At midnight on Friday, March 1, the Jonas Brothers—Nick, Joe, and the other one—officially reunited after breaking up the family rock band six years prior, in 2013. They dropped an elaborate music video starring their partners—Priyanka Chopra, Game of Thrones’ Sophie Turner and Married to Jonas’s Danielle Jonas (née Deleasa), respectively—for a new single, titled “Sucker.” Normally, this kind of nostalgia-inspired, unnecessary, backward-looking revival would inspire hatred deep within the dark, skeptical hole where my heart should be, but it’s actually pretty smart. Unlike other boy band reunions that usually reek of desperation, or seem like a deliberate money play, the JoBros appear genuine.
Allow me to unpack this particular reunion’s greatness in blog form, where unhealthy fanaticism is rewarded.
The Rollout
On Thursday, the Jonas Brothers’ Twitter account posted for the first time since 2013. It was a picture of the JoBros with the caption, “Midnight ET #Sucker” and a link to their site, which teased a new single. Rumors of a reunion had been floating around since January 2018 when the Disney-adjacent, punky-pop radio rockers reactivated an Instagram account (but didn’t post). They were also seen hanging out together around that time, but they’re brothers, so that doesn’t actually mean anything.
Minutes after the tease, James Corden posted a clip of the brothers Jonas hopping into his van for a future Carpool Karaoke episode. The video ends with the revelation that next week will be Jonas Brothers’ Week on the Late Late Show, which seems like a lot for guys who don’t seem to really remember the words to their pop-rock hits. Either way, it’s a lot of PR, bro!
My personal favorite: The Jonas Brothers recreated a beloved video of theirs in which they pick up a table, spin it around, and declare “Oh, how the tables have turned.” That insane attention to detail—and fandom—is completely brilliant.
I mean, come on:
Joe quote-tweeted a message he sent out in 2013, when the band broke up, illustrating an attention to detail that can make a boy band in the social media era. I’m flabbergasted by the effort:The Song/Video
When the clock hit midnight and the “Sucker” video dropped, it became immediately clear that the JoBros were not done dropping self-referential easter eggs. Bringing their partners into the mix modernized what could’ve easily been a cheap recollection of their past pop-punk selves. The song itself, instead of messing around with power chords and the undeniably 2000s sound that made them famous, still exists in the pop-rock vein, just elevated—with some help for radio rock hit writer Ryan Tedder.Most importantly of all, there’s a sultry, BDSM-esque moment between Joe and Sophie which is challenging to grasp when considering the Jonas Bros were some of the biggest purveyors of Christian chastity and purity rings just a decade ago:
The Future
If I were to make any predictions, I’d say “Sucker” is catchy, and it’s likely to blow up on Top 40 radio. I’d also wager that because the Jonas Brothers (save for Kevin) were all still super famous leading up to the reunion, and are not, forgettable middle-aged dudes just keeping the dream alive, there’s a likelihood that they could take this thing on the road and really reap the benefits of nostalgic consumers and contemporary fans, simultaneously. That’s largely uncharted territory in the boy band sphere.
Until then, this still goes: