coming to the surface. Yeah. I think we were really good at not talking. talking about things because, you know, we didn't really have the time to. The meteoric rise was so intense and it was so busy.

And we weren't really armed with tools yet to be able to communicate when there was issues or when we felt a certain way. So when you combine the pressure cooker of just time with the fact that we had no tools, and that's nobody's fault, you know, it's, I've had a lot. I've had a lot of conversations I think we each have with our parents about what a great job they did and I truly believe that

and especially as a parent now I can't imagine some of the decisions they had to make and some of the instincts they had that helped us sort of turn out somewhat normal but once you get past once that bubble bursts

and you're not an adolescent innocence is kind of gone you're left on your own a little bit to tread water and figure out how to make sense of communication and family and this other dynamic, which is the fact that we work together.

So I think it took us saying we kind of have to blow this up to be able to put it back together. And I think there was at different points fear that it wouldn't get put back together perfectly.

We weren't even imagining that we would get the band back together. I'm just talking relationally. but I think it was never as toxic or as you know sort of wrong word here but like violent in the conversation in the breakup

it was actually an understanding like this is painful and this sucks and we all have to figure out what the hell we're going to do now but you know sometimes ripping that bandit is better than

the alternative I don't know how do you guys feel? I wasn't listening you're suppressing that was my opportunity to check out no just kidding I think I was really taking back

about your comment question but because it is true even just growing up trying to figure out who you are somebody said this to me recently you were trying to figure out who you are where the world all assumed you are very confidently

knowing the path that you're on whether if it's like for us, I guess call it famously, we were known for like purity rings, which were something in the community of the church where that was like what everybody else in our age were doing

around 10, 11 years old was like we're going to wait for the right person. But one person on an interview when you're 15, 16 ask you about it and you're like, I don't want to talk about this. And then they're like, well, I'm going to write that you guys are in a cult. And we're like, well, we'll talk. 10 years for waiting.

Yeah. That's awful. What about asking a 10-year-old? I wasn't 10, but I did, I don't want to interrupt you, but to the point you just made, which is so real, is like, think about how far we've come in just the conversation and dialogue, and I think it's really a good thing. Where it would be, it would be so outside of the realm of possibilities

or something someone would do to ask at that time a 14-year-old about their sex life. I mean, it was every interview. Yeah. Every interview. It wasn't just us. It was a whole class of young people coming up. It's so gross. It's almost pedophilic to think about it.

Or even asking us why we're not having sex. I'm like, yeah. You don't, and I didn't, of course, have that. Because by the time I was getting that, I was more like 18, 19. But I do remember the first times I was doing press, you know, for like Cosmo Girl or something. It's like a dating column. And I was 17, and it's like a big deal to even be in an interview at this time. And I remember being asked about dating advice.

It's like, and I remember feeling so much pressure to say something that sounded coherent and mature and adult and sexy and it's like I don't have a single thing to say or add here and the pressure I'm just that was tiny

magnified on you guys but it's very similar I mean that's pretty much where we were at so figuring out and whether if it was sex it was even religion or Christianity questioning things that you for me like questioning if I believe in God what is God

is there a god. And save for Rolling Stone please. Yeah, exactly. Exactly. And it's on the record and you're like, uh, and so you felt the pressure, I can definitely speak for all three of us here, felt the pressure being like, well, we have to live these lives because we kind of said it in a paper

once. It's in print, so you've got to do it. Whatever. Things used to be in print for our listeners. Yeah, exactly. You would go by them. So yeah, it would obviously be scary and freak us out. Until we got to a point we're just like, fuck this. and probably the time we're like,

