Kevin Jonas

Kevin Jonas
Jonas in 2021
Born
Paul Kevin Jonas Jr.

(1987-11-05) November 5, 1987 (age 36)
Teaneck, New Jersey, U.S.
Occupations
  • Musician
  • songwriter
  • actor
Spouse
​
(m. 2009)​
Children2
Relatives
Musical career
OriginWyckoff, New Jersey, U.S.
Genres
Instruments
  • Guitar
  • vocals
Years active2000's–present
Member ofJonas Brothers

Paul Kevin Jonas Jr. (born November 5, 1987[1]) is an American musician and actor. He rose to fame as the lead guitarist of the pop rock band Jonas Brothers alongside his younger brothers Joe and Nick. Jonas became a prominent figure on the Disney Channel alongside his brothers in the late 2000s, gaining a large following through the network: he appeared in the widely successful musical television film, Camp Rock (2008) and its sequel, Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam (2010) as well as two other series, Jonas Brothers: Living the Dream (2008–2010) and Jonas (2009–2010).

After the group confirmed a hiatus in 2012, Kevin appeared on his own E! reality series that same year, Married to Jonas, with his wife, Danielle. Following the band's initial break-up in 2013, Jonas appeared on the seventh season of The Celebrity Apprentice in 2014, founded the construction company Jonas Werner, and became the co-CEO of The Blu Market, an influencer marketing company. In 2019, he rejoined the Jonas Brothers following their reunion. The group would go on to release their fifth studio album. The reunited Jonas Brothers appeared in two Amazon Prime Video documentaries named Jonas Brothers: Chasing Happiness and Jonas Brothers: Happiness Continues in 2019 and 2020.

Jonas appeared on People magazine's list of the Sexiest Men Alive in 2008 at the age of 21, and thus included as part of the 21 Club.[2][3]

Early life

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Further information: Jonas Brothers § Personal lives

Paul Kevin Jonas Jr. was born on November 5, 1987, in Teaneck, New Jersey, and grew up in Wyckoff.[4] His mother, Denise Marie (née Miller), is a former sign language teacher and singer, and his father, Paul Kevin Jonas Sr., is a songwriter, musician, and former ordained minister at an Assemblies of God church.[5][6][7][8] He has three younger brothers, Joe (b. 1989), Nick (b. 1992), and Frankie (b. 2000).[4] As a child, Jonas appeared in several TV commercials as well as print ads. Unlike his brothers, he originally did not intend to become a musician but became interested one day after stumbling upon a book on playing guitar and playing his father’s guitar.[9]He attended Eastern Christian High School in North Haledon, New Jersey.[10]

Career

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2005–2006: Career beginnings

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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.[11] After hearing the song "Please Be Mine", written and performed by all the brothers, Daylight/Columbia Records decided to sign the three as a group act.[12] After being signed to Columbia, the brothers considered naming their group "Sons of Jonas" before settling on the name "Jonas Brothers".[13] It's About Time, the brothers' first album, was released on August 8, 2006.[14] 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.[15]

2007–2012: Breakthrough with the Jonas Brothers

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Jonas performing in 2009
Jonas Brothers performing "Burnin' Up" in 2010

After shortly being without a label, the Jonas Brothers signed with Hollywood Records in February 2007.[16] Around the same time, the brothers began appearing in Gap Inc. commercials for Baby Bottle Pop, singing the jingle. Their self-titled second album, Jonas Brothers, was released on August 7, 2007.[17] It reached number five on the Billboard Hot 200 chart in its first week.[18] Jonas and his brothers guest-starred in an episode of Hannah Montana, titled "Me and Mr. Jonas and Mr. Jonas and Mr. Jonas", which aired August 17, 2007 on Disney Channel. The episode debuted alongside the television film High School Musical 2 and a sneak peek of Phineas and Ferb.[19] The episode broke basic cable records with a record 10.7 million viewers and became basic cable's most watched series telecast ever.[20]

