Archives For jonas brothers

INTERVIEW: DNCE Talks Times Square And New Year’s Resolutions

Ralphie Aversa  —  01/06/2017 — Leave a comment

As the band prepares for its upcoming tour that kicks off later this month, DNCE looks back on 2016 rather fondly.

“Getting a VMA for Best New Artist, that’s really special for us,” was one of the first things lead singer Joe Jonas told me he’ll remember about the year, besides of course releasing the quartet’s debut, self-titled album. “Touring with so many amazing artists and growing our fan base more and more, and we can’t wait just to be able to do it all over again hopefully.”

The LP, which dropped November 18, came out over a year after DNCE’s initial EP. According to Jonas, the prolonged success of “Cake By The Ocean” was one of the reasons for its delay.

“It’s been a long time coming,” he admitted. This was the first time that I had chatted with the group since the album’s unveiling. “Yeah the album’s out, and what a great way to kind of cap the year off with being in Times Square and celebrating with all of these amazing people that are kind of bearing the cold.”

I sat down with Jonas and his bandmates Jack Lawless, Cole Whittle and JinJoo Lee in their hotel suite before the group performed “Cake” and “Body Moves” on “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve.” It was Jonas’ third time performing the event; in 2007 and 2009 he did so with his brothers Nick and Kevin. Lawless, who played drums for The Jonas Brothers, joined those times as well. But for Whittle and Lee, joining a million people to ring in the New Year was a new experience.

“We’re all wearing adult diapers underneath actually, just to keep things legit,” Whittle cracked when I inquired how they were staying warm. He eventually told me that because of how much the band moves around on stage, they wouldn’t have an issue with the temperature outside.

“It’s amazing how many people are waiting all day for this awesome event,” Lee said of her first New Years in Times Square. “I can’t wait to celebrate with all of those people.”

DNCE, which played the Orange Bowl Halftime Show in Florida the night before New Year’s Eve, now heads west for their headlining tour that starts January 17 in San Diego.

“We think the world needs more love,” Jonas responded when I asked if the band had a New Year’s Resolution. “And hopefully we can bring some joy and happiness to people.”

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INTERVIEW: Joe Jonas Talks AMA Nominees, New DNCE Album And Favorite NFL Teams

Ralphie Aversa  —  10/12/2016 — Leave a comment

Joe Jonas probably has the weekend of November 18 circled on his calendar… or highlighted in his phone. You get the idea.

On that Friday, the Jonas-fronted DNCE will drop its debut, full-length album. The following Sunday, DNCE will head over to the Microsoft Theater in downtown Los Angeles for the 2016 American Music Awards. DNCE snagged two nominations, including New Artist Of The Year, which put the “Cake By The Ocean” singer in a league of his own; he’s the first artist to be nominated for that award twice – it’s a trophy he won with his brothers back in 2008.

“That’s an incredible feeling,” Jonas said when I brought that up to him on Monday morning. He and Rachel Platten helped reveal some of the AMA nominations on “Good Morning America” in Times Square. “I was not expecting that; when Rachel said my name, I had to kind of like, take a second to think about it.
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“It’s overwhelming. It’s a bizarre feeling to know that you can reinvent yourself and hopefully it encourages a lot of artists out there because part of this game is being able to come up with stuff that’s new and evolve as an artist. We do it because of the love of music.”

DNCE is also up for Favorite Group or Duo – Pop/Rock with some stiff competition between The Chainsmokers and Twenty One Pilots. The band also shares the New Artist nod with The Chainsmokers, as well as Shawn Mendes, Zayn and Alessia Cara.

“It’s going to be a party,” Jonas replied when I asked what he thinks that November weekend will be like. “We’ll probably be still on a high from releasing an album but walking in to nominations amongst these great artists, fan-voted completely, that’s the best feeling.”

Jonas noted that it’s also nice just to have a release date for the anticipated LP.

“We have songs that we just created a few months ago and it’s cool to like actually have a set-date rather than kind of the guessing game,” he said. “I just can’t wait for people to hear it. We’ve been playing some of the songs on tour and testing them out but now to be able to have a physical album to hold on to is a good feeling.”

In addition to “Cake By The Ocean” becoming nearly inescapable, DNCE spent this last summer supporting Selena Gomez on tour. Gomez also scored two AMA nods, including for the evening’s top prize for Artist Of The Year.

The 2016 American Music Awards air Sunday night November 20 at 8 p.m. on ABC.

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INTERVIEW: Kevin Jonas Reveals New Music From Nick Is On The Way

Ralphie Aversa  —  06/26/2015 — Leave a comment

While this shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise, count Kevin Jonas as one of the many happy with the accomplishments of his younger brother Nick.

“Nick’s doing an amazing job. He’s working his ass off and having so much fun,” the oldest JoBro told me last week on the red carpet at the Garden of Dreams Talent Show inside Radio City Music Hall. “I think the music speaks for itself. Yunno, having two top 10 hits is huge, and it’s a feat all in its own.”
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The youngest of the three musicians scored success on the pop chart with “Jealous” and “Chains.” Perhaps also not surprising: it doesn’t seem Nick is stopping there.