Frick this, because we were like, we're like, we can figure out who we are on our own terms. And I think it honestly was that leap of faith that Nick took kind of saying, hey, I want to go to my own thing and experience what that was like on my own. And even though it was scary and kind of confusing,

putting us in those situations, like, all right, some of us need to go live our life and generally just figure out what that is. And then maybe go experience, whether it is music or acting, or even just being a because we were always together doing music and as a family when we were old enough to be like living on our own we're still living together so yes and also yes and we always left too there's this assumption and and it continues now which is it's totally understandable we all do this in in different ways and don't realize it but like to that point about we did everything together all the time even now you know deeply in our 30s no in our 30s people assume we're together all the time. So I'll come up in the stream

like where's your brothers? I'm with my family. Like my daughter. I'm like a firehouse and like I was speaking about like life changes once again kind of like it almost like I reverted right back

to that moment when we left the church right and everything changed all at once. We were about to have our first you know child band breaks up going back to New Jersey building the house that I think I'm like cool I'm going to be like settled in this place we're going to go on tour and it's going to be fine

even financially, like whatever. Well, everything's up in the air now and life's changing completely. And yeah, it was a weird time. Like, I really didn't know what to do. You know, I tried to be complacent about it. I tried to be like, okay, well, what's next? And like, what can I do?

And, you know, I think it was, it's just difficult, you know, to really know in that moment where you were headed. So I just focused on being at home, which was great. Which was, in a way, the best thing that could have ever happened because I don't think I prioritized, looking back, I don't think I prioritized the amount of time I would really want to spend at home having my first child,

knowing that I would want a significant amount of time at home. And so it actually was a blessing in disguise. Yeah, I mean, you guys were not, since you were coming of age, fused together in this way that in some ways reflects, like, you know, the integrity of your relationship, but it's also what the business did,

the image thing, your career, the band, you refused together in this way that I would imagine as a person who grew up in Hollywood and then got on this big show when I was 20, when I got off of that show,

Gossip Girl, for those listening, I'm not sure. I felt like kind of I was allowed to enter out of less, certain parts of me that maybe weren't free to just, you know, do what one does

when one is coming of age. Like, I just kind of got to do that. I'm curious if maybe in this period is that what you... I mean, you still had the eye on you. You know, you still had, like, public gaze, but, like, did you feel like you could just sort of... Be?

Yeah. In a way, I feel like the transition was just as much a part of, like, the transition out of, you know, what we were kind of doing together and some of those expectations on us, you know, took just as much time to, like, find new things that sort of, like, like create the public persona and then you have to privately

create your real life person. Your dynamic 360 person, which isn't always the same thing. And that's not to say that you're not authentic. But, you know, I'm sure as an actor, there are a lot of times where you're like, I'm becoming this other person. They're going to think of me in this way, but you as you're a very different guy than the characters you've played. And to some degree, you know, there were like archetypes of us created that we had to

sort of deconstruct and reconstruct as adults, which I think when the band got back together, we were really able to do. And it wasn't just through like interviews and kind of showing who we are today, but really through the music. And, you know, something like the documentary, which gave a lot more perspective and context.

And the other thing about that I think was exciting for us is that some of the bias that was there early in our career because we were these like, you know, we were in the Teen Magazine, And, you know, young guys were jealous and were mean about it. And girls, you know, it had its own sort of thing. And I think with age, you sort of let some of that go, that pettiness go.

And there was a real warmth to hear the story and actually engage in, you know, kind of not just the music or a song, but actually who we are as people in a way that we hadn't felt before. For instance, like, we'd go to sporting events and get booed and it would, like, break our spirits. Oh, my God. Do you mean when you would just go? Yeah, like, as fans. And they're like, we're like, we're just like you. Like, we love this, this sports team or whatever. But some of those bias just existed.

And there's nothing you can do to control that. I can't imagine, I just want to take a second. Like, I can't imagine being at any age, this age, but especially a teenager. And a stadium full of people booing me. Like, what, how that would feel. I just, that's awful. Yeah, it certainly doesn't feel good. And I only bring that up not to be like, whoa is me.

but I think it's like maybe healthy context to get to like the other side, which is now when we got back together in 2019, we were shocked. We went to a sporting event and like they cheered for us and people were like warmer towards us. And I think what that really stemmed from is that we were authentic about who we are as family and as brothers for the first time perhaps. We were awarded the chance to be authentic and real

in a way that we hadn't previously. And it was a really exciting and very liberating feeling. Well, congratulations on that, because that's not easy, by the way, for anybody, and then to do it in that fashion. Thank you. Stick around. We'll be right back. I'm curious how you have been able to find ways, if you have been able to find ways, to safeguard your relationship just as brothers. Like, I think about working with friends, like even Nava, Penn and I, we, Nava and David, my husband, as a producer on the podcast, we went to grab coffee the other day and it's like inevitable we end like it was just as friends but we inevitably

start talking about the podcast about ratings and whatever just talking the most shit about me I'm sure just yeah but it's just it's inevitable and I'm curious how as brothers like in your coming back together and working together again have you been able to find ways to just have time as brothers sure yeah this is joe we we still will find ourselves just talking about work I mean it happens We love what we do too, right? So that's part of it. It's exciting to talk about. Or sometimes we just want to complain to each other about one of the other brothers or somebody we work with or just like vent through some stuff.

