The Jonas Brothers Helped Me To Find Happiness Again
When I was in the fourth grade, I heard the song “Mandy” by the Jonas Brothers at a sleepover, while we were watching TRL. I immediately went onto my Brother’s computer, the next day and listened to their first album “It’s About Time”. I was hooked forever. In the summer of 2007, I decided to do my first musical at a summer camp after people telling me for years that I should do it. Doing theatre for the first time and finding like-minded people made me feel seen. My favorite Jonas Brothers song of all time is “That’s Just The Way We Roll.” The lyrics to the chorus are “And I know we get a little crazy, and I know we get a little loud. And I know we’re never gonna fake it. We are wild, We are free, We are more than you think, so call us freaks, but that’s just the way we roll.” This song made me feel like it was ok to be my silly and weird self along with other theatre people who were also silly and weird. I’m someone who goes all in, when I want to learn about something and do something. I bought practically every teen magazine that they were in, watched every video that they had online and went on every livestream they did. These three boys from New Jersey inspired me to live out my big dreams that I was just starting to discover because they made it seem like they were possible.
My mom for my birthday that year got me tickets to see the Hannah Montana/Meet Miley Cyrus tour and the Jonas Brothers were the Opening Act. They came onstage and were electric. My favorite summer tradition for years to come would be seeing the Jonas Brothers. I was 12 the first time I was ever allowed to go by myself to Jonas (Jones) Beach. I went to see them at the Burnin’ Up Tour, the Jonas Brothers World Tour, Camp Rock 2 Tour and the 2013 Tour. In 2013, I was a senior in high school going through the college audition process, when they broke up. I was devastated.
Me at the Jonas Brothers World Tour in 2009 (7/20/2009) with a Homemade T-shirt I made myself and a poster I also made myself :)
My first semester of college, Nick released his self-titled album, Nick Jonas. I listened to it every single day, multiple times a day. It got me to do homework and get out of bed for my 7:30 am Script Analysis class. My mom for my birthday that year bought me a Meet & Greet with Nick Jonas before the Z100 Jingle Ball. I had never met any of the boys before. I felt so lost as an artist during this time. When I got to meet him, I was telling him about how much his work with the Jonas Brothers and his new solo album meant to me and how it was helping me get through this rough time in my life. The Security Guard tried to rush us, so the next person can meet him and Nick Jonas goes: “Wait, wait, wait. She’s a really nice girl, I want her to finish what she has to say.” I was super moved by that interaction forever.
I saw the Future Now tour with Nick Jonas and Demi Lovato in 2016. Seeing (one) of the Jonas Brothers in the summer felt so nostalgic and just felt right. I missed that tradition so much. I also loved DNCE! I graduated from college in June of 2018 and was auditioning for pretty much everything that I was right for. I was applying for a lot of jobs and while, I was so grateful to be out of school, I was feeling lost in this new chapter. I was trying to find something I loved out of auditioning and working, that made me happy.
When the Jonas Brothers announced they were coming back, I felt like I had something to look forward to outside of my acting career for the first time in a long time. I got invited to a free concert, sponsored by Spotify, the night before their new album for the first time, Happiness Begins dropped. It was carnival-themed, filled with drinks, games and a short concert by the boys themselves! There were maybe 200 people there and watching the boys perform together again for the first time in 6 years was magical.
The Jonas Brothers (with no-zoom) at the Spotify Concert (6/6/2019) (PC: Rachel Schneebalg)
Going to see the Jonas Brothers in concert is like hanging out with your friends from your childhood. I spent most of the summer 2019 working, so I could go afford to see the boys as many times as I could. I never met all 3 of the boys together before, so I promised to treat myself to a meet and greet this time around. I saved enough money from work and went on a two-day vacation up to Albany to meet them. Along with the Meet & Greet, the package I bought had a Backstage Tour and the “Walk Down Memory Lane”, which made me super nostalgic.
The other girls on the line to meet the boys were so kind and supportive to each other. It felt surreal to finally be meeting a band that meant so much to me for so long. Nick, Joe and Kevin were so warm and kind and my experience wasn’t rushed at all. I will treasure that experience forever. I’m forever grateful that I get to experience these new memories as an adult and I’m looking forward to when I get to experience these memories next. The Jonas Brothers have made me feel like it’s ok to be an underdog and that they have shown me if you work hard and are kind, your dreams can come true. After all, they did sing, “Where would we be if we couldn’t dream?” (That’s Just The Way We Roll) and “It was fun when we were young and now, we’re older” (Rollercoaster).
