The Jonas Brothers came into my life at a time when I needed them most. I was so young, nearing the end of my elementary school career and heading into the weirdest three years of my life: middle school. I think that all of us can admit that middle school is quite the trying time – not just because as individuals we were really going through it (finding ourselves, becoming young adults, starting what would be the pre-high school practice run that would affect the rest of our grade school lives), but also we would often find ourselves needing an outlet. Somewhere, someone or something to help us escape the daily life of an eleven-year-old.
I can remember it so vividly: the beginning notes of Year 3000 would start to play, and the music video would light up my television as I turned to the Disney Channel. These three spunky, adorable and extremely talented boys would sing, and they would honestly help me forget about the stress that came along with school at the time. They put a huge smile on my face, and that smile is what got me through those years. Sure, Hannah Montana and Zack and Cody (of the Suite Life) were there for me as well, but not like the Jonas Brothers were. They connected with me in a way no one else did. Their lyrics spoke to me, and frankly, made me feel less alone. Whenever I needed it, they would be there with a new album, song, concert tour, live-stream or video. I could always count on them, and that went on for years upon years – until, well, I couldn’t anymore.
It was fall 2013, I was now a junior in high school and, of course, still living my best life when it came to the Jonas Brothers. I had seen them live in concert multiple times, a few of those times I was lucky enough to meet them, and they had announced yet another tour. Now, by this time I knew their music wasn’t the same as it always had been. They were coming out with songs like Pom Poms (which, if you haven’t heard it, well… I don’t blame you) which didn’t stick with their audience as well as hits like Lovebug or Burnin’ Up. The days of A Little Bit Longer were over, and we all knew it – but for diehard fans such as myself, that was okay. I sang along to the new tunes even though they weren’t resonating with me as well as they used to. I was there no matter what.
Photo by Katie Coryell – Meeting the Jonas Brothers (2013)
Tickets to their next tour in hand, the news soon broke that the tour was canceled. I was, of course, confused – why would the tour be canceled? They had only just announced it. Suddenly, I saw an article from Billboard stating what that reason was: Jonas Brothers Announce They Are Splitting Up.
What can I say? I was devastated. I won’t harp on my high school feelings for too much longer, as so many things have changed since then and not only am I a completely different person than I was back then, but the Jonas Brothers themselves are, too. But this hurt me at the time, as I was in my worst year of high school yet and my all-time favorite band splitting up was certainly not something I wanted to add to it. Sure, I had new interests now that kept me smiling much like the Jonas Brothers always did – I was older, I had grown. But the fact that the one constant that had been with me since the beginning of my young adult journey was suddenly gone… you can imagine the pain that caused, especially when I was so looking forward to seeing them on tour again.
Time passed, the brothers had their solo careers, and eventually, the thought of the Jonas Brothers being a band was forgotten by the world. I wasn’t a huge fan of Nick’s solo music but was happy for him nonetheless. Joe started a band called DNCE, who would soon become one of my favorite bands of all-time, right up there with the Jonas Brothers. And Kevin had children, so of course that was amazing to see. Things were looking up much more than I thought they would after the split, but there was still an empty spot in not only my but many other fans’ hearts.
In early 2019, the old Jonas Brothers Instagram account was reactivated, as was their Twitter. Of course, those of us who were still paying attention had our interests piqued, but we didn’t think all that much of it. A coincidence, maybe. An accident, perhaps. But then, more teases started to happen, including a tease of a new song they were releasing called Sucker. You can imagine, I lost it. My heart grew a thousand sizes and, when their reunion was officially announced, this became the year of the Jonas Brothers – and what a year it has been.
I never thought I would be able to see them live again. I never thought I would be able to hear a new Jonas Brothers song, let alone an entire album, again. And suddenly, all at once, it was happening – and right as I was about to graduate college! This year, I have now seen them three times – and I will be seeing them twice more in November. At every show, they do a cheer with their fans, as we are all able to drink alcohol now – it’s such a sweet moment that shows how far we’ve all come. And when they sing the lyrics “it was fun when we were young but now we’re older (…) I’d go back and ride that roller coaster with you” as they come down from the ceiling of each stadium as their shows begin, I can’t help but become teary-eyed. I have been jamming out to their new album since the day it came out, and every single time, even now that months have passed, I still can’t believe it.
The Jonas Brothers came into my life at a time when I needed them most. Twenty-one years old, in my senior year of undergrad, about to start my journey as an adult with a college degree. Life can often be overwhelming, just as it used to be in grade school. But now that I’m older, wiser and stronger, I can admit that I am handling things a lot differently – a lot better. But I still have a lot of times where I question who I am and what I’m doing with my life, just as anyone else does. And just as they were back then, the Jonas Brothers are here for me now. And that is all I could have ever hoped for.
Photo by Katie Coryell – Jonas Brothers at Madison Square Garden