But we do. Franklin. I think like being, look, we're all girl dads and that's probably one of our like the biggest pride and joy. And that takes us that we have to take the work head off. And we just get to be pleasant with each other and like watch them around and run around and play. Because they don't care. Yeah, they don't care. They like the best thing.

They're like, oh, that's cool. it's your song playing in this grocery store, but they don't, for them, it's like, they just want to go to a playground with each other or see their cousin. So that's like, that has been, I think, a huge win as a family for us and as brothers. And we do have similar favorite, like hobbies. And there's obviously teams that we like to support sports teams and stuff. But we do try to like, we spend a lot of time together as well, like even off like a touring schedule. but usually after post-tour, we're like, okay, I need to not see you for about a week or two.

I'm like, I'm good on that. How long is a tour these days? It depends. I mean, we go, it's quite seasonal, so we're going to go on a tour for about three, four months starting in August, and then we'll be on another break for like a month or two. So depending if we go on like a Europe run.

So it can go for a while. It's like a TV production or movie production, I guess, where it's a couple months and it's full on. Every day. Every day we're seeing each other. but we also, I think at this point, being in our 30s, we know when we need space and we know, like, all right, I mean, I need to, like, not see you guys until showtime.

Love you, but I need a little bit of a break. Well, it feels like that's a sustainable place to have it. Yeah, definitely. And we do try to do things when we're on the road that are just, like, on the day off or something that's, like, fun, just like us, like, just to go, like, you know, do something outside the mix, like, simple as going to see a movie or going bowling or something.

you know, something brunch, you know, and just hang out. Sorry, I don't want to, I don't want to dwell on the breakup too long, but I do have just one question that I've been curious about for a while. In that time, obviously, Kevin, I think you did, like, married to Jonas with Danielle. Yeah. Nick, you're doing your solo stuff. You're also, like, venturing into film. And then, Joe, you have DNCE.

So you all find a lot of success with that. How are you, like, reaching out to one another? Do you share songs with each other? like do you consult? Like, how's the brother relationship at that time when you're when you're solo and things are really like popping off? During that time, I think we probably all have a different answer for this. I think we were supportive, but probably not getting a, I think that was when it started

to like only give advice when advice was asked for. Like we started to realize that like we wanted to go do our own thing and celebrate each other and not feel like it was competitive either. Like they all were so different avenues that it was nice to be able to go. to a Nick show not feel like jealous no pun intended of him this is Joe speaking by the way and to be watching

him on stage or even Kevin having this beautiful home and starting a family and being like there's a jealous side of that or envious side of that too and being like I'm not there it was nice to be able to celebrate them and be like wow this is so I can see the joy in them and then also just like how me and Nick

would end up like playing a lot of shows together like we would be build So we'd be able to hang out in cities and be able to do our own separate things. And it still was nice to support. And so it was definitely strange, I mean, to not have them around all the time for, I think it was about six, seven years where we were doing our own thing. And then eventually being comfortable with that. And I think we were really terrified of even unpacking so much because we healed as family. Or a lot of it was like, let's just not talk about it.

So that was part of the healing process but like let's just move on. Like we're building these amazing memories and we can be supportive and like I respect who you are, you respect me. Like we don't need to like be in that thing anymore. And so to step back in

it was like, all right, well, we're really going to talk about all that stuff? And that to the documentaries like highlight was really selling this doc today. It was like accidentally got it back together. It was not.