“I’ve heard there’s more music coming as well,” revealed Kevin. “So, I’m excited for him.”

Count Kevin strictly as a cheerleader though, and not as an older brother who tries to play mentor.

“Nick’s doing his thing. Each one of us is kind of doing our own thing,” he responded when I asked him about mentoring his younger bro. I posed the question because the event we were at centers on mentorship: the Garden of Dreams Foundation partners kids facing obstacles with celebrities throughout entertainment to receive guidance leading up to the event at Radio City.

Kevin did note that as the Jonas Brothers grew up, they had a few big names and experiences to lean on themselves.

“We got to meet a lot of amazing people as we got to travel and do different things,” Jonas noted, immediately mentioning the 51st GRAMMYs performance that the boys shared with Stevie Wonder. “Talking to Paul McCartney and being able to share our stories and him actually wanting to hear what we had to say and to tell us about his life… it’s just, things like that I’ll never forget.”

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LIFE AND STYLE WEEKLY: Taylor’s Other 1D Crush, JoBros Drama, Kim’s Post-Baby Body

Ralphie Aversa  —  10/31/2013 — Leave a comment
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Life & Style Weekly reports that Taylor Swift actually first crushed on One Direction’s Zayn Malik before Harry Styles. Senior Reporter Andrew Nodell also talked about the Jonas Brothers and Kim Kardashian’s post-baby slim down on “The Ralphie Show.”

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PREVIEW: Demi Lovato Talks About The Success of Selena Gomez and Her Friends

Ralphie Aversa  —  06/30/2013 — Leave a comment

Demi Lovato and her friends are all experiencing a great amount of success in the entertainment business, and she couldn’t be happier for them.

“I’m really, really excited for her,” Lovato responded when asked about Selena Gomez taking over radio airwaves with the hit, “Come and Get It.” “I’m excited for all of the people I’ve grown up with. Everyone that I’ve grown up with, we all have our own path now and it’s really, really great to watch everyone come in to their own.”

The “Heart Attack” singer mentioned Taylor Swift, Miley Cyrus, and the Jonas Brothers by name. Of course, her and Gomez go way back.

“I’ve known (Selena) since I was seven years old,” Lovato said. “It’s funny; we went from being in the back seat of a car with her parents driving us to a radio show to listen to our favorite artists that were on the radio at the time to having songs on the radio.”

Lovato sat down with “The Ralphie Show” following her performance Friday on ABC’s “Good Morning America.” The full interview will air Monday evening.

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LIFE & STYLE’S JORDI LIPPE: VMA After Parties, NY’s Fashion Night Out

Ralphie Aversa  —  09/14/2012 — Leave a comment
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Life & Style Weekly Senior News Editor Jordi Lippe talked about the magazine’s sister publication’s MTV VMA After-party with yours truly, who was in attendance at the In Touch Weekly bash at Chateau Marmont in Hollywood. While that happened out west, the east coast was wrapped up in both the Democratic National Convention and New York’s Fashion Night Out.

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So, I’ve Interviewed The Three Jonas Brothers…

Ralphie Aversa  —  07/24/2011 — Leave a comment

I suppose you could add another bullet point to the resume or bio after my interview with Joe Jonas aired last week on “The Ralphie Radio Show.” All three family members that comprised The Jonas Brothers have now joined my show for interviews.

– LISTEN: Kevin Jonas (8/11/2008)
– LISTEN: Nick Jonas (1/19/2010)
– LISTEN: Joe Jonas (7/21/2011)
Next up… all five members of N’Sync… the Backstreet Boys… NKOTSB perhaps?

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INTERVIEW: Joe Jonas Talks ‘Fast Life’; Reached Out to Demi Lovato on ‘Skyscraper’

Ralphie Aversa  —  07/21/2011 — Leave a comment

When Demi Lovato said on “The Ralphie Radio Show” that “just about everybody in my phone book” reached out to her after the release of “Skyscraper,” she may have not been exaggerating. In an interview that aired Wednesday night on “The Ralphie Radio Show,” Joe Jonas revealed he was one of those supporters.

“I think (‘Skyscraper’) is great,” remarked Jonas on the phone. “I’m really happy for her and it’s a great song and I’m glad to see that she’s able to pull out those emotions in a song.”

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After a reference was made to Lovato’s comment that everybody in her phone called or texted to offer congratulations, Jonas acknowledged that he was also one of those people.

It certainly speaks volumes that Jonas took the time to listen to the song and reach out to Lovato. No, not just because the two once dated, but because the middle “Jonai” is a very busy guy these days. Jonas is knee deep in a multimedia press tour to promote his new single, “See No More.” The track represents a departure from what you may have come to expect from the Jonas Brothers, and that’s no coincidence. Joe hit the studio with none other than Chris Brown to create the song. Brown co-wrote and provided backup vocals.

“We were not originally going to write together, we were just playing each other music,” said Jonas of his initial studio encounter with Breezy. “The next day we got in the studio and wrote the song in like, two hours or so.”

