“S.O.S.”! Childhood dreams are coming true across the globe as Jonas Brothers reunite! Old fans are “Burnin’ Up” as the brothers release new music.
The Jonas Brothers are a pop boy band formed by three brothers: Kevin (31), Joe (29) and Nick (26) Jonas. Their fame began in 2005 when they made appearances on Disney Channel, later starring in Disney Channel movies such as “Camp Rock” and “Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam.” They also had success with their television show “Jonas,” which aired on Disney Channel in 2009.
In addition to their Disney Channel success, the brothers also released albums such as “It’s About Time” (2006), “Jonas Brothers” (2007), “A Little Bit Longer” (2008), “Lines, Vines, and Trying Times” (2009) and finally “Jonas L.A.” (tv soundtrack) in 2010. Their music became a hit among teenagers in the early 2000s, leading them to Top 5 on the Billboard charts.
After attempting to continue their music career, the band ended up splitting up, trying to reunite in 2013, but then making the split official. The brothers then went on to pursue solo careers, with Nick still making music but with a more R&B style, Joe forming the pop rock quartet DNCE with a single “Cake by the Ocean” that was a hit in 2015 and Kevin straying away from music and focusing on real estate, communications and app development.
When they first began the band, the brothers were all in their teens or early 20s, but now they are all grown up. Kevin has been married to his wife Danielle since 2009 and has two daughters, Nick recently got married in 2018 to actress Priyanka Chopra and Joe is engaged to “Game of Thrones” star Sophie Turner.
It was not until 2019 that the brothers came back together and officially reunited, releasing the single “Sucker” in March. Upon hearing about the reunion, Seton Hill students had a lot to say about their new music.
“My teenage self was super excited to hear about the reunion,” senior art therapy major Brooke Caldwell said. “I immediately started listening to their music again like I had as a teen. I enjoy their new singles! I have already bought and downloaded their new singles ‘Sucker’ and ‘Cool.’”
Caldwell is not the only SHU student excited about their reunion. Freshman Amanda Snyder in the PA Program stated, “They were the only boy band I was into as a kid,” and upon hearing their new music, said, “I mean, nothing beats ‘Year 3000,’ but it’s the Jonas Brothers so of course their new music is nothing short of great.” Senior math and math-actuary science major Danny Stariha had a similar reaction to the reunion and said, “I think it’s pretty cool, and it’s a smart move given that many people nowadays love nostalgic things.”
While many students seem to be excited and happy about the Jonas Brothers reunion, others do not have such positive reactions. Junior computer science major Coltin Kifer said their new music is “not good.”
“They should have stayed apart,” Kifer said. “It brings back bad memories of my childhood.”
While there will always be some who are not happy about the reunion, the boy band seems to be receiving a lot of positive attention. It is still up in the air about whether or not they will be as successful as they were before, because their old music was very popular.
“I think it’s hard to go against their old music because I grew up with it,” Stariha said. “However, ‘Sucker’ could go up against a lot of their old songs. But, I would probably choose their old songs because they are so well known.”
When talking about their success, Caldwell believes “their reunion will make their career just as successful as it was before.”
“I feel like they’ll definitely have a new level of success due to all the people who have listened to them the first time around, plus the new generation that is growing up now that will listen to them for the first time,” Snyder said.
The Jonas Brothers definitely caught attention with their reunion, six years after they split, causing mainly positive reactions, and some negative. They have only released two singles so far, “Sucker” and “Cool,” and will be continuing to make music and release an album, “Happiness Begins” on June 7. The Jonas Brothers also announced tour dates for their Happiness Begins Tour, which includes a stop at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh on Sept. 3.
Only time will tell whether they will have a successful reunion, and attract as much attention as they did in the early 2000s, or if their music will not be as popular, causing another split.
Published by Caitlin Srager