Jonas and his brothers also starred in the Disney Channel Original Movie Camp Rock, where they played a band called "Connect 3". Kevin played Jason, a guitarist; Nick played Nate, also a guitarist; and Joe played the lead male role and lead singer, Shane Gray.[21] A soundtrack for the movie was released on June 17, 2008. The film premiered on June 20, 2008, on Disney Channel in the United States, on Disney Channel, and on Family in Canada.[21] They returned in the sequel, Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam, which premiered on September 3, 2010.[22] The Disney Channel reality short series, Jonas Brothers: Living the Dream, premiered on Disney Channel, May 16, 2008.[23] The show, which ran until September 5, 2008, documented the brother's lives during the Look Me in the Eyes Tour. The name was inspired by their hit song When You Look Me in the Eyes. The series was renewed for a second season, which premiered March 21, 2010.[23] The second season followed the band on the European leg of their World Tour 2009. The Jonas Brothers' third studio album, A Little Bit Longer, was released in the United States on August 12, 2008, and peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.[24]

Kevin, Joe, Nick, and Frankie starred in their own Disney Channel Original Series, Jonas, which premiered May 2, 2009.[25] The show was renewed for a second season premiering June 20, 2010 as Jonas L.A. It centered on the brothers vacationing at their summer house in Los Angeles with Stella and Macy. On June 16, 2009, the brothers' fourth studio album, and third release under Hollywood Records, titled Lines, Vines, and Trying Times was released. The album peaked at number 1 on the Billboard 200 with 247,000 copies sold.[18]

Jonas appeared on MTV's fourth episode of When I Was 17, talking about life as a teenager, regarding sports and his hairstyles.[26] He guest hosted Live with Kelly, December 13, 2011, and did so a second time on July 4, 2012.[27] It was announced on May 1, 2012, that the Jonas Brothers parted ways with their record label Hollywood Records, and bought the rights to their music.[28]

2013–2018: Jonas Brothers split

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Kevin appeared in an E! reality series alongside his wife, Danielle, and his brothers, which premiered on August 19, 2012. Produced by Ryan Seacrest, Married to Jonas documented the young couple's domestic life as well as the brothers' recording efforts as they prepared to release their fifth studio album.[29] The final episode of the second season aired on May 26, 2013. On October 29, 2013, The Jonas Brothers officially announced that the band was breaking up because of creative differences.[30]

After parting ways with the Jonas Brothers in 2013, he founded the real estate development, construction company called JonasWerner, and is the co-CEO of The Blu Market company, which deals with communications and plans for social media influencers.[31][32][33] Jonas was part of the seventh season of Celebrity Apprentice taping in spring 2014, which was filmed throughout New York City.[34] He was fired in the second episode when his team lost the competition, during which time he'd been acting as the team leader. Kevin also made a cameo in a 2014 episode of The Real Housewives of New Jersey, working in his new role as contractor, leading the construction on Housewife Kathy Wakile's home.[35]

In 2015, he created a food app Yood.[36] As of 2016, he is also in partnership with the video-sharing app We Heart It.[37] While the band was on hiatus, Nick was on his solo music and acting career, while Joe started the band DNCE in 2015 with Jonas Brothers drummer Jack Lawless, Semi Precious Weapons bassist Cole Whittle, and guitarist JinJoo Lee.

2019–present: Jonas Brothers reunion and Happiness Begins

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On February 28, 2019, nearly six years after the Jonas Brothers initial breakup, the brothers announced the band's reunion.[38] They commenced their reunion the next day with releasing their new single, "Sucker" on March 1, 2019, and partaking in a week long segment on The Late Late Show with James Corden everyday from March 4 to March 7.[38] Jonas and his brothers appeared in the band's documentary Chasing Happiness, which was released on June 4, 2019. On May 9, 2019, a compilation album titled Music from Chasing Happiness was released. It consists of old Jonas Brothers songs, two Nick songs, one Joe song featuring a guest appearance from Lil Wayne, and a song from Joe's band DNCE, who are currently in hiatus as of January 2019 since Joe and Jonas Brothers and DNCE drummer Jack Lawless have resumed work back with the brothers.[39] Directed by John Lloyd Taylor, the documentary covers the brothers childhood life, how the brothers started as a band, why the band broke up, and how the band got back together.[39]

