The Jonas Brothers are an American pop rock boy band.[3][4][5][6] The band gained its popularity from the Disney Channel children’s television network. From Wyckoff, New Jersey, the band consists of three brothers: Paul Kevin Jonas II (Kevin Jonas), Joseph Adam Jonas (Joe Jonas), and Nicholas Jerry Jonas (Nick Jonas). In the summer of 2008, they starred in the Disney Channel Original Movie Camp Rock. The band has released four albums: It’s About Time, Jonas Brothers, A Little Bit Longer, and Lines, Vines and Trying Times. In 2008, the group was nominated for the Best New Artist award at the 51st Grammy Awards and won the award for Breakthrough Artist at the American Music Awards. As of May, 2009, before the release of Lines, Vines and Trying Times, they have sold over eight million albums worldwide.

The band started as a solo project for Nick Jonas.[8][9][10] At the age of 7, Nicholas began performing on Broadway.[11][12] He has acted in several plays, including A Christmas Carol (in 2000 as Tiny Tim and as Scrooge at eight), Annie Get Your Gun (in 2001 as Little Jake), Beauty and the Beast (in 2002 as Chip), and Les Misérables (in 2003 as Gavroche).[12][13][14][15] After Les Misérables closed, he performed in The Sound of Music (as Kurt) at the Paper Mill Playhouse.[16]

In 2002 while performing in Beauty and the Beast, Nick had written a song with his father called “Joy to the World (A Christmas Prayer)”. With background vocals from the Beauty and the Beast cast, Nick performed the song on the 2002 annual Broadway “Equity Fights AIDS” album, Broadway’s Greatest Gifts: Carols for a Cure, Vol. 4.[17][18] In November 2003, INO Records received a demo copy of “Joy to the World (A Christmas Prayer)”.[19] The label released the song to Christian radio, where it quickly became popular on Record & Radio’s Christian Adult Contemporary Chart.[18] While Nick was working on his solo project, Joe followed in his footsteps to Broadway, appearing in Baz Lurhmann’s production of La bohème. According to Nick, this was also the first year the brothers started writing songs together.[20]

By September 2004, an executive at Columbia Records found out about Nick’s song.[17][18] Nick was soon jointly signed to INO Records and Columbia Records and released the single “Dear God”.[21] A second single, a new solo recording of “Joy to the World (A Christmas Prayer)”, was released on November 16.[22] It was supposed to be followed by a December release of a self-titled solo album Nicholas Jonas, but the album had been pushed back;[23] it did, however, get a limited release.[24] Nick, along with his brothers, Kevin and Joe, had written several other songs for the album.[17] 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.[25] After meeting with Nick and hearing the song “Please Be Mine”, written and performed by the brothers, Daylight/Columbia Records decided to sign the three as a group act.

The Jonases are known for their wholesome, “family-friendly” image,[85] and the brothers are all committed Evangelical Christians. Their father is a former Assembly of God pastor, and they were homeschooled by their mother. In addition, to signify their vow to abstain from premarital sex, on their left-hand ring finger they all wear purity rings. Joe has said that the rings symbolize “a promise to ourselves and to God that we’ll stay pure till marriage,” and Nick had stated that the rings are “just one of our ways of kind of like being different than everybody else out there.”[86] They reportedly started wearing the rings when their parents, Denise and Kevin Sr., asked them if they wanted to.[87] They also reportedly abstain from alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs.[88]

Russell Brand made fun of the purity rings during the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards.[89] Brand held up a silver ring, claiming to have relieved one of the brothers of his virginity,[89] and said: “Well done the Jonas Brothers. Each wear a ring to say they are not going to have sex; I’d take them more seriously if they wore it around their genitals.”[90] Brand later faced criticism and apologized for his comments. He later confirmed his apology during the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards.[90]

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