It was never like. Joe's last one on. I was the last one of board because I was D&C the band that I guess I should say I'm in as well like we were doing our thing and we were writing the success that we were like we're not stopping this is awesome I'm good

I'm in this funk party band I don't need to go back to the guys and it wasn't until we were in I think Cuba filming we went down to just like hang and film some content stuff we were playing I think it was Lovebug one of our songs in like this apartment complex corridor

and this like stairwell and it was been so long since we performed it that we're like kind of just fell back into singing harmonies together and it was like organic and I remember after that being like yeah like right after I think I'm ready to do this in some way

but so yeah that kind of I guess answered your question long way to answer there I guess what I'm curious about is how this funnels into the way have there been any transformations in the way you approach material now you know like songwriting

what you want to bring into it like again to me at least you know this this new track love me to heaven like it to me is such a it's you can hear the growth you know you can hear you as men like and that's awesome you know that's that's a really cool thing

I'm just curious what you feel there yeah I think we looked at new music that we were creating and saying okay well how do we all we all have very different personalized and that was always the kind of the ingredients that we would use and throw it in the pot and say okay Well, we're all similar, but that doesn't really make total sense anymore.

So we end up being kind of boring if the songs are only about, you know, things being good. We're all girl das and the last really good. Going on tour in August, come see us. You know, Kevin likes to yon on stage. Yeah, callback. It's a callback, joke.

So we now, like, sometimes you have to put on, like, you're like a character hat and say, okay, well, like, let's put ourselves in a, in a situation that might be like relatable though something we've been through in the past and it is a bit celebratory right like it is 20 years of this and we're

celebrating and like loving heaven is a bit like of a love letter to our fans which sounds cliche but it's true and oh now you can record sorry we got to restart over he's fine 12 years old yeah exactly

let's go back to first crush I will start speed round first time we started writing again for the happiness begins album coming into it kind of much more outside of the music scene. I've spent a lot more time doing, like you said, some reality TV stuff, just being at home with my family, and meeting them in the studio,

but having multiple rooms going at the same time, which was really kind of cool and different from me than I've ever written, we ever wrote together like that before. They were doing it that way, but I wasn't. And so to see them kind of doing that, having working with people that Joe loved working with, seeing people that Nick loved working with, and them, like, switching and kind of going together

and different spaces. It was such a cool, organic weight of like kind of blending the two sounds that they had created that were so independent and so cool. Your upcoming album is called Greetings from Your Hometown. And you just previously talked about in this new music being able to feel like you've grown up and the music has grown up with you. But you also talked in promoting this album, you talked about how it's also a return to your roots. So I'm curious if you could tell us about that. How is it a return to your roots? Both musically and also I think with some.

of the themes on the album. You know, we're talking about everything from, you know, tables, for instance, which in a lot of ways is a song about, you know, people being very bold behind their laptops and kind of what they're saying and how

difficult that would be if those tables turned around and they were met with, you know, some of the same criticism. That's one thing. And then, you know, Love Me to Heaven touches on a completely different thing. Joe mentions Love Letter to the fans. It's also, for me, you know, totally a song about, my wife and my daughter and the love and beautiful things in my life.

It covers a lot of ground, but musically, you know, we were able to kind of dip into our early influences that our dad raised us on. You know, we have one of those, you know, CD holders in our minivan with, you know, BG's number ones and Beatles number ones and Carol King Tapestry and Stevie Wonder, greatest hits. And he really took us to school musically. and the BeeGs were always, to your point about singing brothers and harmonies, were always a huge inspiration to us and, you know, just the music that helped shape our sound. And about seven years ago, I was in Nashville doing some songwriting for our album called Happiness Begins.

And I was working with this guy, Julian Benetta, who's an amazing songwriter and producer. And we started kind of jamming on this BG. sounding track and eventually the chorus melody became staying alive and we're like we'll never get cleared. So for those that don't know if you want to use or interpolate a song you have to get it cleared by the artist or the publisher or the

estate whatever. And so we just kind of put it on the shelf and then we were shooting something at the end of last year and I was listening to a bunch of music that's just in the vault songs that have been written years ago that never solve a light a day that I'm still like I think this is good. should finish it and played it for him and

they loved it and basically within a few weeks we had finished the song and sent it to Barry Gibb and his team and he approved it and you know he had come to shows with his family down in Miami a few times so you know there was

a real sense that it would be warm but who knows you know it's a legacy song and obviously legacy artist and yeah so to get a collaboration basically with the Bejie's on this album is pretty meaningful and full circle for us yeah and that's a legacy song. And then And one of the other things that I think we were all excited about in naming the album,

Greetings from Your Hometown, is this notion that your hometown isn't always great. Your experiences, you know, we touched a lot on that today and feeling sort of pushed out and told that we don't belong. But there's also moments we've walked those same streets and looked around and gone, wow, this is the place that built us. This is a part of our DNA. And no matter what the exit was like or what some of those negative experiences were, so much of this, this time that we spent here help shape who we became and who we've become.

And I think that's true for anybody in their life. And one little extension to that is that, you know, we're fortunate enough to be blood, to be family. And we feel like our fans are an extension of that family. And if you come to a Jonas Brothers show, you really feel that warmth and sense that they've chosen this family. and it's an amazing thing to look out and see this now sort of generational effect. Parents who brought their kids when they're teenagers still want to come

with their now adult kids, and those adult kids are bringing their kids. Wow, with three generations. Yeah, it's just a wild thing, and it's cool to see. It sort of represents our family too. Our dad and our mom still come and sit now with our daughters and watch the show. And it's just a crazy feeling. And yeah, we're really fortunate, just felt like it was the person. perfect title to encapsulate kind of all the thoughts.

It is such a good title. There's a track on the album called Can't Lose, which I was thinking is such a good hype-up song. And Joe, I know you released a song not too long ago called Honey Blonde, which you had said is, like you had written it for a perfect, like a day, city biking in perfect weather, which I loved just that visual. It's a great visual. It's a little sarcastic, but yes, it's true.

I like it. Oh, really? Maybe my game doesn't work. No, no, I'll go with you. Let's go. But I wanted to play a quick game if you are all down. Sounds good. I want to go down the line, rapid fire, and give you each a scenario.

And I want you to tell me it can be a Jonas Brothers song. It can be not a Jonas Brothers song. What song you think is perfectly written for that scenario. Cool. Are you down? That's interesting. Oh, I love that. I like that.

For the record, I cannot do rapid fire, so... Yeah, I'm not very good at it. Either of all, do my best. Bring it on. Okay, okay, okay. Joe's very good at this. Okay, we'll start with Joe. Joe, Red Eye Flight.

What's the perfect song? A Red Eye Flight. Just pull up the playlist right now. There's a full playlist for this. Oh, really? I don't know what eye flights? Yeah, yeah. I don't know exactly what platform you use.

there's a sleep playlist. Gonna go to something like this. Anymore we can't afford it. Yeah, so essentially a sleep playlist. I'd say if you're gonna be on a red eye, and you're sleeping. You're sleeping on a red eye. Or a good podcast, maybe pod crushed.

Yeah, okay. I've never heard of it. Kevin, a hype-up song. I'll go with I Can't Lose. She needs Jonas Brothers song. Yeah, that's a great one. She said it. Nick?

Yeah. Yes. Yeah, we can attribute that to me. Nick, summertime drive with the windows down. Ooh, I'm going to go with the way you make me feel. Good. Yeah. Okay, one more for each of you.

That's right, yeah. Joe, a sad song that makes you feel sad, but also good because of how sad it makes you feel. It's like every Pixar movie. The first 15 minutes. Yes. Yeah. I sparks by Coldplay. Okay.

Kevin, a big romantic. moment. Three by five, John Mayer. Interesting. Was that his first record? Yeah, Room for Squares. Kind of like the one that made me want to understand. Has he been on the show? No, no.

He didn't actually... He was never a 12-year-old, that's why. He was never 12. Yeah, that song... It's the first time I saw... The rules you must have been in 12. He must have been 12. He famously is in 12.

Yeah, true. Not those licks. Those were never 12 years old. Never 12 of those licks. That song is the one I was like, oh, understanding metaphor. in song. Right.

It was like the first time in songwriting I was like, it blew my mind. Mm. Whenever I think of that record, I just think, Sky blue gets dark enough.

You know, just the, yeah. That's good. He started it. Yeah, that's why it's in my head. Yeah,

yeah. Yeah. Okay, this is the last one. Nick, the end credits of your life. Oh, jeez. I like it. The Hozier yell.

Oh, yeah, yeah, good. What song is that? Nice. All right. Now I got three for you. one, two, three. Great.

Okay. Anybody can hop in and you really have to use a bathroom. And there's a really long line. Oh, I'd want something to really slow things down. I said it earlier and so my mind is on radio head. I'm just thinking like just play the moon-shaped pool record. It's like it's contemplative, but it's very engaging. So I'm just, if I got to wait, that's the one.

It's great. It's a good call. Okay, for the school teachers in the house, you have a bunch of rambunctious kids, and you need to put your headphones on and listen to something that's going to just take you to a different place. Switchfoot Awakening. I love that song.

Nice. Didn't they mention Switchfoot earlier? Yes, we did. Yeah. We have a song on the new album with Fishwood. The title track is called Greetings from Your Hometown with Switchfoot. Oh, I don't think we heard that one. Are they got a chance anywhere near from where you're from?

No. No. They're from San Diego, coast to coast. But they were like our biggest influence. Yeah, okay. I got one more. I'll do one more. Feel free to pitch in here.

Yeah, it's just fine of lost. Actually, I was making my husband come up with some scenarios yesterday because I couldn't come up with the last one. And everyone he came up with, I was like, actually, you're not very good at this. All right. What's your, okay, so you're like, it wouldn't be guilty pleasure because I don't think, I don't think guilty pleasure is really a thing anymore. But what's your, like, favorite, your song, you're like, you've, it's always top of your, you're like, you're wrapped. You're like, this always sneaks in. And it could be anything. For me, it's Mr. Mr. Blue Sky, but Yolo. I just always will have that ready. It's always in the top ten somewhere. Well, my cake by the ocean is always in my, like, top three. I was fishing. Just kidding. No, that's great. You know who always sneaks into my my rap is Olivia Rodriguez.

I think smart. It's great. I do it for. Fantastic. Mine is the entire Brad Paisley fifth gear album. I thought you're going to say

probably also Moana. Oh well, yeah. Oh yeah. Now it's a happy song by imagery. I do not have a Spotify rap that makes sense anymore. It's like it's really. I actually.

started a different account so I could try. We did that too. Yeah, we had to do that. I need that too. Some autonomy. I don't know if there's a question here. It's maybe just unabashed praise, but maybe there's a question. But I saw, I loved the series Songland, which I don't think is out anymore, but you guys had an episode. And I wasn't, as I'm older than like your demo when you were younger. So I wasn't as familiar with your work. And I didn't know what kind of band you were. But when I saw that episode, I think you guys had a song called, I don't know why I'm saying. Greenlight is one of my favorite songs. I was to do it all the time. It's become like our family always requested. I don't know. Maybe it might have been called for you. We've never played it live.

We've played it live once. Do we? Oh my God. It's amazing. Anyway, you guys produced on the spot. Like I watched every episode of that show and I really, I honestly texted people like, oh my God. I didn't know the Jonas brothers were like so brilliant, like such brilliant producers. I at that time didn't know you were so hands on in your music. And I felt like that episode really stood out. That show was great. Yeah. Ryan Tetter did a great job on that. Yeah. But anyway, Greenlight Amazing.

Thank you guys as producers and so creatively involved in your music. It was really revealing to see that. That's cool. Yeah. Thanks. So we want to respect your time. So we have a classic last question. Wait, wait.

I have one more question before we get to that one. You guys did a roast, and I can't imagine ever subjecting myself to that. So I'm curious. It's a good idea in theory. Why? Why did you do it? and which joke hit each of you the hardest. So oddly, we had a perfectly, I shouldn't say, oddly,

we had a perfectly planned holiday break after that work-wise. So we didn't see each other for a week, which was like kind of good, I think. But we were approached by Netflix and they were like, hey, would you guys want to do a roast? And we're like, yeah, let's do it. We pretty much got everything else. So let's do it.