They released their fifth studio album, Happiness Begins on June 7, 2019. It is the band's first album released after their reunion.[40] They have released two songs with other artists, which consist of: their feature on "Runaway" by Sebastián Yatra, Daddy Yankee, and Natti Natasha, as well as their collaboration on "Lonely" with Diplo. They released a song titled "Greenlight" for their episode of Songland the same day on June 18, three days before "Runaway". On November 8, they released a Christmas song, "Like It's Christmas".[41]

On January 17, 2020, they released a new single, "What a Man Gotta Do", the lead single for their upcoming sixth studio album.[42]

Since July 11, 2022, Kevin Jonas has been co-hosting the reality competition series Claim to Fame on ABC alongside his brother, Franklin Jonas.[43]

Personal life

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Jonas in 2011

Kevin Jonas lives in New Jersey with his wife, Danielle Jonas, and their two daughters.[44]

Danielle is a former hairdresser with Ryan Rodgers Redken Ambassador, and the pair married at Oheka Castle on December 19, 2009, with his brothers Joe and Nick as his best men. The couple met while vacationing with their families in the Bahamas in May 2007.[45] Their first daughter was born on February 2, 2014,[46] and their second daughter was born on October 27, 2016.[47]

In April 2021, Jonas showed support for the NGO GiveIndia during the worsening situation of the COVID-19 pandemic in India and urged fans to help donate to the organization to help.[48]

In September 2021, Jonas and his wife Danielle announced the release of a book for children titled There's a Rock Concert in My Bedroom, which chronicles the story of Emma, a girl who is excited about participating in her school's talent show. The Jonases said the initiative was motivated by their daughters.[49] It was released in April 2022.[50]

In June 2024, Jonas shared that he was diagnosed with skin cancer after discovering a malignant mole on his forehead. He got a basal cell carcinoma removed from his head.[51]

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes
2008 Hannah Montana and Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert Himself
2009 Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience
Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian Cherub (voice)
Beyond All Boundaries Mike Mervosh (voice)
2019 Jonas Brothers: Chasing Happiness Himself Documentary
2020 Jonas Brothers: Happiness Continues

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
2007 Hannah Montana Himself Episode: "Me and Mr. Jonas and Mr. Jonas and Mr. Jonas"
2008 Camp Rock Jason Gray Television film
Disney Channel Games Contestant
2008–2010 Jonas Brothers: Living the Dream Himself
2009–2010 Jonas Kevin Percy Lucas
2010 Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam Jason Gray Television film
When I Was 17 Himself Episode: "4"
2012–2013 Married to Jonas
2014 The Real Housewives of New Jersey
2015 The Apprentice Contestant Season 14
2019 Songland Himself Episode: "Jonas Brothers"
2020 The Voice Guest mentor Season 18
Dash & Lily Himself Episode: "New Year's Eve"
2021 Olympic Dreams Featuring Jonas Brothers Television special
2022–present Claim to Fame Host

Internet

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Year Title Role Notes Ref.
2009 KSM's Read Between the Lines Himself Episode: "Hangin' with the Jonas Brothers" [52]

