Last night, TimesTalks hosted a lively conversation with multi-platinum selling band Jonas Brothers and Ryan Tedder, the Grammy award winning singer, songwriter, producer and founder of the multi-platinum selling band OneRepublic.
Moderated by New York Times Styles desk editor Lindsey Underwood, Nick, Kevin, and Joe Jonas reflected on the decision to reunite as Jonas Brothers, and the complicated emotions and memories that came with that decision. They also spoke about the process of producing their new documentary "Chasing Happiness" and the experience of revisiting their hometown in New Jersey. Along with Ryan Tedder, who wrote the Jonas Brothers single "Sucker," the group recalled their chance meeting and the process of musical collaboration on the most recent Jonas Brothers album.
Watch the full video here:
Highlights from TimesTalks ft. Jonas Brothers and Ryan Tedder:
"We have to shoot [this documentary] because the conversations went from laughter to anger and tears. And we said let's get it on camera and see what comes from this. And through that process there was a lot of healing that took place for us as a band, and more importantly as brothers. And then we started the process of writing and recording. And so releasing an album ten years later kind of just happened organically." - Joe Jonas on the making of "Chasing Happiness" and the Jonas Brothers reunion
"Having great collaborators, and people you trust in your circle to tell you if you're getting in your own way or not is really important. And with this specific project, what we found to be interesting is that we didn't do a whole lot of second guessing ourselves, which I think was really important when we went about not only writing the music, but the visuals that went along with it. It all happened very fast because we felt we were at a place where we knew who we were, and it felt incredibly authentic to this moment of our lives." - Nick Jonas on the making of the Jonas Brothers' new album
"I never felt like I gave up on our friendship, our brotherhood, or any of those moments, but I needed to take a step away from it. And it took a lot of time, it took a lot of healing for me personally. And I will say it was hard. There were times where it was tough to watch them succeed. But I started to realize that I was succeeding so much and growing so much as a person." - Kevin Jonas on his separation from Jonas Brothers
"People say a hit is a hit - a hit is a great song - but it has to be connected and melded and mixed. What they brought to 'Sucker,' what they added to it, is something that I never could've done, and no act on earth would've done it better than them. And it changed the temperature on the record. You have to acknowledge the right artist and the right song." - Ryan Tedder on writing "Sucker" for Jonas Brothers
Announcements about future TimesTalks can be found on TimesTalks.com, and viewers can watch previous installments here, including videos of Denzel Washington, Grace Jones, Margaret Atwood, Greta Gerwig and Saoirse Ronan, Jane Goodall, Annie Leibovitz, Ai Weiwei, Anthony Bourdain, Danny Bowien, Sean "Diddy" Combs, Judi Dench, "Moonlight": A Night of Music and Conversation, Tom Ford, Jim Jarmusch, Iggy Pop, Meryl Streep, and many more.
Upcoming TimesTalks include an advance screening of "The Weekly," the Times's new television series, followed by a conversation with The Times's Sabrina Tavernise, Caitlin Dickerson, andSam Dolnick moderated by Jake Silverstein on June 17 and an advance screening of "Yesterday" featuring a Q&A with director Danny Boyle, screenwriter Richard Curtis, and lead actor Himesh Patel on June 24.
TimesTalks, The New York Times live conversation and performance series, pairs The New York Times journalists with the most creative and seminal figures in the fields of film and theater, art, music, literature, innovation and fashion. In 2018, TimesTalks celebrates its 20th anniversary. For the past two decades, TimesTalks has provided a platform for engaging and spirited discourse among the most iconic and culturally relevant creative voices of our time, paying particular attention to those using the cultural arts as a lens for change.
Photo Credit: Carl Timpone/BFA.com. Courtesy of TimesTalks.
