When I was nine years old, I walked hand in hand with my dad as I went to see the Jonas Brothers in concert.
It was one of the best nights of my life. There I was, in a venue packed to capacity with young elementary aged girls (and possibly a few boys who would dare to admit it) who also loved the dark haired boys who sang about futuristic themes.
Even my dad was having a ball.
As a full-grown woman, you would assume that these passionate feelings about the Jonas Brothers have subsided.
I wish I could say you were right, but I still teared up when I saw the Jonas Brother’s make an appearance on The Late Late Show with James Corden for a carpool karaoke.
With their new single “Sucker” that just hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100, it seems that the Jonas Brothers are making a comeback.
And so are the hidden posters kept in dusty attics that younger girls gawked at when they were nine.
The Jonas Brothers have a stable fan base, given the individual music experimentation done by younger brothers Nick and Joe.
Nick Jonas’s solo success in the pop charts includes “Jealous,” which stayed on the Billboard Pop Chart for 28 consecutive weeks in 2014, followed by collaborations with Tove Lo and Nicki Minaj.
Joe Jonas took center stage again as the front man of DNCE, releasing “Cake by the Ocean” in late 2015, which peaked at number 9 on the Billboard Pop Chart.
Reunions give the artist or group a slight advantage, especially if the group was successful in the past because they already have a fan base that will give their new music a chance.
Bands such as The Backstreet Boys have made successful comebacks to the music scene, with “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart” debuting at number 32 on the Billboard Pop Chart.
Samantha Rivas, a senior communication student, believes that the Jonas Brothers will have no problem coming back to pop music.
“I think if the group or individual is loved enough, then yes, they can be successful. I think from the Jonas Brothers’ standpoint; they’re building on anticipation and childhood memories so their comeback is going to sky rocket,” said Rivas.
This begs the question: are reunions always for the best?
Bands such as Guns ‘n Roses (GnR), which had an immense amount of conflict within the group, have reunited within the past three years.
A lot of people went to their shows just to see the chaos of it all.
Joe Rapolla, Chair of the Music and Theatre Department, believes that bands such as GnR possess a shock factor that is good for touring.
“There’s a bit of a novelty characteristic to some bands. Going to see them is sometimes more for the novelty of the experience rather than the serious artistry of it. But entertainment is entertainment,” stated Rapolla.
Groups like this can bring a lot of profit from touring and attending musical events simply because of their name.
GnR was able to hold the title of the second highest grossing concert tour of all time in 2016 with their Not in This Lifetime Tour, which lasted until 2018, grossing over $500 million.
Not bad for a band that technically broke up in 1996!
“Bands like GnR know that the only possible way for them to make money is by touring. And some of them haven’t had too much success outside of the band unit. So if they want to capitalize on their early success, it may be in their best interest to try to keep it together for the benefit of a tour,” Rapolla concluded.
Musical experimentation is also a key factor. With “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart,” The Backstreet Boys played it safe and stuck to their boyband sound with a vocally strong chorus, the formula that we are all aware of.
Artists like Britney Spears will often update their older music with new instrumentals behind the original songs.
With “Sucker,” it seems that the Jonas Brothers are mixing the musical stylings of Nick and Joe’s solo musical endeavors together to form a modern version of what they have dabbled in before.
So is it possible that the Jonas Brothers will tour?
It seems to be looking that way, given the widespread success of their first single released since 2013.
Samantha Losurdo, a junior communication student, was excited to hear the news of a Jonas Brothers comeback.
“I think the Jonas Brothers making a comeback is fantastic! It’s such a great thing and makes me feel so happy to see a group I grew up with coming back,” said Losurdo.
“Sucker” currently has over 63 million plays on YouTube.
It seems I’m not the only one who is a “Sucker” for them.
IMAGE TAKEN FROM Stylecaster