Video games

[edit]
Year Title Voice role Notes Ref.
2009 Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian Cherub [53]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Kevin Jonas news, photos and more on". Usmagazine.com. Retrieved May 24, 2012.
  2. ^ PeopleTV (December 10, 2008). "Kevin Jonas: A Sexy Surprise". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved March 11, 2019.
  3. ^ "The 21 Club". People. December 1, 2008. Retrieved March 11, 2019.
  4. ^ a b "Kevin Jonas". IMDb. Retrieved September 28, 2019.
  5. ^ Sean Patrick Reily. "The Jonas Brothers: It's full scream ahead" The Los Angeles Times; February 26, 2009
  6. ^ Chebatoris, Jac. "The Boy Band Next Door" Newsweek; January 26, 2008|publisher=Allen, Kevin
  7. ^ "Jonas Brothers in overdrive". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on March 29, 2015. Retrieved August 25, 2008.
  8. ^ Cotliar, Sharon (June 25, 2008). "Growing Up Jonas". People Magazine. Retrieved July 23, 2010.
  9. ^ Mooney, Carla (6 November 2009). Jonas Brothers. Greenhaven Publishing LLC. ISBN 978-1-4205-0236-7.
  10. ^ Hotz, Alexander. "Girls visit Oprah, meet teen idols", Glen Rock Gazette, May 9, 2008. Accessed December 27, 2023, via Newspapers.com. "The Jonas Brothers are composed of three brothers: Joe, Nick, and Kevin. They are originally from Wyckoff, and attended Eastern Christian High School in North Haledon."
  11. ^ Mikael Wood (February 20, 2007). Jonas Brothers deliver squeaky clean 'punk' music. MonstersandCritics.com. Accessed 2009-01-01.
  12. ^ "The Boy Choir & Soloist Directory: Nicholas Jonas". Archived from the original on July 7, 2017. Retrieved October 24, 2014.
  13. ^ "MTV – The New Boy Bands". MTV. Archived from the original on November 28, 2014. Retrieved October 24, 2014.
  14. ^ Billboard Discography – Jonas Brothers – It's About Time
  15. ^ Cook, Meghan. "From 'Year 3000' to 'Sucker,' here's how the Jonas Brothers' careers have evolved". Insider. Retrieved September 28, 2019.
  16. ^ "The Jonas Brothers Sign Record Deal With Disney's Hollywood Records" (Press release). Hollywood Records. February 8, 2007. Archived from the original on February 13, 2007. Retrieved July 16, 2008.
  17. ^ Billboard Discography – Jonas Brothers
  18. ^ a b "Jonas Brothers Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved October 5, 2019.
  19. ^ "Disney Channel Sets Cable Ratings Records With "High School Musical 2", "Phineas and Ferb" & "Hannah Montana"". Nickandmore!. August 20, 2007. Retrieved March 11, 2019.
  20. ^ Ryan, Joal (August 18, 2007). "High School Musical 2 Big 2 B Ignored". E! Online. Retrieved March 11, 2019.
  21. ^ a b Camp Rock, retrieved October 5, 2019
  22. ^ Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam, retrieved October 5, 2019
  23. ^ a b "Jonas Brothers: Living the Dream | TV Guide". TVGuide.com. Retrieved October 5, 2019.
  24. ^ "Jonas Brothers – A Little Bit Longer". Billboard. Retrieved August 17, 2008.
  25. ^ Lyons, Margaret (April 3, 2009). "Jonas Brothers's Disney Channel Show: There's got to be a Better Idea". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved March 11, 2019.
  26. ^ "Bret Michaels, Kevin Jonas, Katharine McPhee Open Up On 'When I Was 17'". MTV News. May 21, 2010. Archived from the original on December 22, 2019. Retrieved October 5, 2019.
  27. ^ "Breaking News – Michael Strahan, Kevin Jonas, Carrie Ann Inaba & Mark Feuerstein to Co-Host "Live! With Kelly" for the Week of July 2–6, 2012". The Futon Critic. Retrieved October 24, 2014.
  28. ^ "Jonas Brothers Leave Disney's Hollywood Records". Billboard. Retrieved October 5, 2019.
  29. ^ Vena, Jocelyn. "Kevin Jonas Partners With Ryan Seacrest For 'Married To Jonas'". MTV News. Archived from the original on May 11, 2014. Retrieved 2019-10-05.
  30. ^ Gibson, Kelsie (7 June 2019). "Why Did the Jonas Brothers Break Up". PopSugar. Retrieved October 5, 2019.
  31. ^ "Kevin Jonas, 'Real Housewives of New Jersey': 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know". Heavy.com. September 28, 2014.
  32. ^ "Does Your Story Need a Social Influencer? Kevin Jonas Believes it Does". Inc.com. January 25, 2016.
  33. ^ "Most Creative People Kevin Jonas". Fast Company. Retrieved March 13, 2018.
  34. ^ "Kevin Jonas Reveals His Plan For 'Celebrity Apprentice' Domination". The Hollywood Reporter. 20 November 2014. Retrieved May 10, 2019.
  35. ^ "Kevin Jonas is a contractor on 'The Real Housewives of New Jersey'". Fox News. September 29, 2014. Retrieved September 29, 2014.
  36. ^ "Kevin Jonas Discusses His App Yood And Branching Out Into World Of Tech". HuffPost. June 16, 2015.
  37. ^ "Kevin Jonas: From A Successful Music Career To Full-Time Entrepreneur". Forbes. July 28, 2016.
  38. ^ a b Reed, Ryan (February 28, 2019). "Jonas Brothers Confirm Reunion, Plan First New Music in Six Years". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2019-10-05.
  39. ^ a b Chasing Happiness, retrieved 2019-10-05
  40. ^ Roth, Madeline. "Jonas Brothers' Comeback Album Happiness Begins Is Here, And Fans Have No Chill". MTV News. Archived from the original on June 7, 2019. Retrieved 2019-10-05.
  41. ^ Curto, Justin; Haylock, Zoe (November 8, 2019). "It's the First Week of November, and the Jonas Brothers Have Already Released a Christmas Song". Vulture.com. Retrieved September 3, 2020.
  42. ^ "The Jonas Brothers release 'What a Man Gotta Do,' their first single of 2020". EW.com. Retrieved 2020-05-06.
  43. ^ Porter, Rick (2022-03-23). "Kevin and Frankie Jonas to Host Celebrity Relative Reality Show for ABC". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2023-04-28.
  44. ^ Nicolaou, Elena (27 April 2019). "Inside Danielle & Kevin Jonas' Love Story". www.refinery29.com. Retrieved 2019-10-05.
  45. ^ Cotliar, Sharon (December 19, 2009). "Kevin Jonas Marries in Fairytale Setting". People. Retrieved March 11, 2019.
  46. ^ Peter Gicas (February 2, 2014). Kevin Jonas and Wife Danielle Welcome Baby Girl. E news. Accessed 2014-02-02.
  47. ^ "Kevin and Danielle Jonas Welcome Daughter Valentina Angelina – See Her First Photo". People. Retrieved January 20, 2018.
  48. ^ "Priyanka Chopra continues to raise money for Covid 19 fundraiser, says it will make a 'huge difference'". Mumbai. Pinkvilla. 3 May 2021. Archived from the original on 10 March 2022. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
  49. ^ Gillette, Sam (23 September 2021). "Kevin and Danielle Jonas Write Kids' Book Inspired By Their 'Rock Star' Daughters: They 'Uplift Us'". People. Retrieved 26 September 2021.
  50. ^ Vorrasi-Banis, Lacey (28 March 2022). "Kevin and Danielle Jonas on their new children's book, There's a Rock Concert in My Bedroom | EW News". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
  51. ^ "Kevin Jonas Shares Skin Cancer Diagnosis". E! Online. 12 June 2024. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
  52. ^ "KSM Set to Rock the World with Read Between the Lines, The All-Female Teen Quintet's Debut CD Set for Release September 22". Business Wire. September 2, 2009. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
  53. ^ Jacks, Brian (May 20, 2009). "Jonas Brothers make 'subtle' appearance in 'Night at the museum: Battle of Smithsonian'". MTV. Archived from the original on February 19, 2015. Retrieved September 3, 2020.
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