Jonas also talked about how Brown “lives in the studio” and that the R&B star played “about a thousand songs” that were in the works. Joe found inspiration in Brown’s sound, and the Jonas brother feels that will be apparent when his album, Fast Life, hits stores September 6.

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VANS WARPED TOUR: We The Kings Lead Singer Travis Clark

Ralphie Aversa  —  07/21/2010 — Leave a comment

In an interview on “The Ralphie Radio Show”, We The Kings front man Travis Clark revealed that Demi Lovato may be performing “We’ll Be a Dream” while on tour opening for the Jonas Brothers. But would Nick, Kevin, or Joe be filling in for Travis?

“I mean… whatever!” Clark responded to my thought, clearly amused by it. “I’m entertained by the idea so it’d be funny to see it actually go down.”

The lead singer also let us in on plans to have Demi join We The Kings on a couple more dates of the Vans Warped Tour – Clark mentioned Atlanta and Chicago as two possible opportunities. While on Warped, the band has either deferred to the crowd for Lovato’s parts or invited Hey Monday’s Cassadee Pope on stage to fill in.

We The Kings first hopped on Warped Tour back in 2008, when “Check Yes Juliet” landed the boys from Bradenton, Florida on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” and radio stations across the globe. Now three singles, two years, and one album later – much has changed for the band – but Clark believes the biggest difference is within the band members’ personal lives.
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“If we wanted to, for example, cut through the park to go to catering or something like that, we would get mauled, we would never make it. Where in 2008, we could walk around anywhere we wanted, go see any band we wanted, and now it’s just a little harder to get around,” he admitted. “It’s super flattering, and we want to go out and say ‘hi’ to everybody. But, we never want to be the band that takes away from other people’s sets.”

Clark explained the last part as if it’s an unwritten rule of the Warped Tour handbook – you never attempt to upstage another band, especially one that may fall within the same lane of music as your band. How far do We The Kings go to ensure this doesn’t happen? Clark said that his tour manager will specifically schedule the band’s tent signings at times that do not conflict with similar artists on stage, so that the mutual fans won’t have to miss a show for an autograph.

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EXCLUSIVE: Jordin Sparks Hadn’t Heard "Let The Music Play" Until "S.O.S."

Ralphie Aversa  —  11/08/2009 — Leave a comment

Of course, Jordin Sparks never thought that she would sample the 1983 hit “Let The Music Play” by Shannon for a track of her own. Before using the song, Sparks hadn’t even heard of it.

“I thought it was going to be really cool, just a different kind of experiment for me because I’ve never done like, a dance track before,” said Sparks, who called in to The Ralphie Radio Show from Los Angeles. “I played it for my mom and she was like, ‘Oh my god, I love this song!’ and I was like, ‘What are you talking about?’ And she was like, ‘This is ‘Let The Music Play’ by Shannon!’ and I was just like, ‘Oh my goodness.’”

Sparks’ mom gave birth to Jordin 6 years after Shannon’s song burst on to the music scene. “S.O.S. (Let The Music Play)” is now Jordin’s second single from her sophomore LP, Battlefield. It’s the second album released since Sparks won American Idol Season 6 – at age 17. She is the youngest winner of the reality show in its seven season history. Now, at age 19, she is not only an Idol champ, but an American Music Awards winner, a Grammy nominee, and an opener for such acts as Alicia Keys, the Jonas Brothers, and Britney Spears. It’s quite the diverse roster of acts, and Sparks noted that there were some differences between touring with the Jo-Bros and Britney.
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Part 1: World Series, Touring With Britney, The Jonas Brothers

Part 2: Self-Image, “SOS (Let The Music Play)”

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“On the Jonas crew, we were all around the same age,” said Sparks. “So we all got along, just hanging out, doing different things like that. With Britney, she’s trying to get back on track, and the people around her are definitely taking care of her. I did get to see her, but she’s Britney Spears. She’s busy doing her V.I.P. meet-and-greets and adding new songs and choreography and stuff, but it was amazing to be able to see her back on the stage.”

Certainly Sparks learned, both what to do and what not to do, from watching Spears so closely. Both entered mainstream as teenagers (Spears released “…Baby One More Time” when she was almost 16). Both now must stay conscience of the tabloids, blogs, and paparazzi. Spears and Sparks have even both posed for their own “Got Milk?” campaigns. But any type of downward spiral from Sparks seems highly unlikely, judging by a refreshingly honest answer she gave to a listener-generated question on The RRS about her look.

“The Hollywood obsession with being skinny and everything, it’s so crazy,” Sparks said. “For me, I’m just all about staying healthy. I mean, yeah I’ll work out and, yeah I’ll eat healthy. But it’s not like, to diet or to lose weight. Yunno, it’s to stay healthy and not get sick, like I did so many times last year.”

Jordin even went as far as to say that some of her detractors refer to her as “fat,” but does not waver in her stance on her image – citing her taller, curvier frame as the reason why she may not look the same as other artists or actresses. But clearly it isn’t just Sparks’s figure that sets her apart from others, but rather her talent, confidence, and perspective on young women and their self-image.

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