But then once we started getting into the writer's room for doing it, we're like, yeah, I don't know. When I go there, and they're like, I don't know why people are like, well, it's somebody. made this joke before. I'm like, but then coming from my mouth is different. Yeah. If I'm saying that, this is Joe again, if I'm saying

that to Kevin or Nick and I'm like, I just, there was a kind of a code of conduct behind the scenes of being like, hey, this is off limits. Like I, like, you can make fun of that, but I don't want to be talking about. I don't, like, don't make fun of this. Like,

whatever. Like, like, don't make fun of something that I can't, it's out of my control. And so that was kind of known. but the one that I think I can't really think of one that like hurt the most

or like got me the most but let's try to find it and bring it back up to it Yeah like hit the hardest like could have been your favorite just one that

I think the I think the there's a comedian from what's his name from England that he came up that he's so funny

yeah why I'm playing on his name Whitehall White Hall yeah Jack Whitehall he's hilarious if you don't know his work

you should check him out he's so funny and he he like did a brilliant, Pete Davidson was really funny too, but he did the brilliant thing of like, as a comedian, he was coming into a situation where the audience wasn't too familiar with his work. So he pretended to be an obsessed fan. I like that.

And it just came off creepy and funny and the things he would bring up, even though they were cringy to us, he was like, no, I'll tell you why this is cool. I think it was like, it was very clever. It was a very clever comedy where that's cool. And that to me, I think, stood out. He was a standout and Pete Davidson came in for like, five minutes and crushed it. I think he was kind of defend Kevin the whole time.

That's great. I love it so much. That's great. It just sounds good. I kind of... I needed it actually a lot of day. It was pretty funny. There was moments that were good and there was even stuff that never made it because it was so bad. Yeah. Well, honestly, half's off to you guys being willing to do that because I think there's something in comedy where I don't know about those roasts anymore, to be honest. I don't know. I don't know. I feel like...

So if you're comedian, I suppose fine, because you've ended. into that pact with the relationship to the world and your career. And I think often comedians have a lot more agents. Well, no, they do. I mean, they just do. They can get away with a lot more. They have more agency. Also, just in the way they start it. It's a different comedians are their own thing. I don't know

about. So anyway. Yeah, I agree. It was like weird. I felt like I was doing something wrong all the time there. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It felt weird. Yeah, it's... It says a lot about me, but... No, it also says a lot about comedians. No, I'm kidding. Nick, how did you feel about the rest?

You know, I think it was a great exercise in being able to laugh at yourself. I don't think I would ever want to do it again. It's the real. It's kind of like they asked us who we want to roast next and we're like, no one. Yeah, I just don't want to do this. It's not that it was a negative experience by the means. And I think actually, as an actor,

you know, it better prepared me to be, more free and have more fun and not take myself so seriously than I realized. But, you know, there's just things that you just are like, man, that's that funny to you? It's like, yeah.

If you think it's funny, then that means you think it's true? Exactly. Yeah. It's a strange thing. I swear I'm going to let you go to the last question, but I want to ask one more thing about your album. Is there one song? Jack Whitehall over here. I love it.

I love it. I love it. I'm just as a joke for the fan. Ever since Greenlight. what song from your new album do you each connect with the most? Yeah, that's a good one. Great question. This is Joe.

I have a song called When You Know. It's featured on our live album that came out a couple months ago as well. And yeah, I don't know if there was a why there, but I think it's a beautiful song about knowing when to stay, no one to go, heartache, heartbreak, healing. It's like, it's a beautiful song that came out of a writing camp that we did in Miami. And some of our favorite people were there that we've worked with over the years. Actually, Justin Traynor, who I wrote Cake by the Ocean with, was a part of that song. And Alexander 23, who I worked on, we worked on this new album, and he worked on a bunch of my solo album that came out recently.

And blush. Blush, yeah. Yeah, so there's a... That's my favorite song, too, to be honest. Probably one of my favorites I've ever been a part of writing. It's, I'm really excited for the world to hear it, and I didn't mean to interrupt you, sorry, but you stole my answer, so. It's Nick talking. say something different, but mirror to this guy is like

one of my favorites. I honestly forget what's on the album. I forgot that song was on the album too. It just makes me feel like I'm 16 again sitting on our bed listening to music for the first time. We had separate beds, by the way. I said my bed. You said our bed.

You never said our bed. Think of the proverbial way. In our bedroom. My bed, in our bedroom. I was like, oh. So actually, that's a perfect segue way back to our classic last question and we'll just sort of

maybe we'll start with we'll start with youngest this time Nick if you could go back to 12 year old Nick what would you say or do if anything? I would say take a deep breath start therapy now also you have diabetes just to

you're about to get diabetes just go down just avoiding the physical do it physical. Yeah, but just to to take some of the pressure off myself. I, yeah, I feel like I lost

like so many great moments because I was anxious and I was dealing with things I didn't realize it. And also I think that, you know, I'm sort of on the borderline age-wise of like when it became okay and in culture to talk about

therapy and like you know mental health and I'm glad that I'm like I'm right there because these two are so messed up within her talking about yeah I think it's come a long way and it's it's it's it's great to see because I'm sure there's a 12 or 13 year old kid like gearing up to go on some crazy life journey like we had who is probably going to be better prepared because they're going to have some tools to kind of work through it but that's what I would say Thank you. This is Joe, a little child here. I'm assuming I'm next.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay. I would probably tell him all the little quirks and funny things that you think are embarrassing. You keep in hiding. Like, you're going to be celebrated one day for those things, and people are going to think those are so cool. And they're all going to come back around. I would say, hold on to those Pokemon cards, my friend.

One day, you never know. He knows what's going to happen. Yeah, and then I think probably, you know, you're doing great. You're like, good for you. And I think the idea is that you're going to, you know, that went so many different journeys through my life thus far and learn something from each of them. And, you know, I think really protect a relationship

with your brothers as best as you can. Treasures those memories. Treasure those memories that you don't even know that you're making. I mean, there's so many amazing times when we were 12 or whatever age, riding our bikes all day long, playing out. side having each other and then sometimes rolling your eyes like I was sure we could hang out with other people it's like really treasure that I think I would tell myself that some kids picked a keychain instead of a purity ring and maybe do that same commitment less broadcast maybe that

maybe that but at the same time I would say just don't forget that the people around you will always be with you for the rest of your life. So treat them with kindness. And like everyone that we work with is still working with us. That's cool. That's a testament. There's that one guy. Neil, yeah.

You know, we asked that question to every guess and we get often repetitive answers, but you each gave an answer we've never gotten before. Nice. Thank you. Good story. Well done.

It was so nice to meet you. Thank you for coming on. Come see us on the road. Thank you so much. That'd be awesome. I'd love to. You can check out the Jonas Brothers new album. Greetings from your hometown,

everywhere you get your music starting August 8th, and you can follow them online at Jonas Brothers. Pod Fresh is hosted by Penn Badgley, Navacavalin, and Sophie Ansari. Our senior producer is David Ansari, and our editing is done by Clips Agency. If you haven't subscribed to Lemonada Premium yet, now's the perfect time, because guess what?

You can listen completely ad-free. Plus, you'll unlock exclusive, bonus content. Like the time we talked to Luca Bravo about the profound effect that the film Into the Wild had on him, the conversation was so moving and you are not going to hear it anywhere else. Just tap the subscribe button on Apple Podcasts or head to LemonadaPremium.com to subscribe on any other app. That's Lemonadaupremium.com. Don't miss out. And as always, you can listen to podcast ad free on Amazon Music with your prime membership. Okay, that's all. Bye. Joe, well, Nick uses the restroom.

I'm going to take some of you to tell you. Obviously, huge fan. DNCE is amazing, but amongst your many huge fans, there is an 81-year-old man, my father, who Cake by the Ocean is one of his all-time favorite songs. Oh, wow. And he makes me put it on every playlist. We go on road trips together.

Every playlist, so it's always on my most repeated songs. Oh, my God. That's so awesome. Thank you. Thank him for me. That's so cool. His name is Tommy. And he's always like, Joe is a genius.

DNCE. Oh my gosh. That's one of the best songs of all time. I also just want to say that this is a man of like, I think of like refined taste. He's like, he's from another era. He's like a presenter and a perform and feels like from another era.

Wow, that's so cool. That's a huge compliment. Thank him for me and thank you. I appreciate Tommy. Shout out to Tommy. Tommy.