The evangelical Christian teen sensations who have become huge stars in the US now have their sights set on Britain. Anita Singh met them at the London premiere of their film Camp Rock
For Disney bosses racking their brains over how to introduce the Jonas Brothers to British audiences, help came in the unlikely form of Russell Brand.
Canny enough to know that sex sells: the Jonas Brothers
His description of George W Bush as "that retard cowboy fella" may have caused a sharp intake of breath at the MTV Video Music Awards, but it was Brand’s repeated mockery of the pop world’s latest teen sensations that truly offended Middle America.
The resulting furore made headlines on both sides of the Atlantic, and provided a timely publicity boost for a band hitherto known here only to the under-12s and devotees of the Disney Channel. After conquering the States, the Jonas Brothers have set their sights on Britain with the release of new album A Little Bit Longer. For the uninitiated, Kevin, 20, Joe, 19, and Nick, just 15, are three siblings from New Jersey with musical talent (they play their own instruments), some decent pop-rock tunes and a high cuteness factor. They are also evangelical Christians who don’t smoke, drink or take drugs, and who wear "promise rings" signifying their intent to remain virgins until marriage.
Meeting them, one understands why MTV viewers were outraged on their behalf. The Jonas Brothers are so sweet-natured and eager to please that picking on them is like kicking the Andrex puppy. If they feel aggrieved at being the butt of Brand’s jokes, they are too polite to say so. He is not the first to mock them, and won’t be the last. Kevin shrugs: "The first time you get a hate mail or you get a hater, it means that you’re doing something right. That’s the way I guess we have to look at our life as well."
In the US, they are doing an awful lot right. They have made the cover of Rolling Stone magazine. They recently sold out New York’s Madison Square Garden on three consecutive nights. Their acting debut, in Disney Channel movie Camp Rock, was second only to High School Musical 2 in ratings. When they performed an outside broadcast for television show Good Morning America, 15,000 fans turned up.
The London premiere of Camp Rock attracted hundreds of screaming schoolgirls, but cracking the British market is a work in progress. "It’s still very new here and kind of strange for us but it’s growing all the time and we’re very excited about it," says Nick. At home, he concedes, things are a little "crazy". The boys can’t leave home without being mobbed and are accompanied everywhere by their minder, Big Rob, a man so gargantuan that he has to enter a room sideways. "It’s all about having Big Rob with you. He takes really good care of us. The fan reaction definitely doesn’t stop us from doing normal things," explains Joe. Like what? "Well, we’re definitely going to still ride bikes with our little brother," he says. "And go get ice cream!" they chorus. Big Rob used to work for Britney Spears. Minding the Jonas Brothers seems like an easier gig.
Before I am introduced to the boys, I meet Gary Marsh, president of entertainment at the Disney Channel. I ask how Nick, the baby of the band, copes with the demands of life in a multi-million selling pop outfit. Is it fair for one so young to be immersed in the shark-infested waters of the music industry? Marsh is amused. "Wait ‘til you meet him," he says.
You soon get what he means. Nick is the most intense and focused of the three, handling questions with aplomb and taking charge of the conversation while his elder siblings look on. It’s a strange dynamic, but one that makes sense. Nick is the showbiz veteran of the family, discovered at six years old when he was overheard singing in a hair salon. A career on Broadway followed, and he was a solo artist before hitching up with his brothers. Dropped by their first label, Columbia, they signed with Disney-owned Hollywood Records, where their brand of McFly-style pop rock has found a perfect home.
The boys are relentlessly enthusiastic. They love touring ("it was a blast"), they love Britney Spears ("meeting her was incredible") and they love Britain ("so cool"). In a world of sullen rock stars with giant egos and drug problems to match, the Jonas Brothers make a refreshing change.
Joe, the heart-throb of the band, has the starring role in Camp Rock as an obnoxious singer seduced by the trappings of fame. "My character is fun because he’s the total opposite of who I am," Joe says. Does the role allow him to act the rock star bad boy he secretly yearns to be? He looks bemused. "Er... not really."
We have been here before, of course. Britney Spears was once pop’s most famous virgin. Miley Cyrus was squeaky-clean until those semi-topless shots for Vanity Fair. Lindsay Lohan was a Disney starlet, and look how she turned out.
But the Jonas Brothers are different. Their clean-cut image is not a Disney construct. The home-schooled sons of a pastor (now their manager), the brothers’ wholesomeness was instilled in them by their family, not their marketing team. Today, as ever, they are wearing their silver rings. They have previously described them as symbolising "promises to ourselves and to God that we’ll stay pure until marriage", but today the topic is strictly off limits. "We’d rather focus on the movie and the music, if that’s ok," says Nick firmly. Can you explain what they mean to you? "Like I said, we’d rather focus on the music and the movie," he repeats. Discussion over.
Their reticence is understandable, given that the evangelical Christian ideals behind the purity ring movement could be off-putting to British fans. But they are also canny enough to know that sex sells. Thus, their lyrics ("Baby, you turn the temperature hotter/And I’m burning up, burning up for you baby") have a hint of raunch, and the pronouncements on their MySpace page offer up a tantalising fantasy: "Yes, we have already dated fans or girls that are not celebrities. In fact, we really like to believe that the girl we will spend our lives with will be our biggest fan. It is our rule to not talk about our personal lives, especially who we are dating. The same would be true if we were dating you."
With the might of Disney behind them, there’s no stopping the Jonas juggernaut. Last year they earned $12 million - $9 million from touring, $3 million from merchandising. A Camp Rock sequel is already in the works. A Monkees-style TV show is planned for next year.
Bosses at Disney know they have struck gold. "We are very fortunate. These kids come from good families. They have good guidance from their parents and a strong spiritual backing," says Marsh. "And they are authentic. They write their own music, play their own instruments, pick their own wardrobe. They have an internal barometer for who they are. They are in control. And their music will evolve over time - that’s the key to longevity."
And if the brand needs refreshing? They boys have got that one all worked out. Their seven-year-old brother, Frankie, is apparently a star in the making. They call him Bonus Jonas.
The Jonas Brothers' A Little Bit Longer is out September 29
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