Jun 7, 2019
Chasing Happiness
This is nothing more than a post to say how much I missed the Jonas Brothers. Yesterday was a down day and now I am writing from a place of nostalgia and appreciation for the Brothers and everything that happened to allow them be. There is an overall sense of joy and happiness in witnessing their rise to fame, and the documentary goes all out in showing us the very start, from Nick’s birth to where they are now.
‘I never realised how much Disney changed my life and I’m not exaggerating. A Disney Channel Original movie can make all the difference in the world…Disney Channel helped and still helps me dream. Heck it not only keeps the dream alive but it pushes me towards it. They’re uplifting, encouraging (unrealistic at times but still), they’re educational (and I mean that in the sense that they always teach me a life lesson in the simplest of ways).
So:
Unwind with Disney. Be motivated with Disney. Be inspired by Disney. Sing along with Disney. Dance to Disney. Be a child, be a teenager, be an adult, be yourself with Disney.’ — me (2017)
Family and brotherhood serve as an integral element, a necessary element for the band to be. I appreciate how scary it was as a journey, calling it quits, the self-reflection and honest required to take that space in order for the Jonas Brothers to be The Jonas Brothers. It’s really interesting to see the duality of the trio as a literal band of brothers making it impossible to keep your professional life separate from your personal, their whole image was built on brotherhood, they went the way together as a family. The band is literally the story of their lives but in growing up, you need the space to experience life in your own way and on your own terms and it got to a point where they weren’t doing that. Nick calling it quits was scary, ending not only the band but seriously fracturing their relationship.
“I was 25, 26, this was all I’d known. This is what I loved more than anything. I loved doing this. And somebody that you loved and cared about so much could take it away from you so quickly. That was heartbreaking…What hurt the most is that it came from Nick because he is my best friend and I thought that me, Kevin and Nick were going to do this forever. It was us against the world… For a while it was dark.”
The documentary gets deep at various moments such as Nick’s diabetes diagnosis, the family’s financial ruin and the impact of the band on their dad’s job as a pastor. Talking about the split was different; it had them tackling all insecurities and grudges, laying bare for open discussion all the things they’d held in during their 6 year hiatus.
“[We] felt [Kevin was] holding us back.”
The Jonas Brothers releasing Sucker at the beginning of this year filled me with so much happiness and I couldn’t really pinpoint the extent or the degree of impact their music has had on me. It goes beyond them, extending to Disney movies and songs and TV shows that have done an insane number in shaping and contributing to who I am today.
“It wasn’t about the money. It wasn’t about the fame, it was, ‘Hey, brothers. Do you want to do something awesome again together?”
