Nick Jonas and his brothers, Kevin and Joe, may have started out as a young pop group signed to a music label Columbia Records. But what happened next wasn’t anything typical of boy bands at that time.
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When the brothers started working with Disney, they did more than just record music. Just like that, they became the stars of Disney’s Camp Rock, the very show which would launch them into fame. Nick’s career has evolved greatly since then (he has embarked on a solo music career and has been starring in the Jumanji franchise). That said, revelations he and his brothers have made in a documentary has got fans wondering if they regretted starring in Camp Rock in the first place.
Nick Jonas Wasn’t Even Supposed To Be On Camp Rock
Camp Rock was the hit musical that Disney released following the success of High School Musical (although fans tend to compare the two). As such, it was looking for fresh talent and it just so happens that the Jonas Brothers were available. That said, the show wasn’t looking for an entire group initially. Instead, they were only interested in having one Jonas brother join the show.
“We auditioned a lot of guys and then they suggested we looked at this kid, Joe Jonas,” director Matthew Diamond recalled during an interview with International Business Times. After they decided to catch Joe and Diamond saw the brothers perform, they “refashioned the script to reflect the brothers because they hadn’t been in the prior [draft].”
The director also knew that having the brothers improved the show’s overall plot. “We just thought, ‘Oh, this is such a great, interesting thing that he’s got two bandmates to say ‘You’re out of control, you’re going back to Camp Rock and you’re going to learn to behave yourself’ or something,” Diamond further explained. “That seemed like a much better idea than an off-screen manager.”
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Around the time they were making Camp Rock, the brothers were relative unknowns. As Diamond recalled, “I think we saw them at a small club in Hollywood. They were basically touring around in a station wagon.” And so, being on a Disney show definitely helped promote put their names out there. Meanwhile, behind the scenes, the Jonas Brothers were also having the time of their lives. “We're just doing what we love to do,” Nick remarked while speaking with CNN. “And we're trying to be the best guys we can be and make our mom proud.” The success of Camp Rock also prompted Disney to come out with Camp Rock 2.
How Does Nick Jonas Truly Feel About Camp Rock?
For Nick, being able to star on Camp Rock was instrumental in shaping him into the performer that he has become today. “When Disney played our video for 'Year 3000,' everything changed. It all started to happen when Disney got on board,” he explained during an interview with Paper. “Our years doing Camp Rock and TV shows were really formative.”
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The brothers have also spoken regularly about how much fun it was to work on the show. In addition, they’ve also gamely recreated some iconic Camp Rock scenes on social media to fans delight. And while they’re not exactly keen on doing a Camp Rock 3, Joe told Capital FM, “I think we probably would go for more of like a skit, like an SNL skit or something like that or go on one of the shows here and do something funny.” Meanwhile, Nick also confirmed to PopBuzz that Camp Rock 3 would never happen. However, he acknowledged, “Camp Rock was a great chapter in our lives…”
He Does Regret Doing Another Disney Show
While the brothers may have fond memories of Camp Rock, they have come to regret doing another Disney show, specifically JONAS L.A. On the show, the Jonas Brothers played semiautobiographical versions of themselves. JONAS L.A. ran for only two seasons and Nick has said that they should have shut it down early on. “We shouldn’t have done that. It really stunted our growth, you know?” Nick explained in their documentary Chasing Happiness. “I feel like it was just a bad move. It was just not the time. Literally, we couldn’t evolve because of it.” Kevin also thought the show was no longer a good fit for their image at that time. “It was not on brand for us, with the band we were becoming, the songs we were writing,” he explained. “I think that affected the perception of the band, that we were a joke.”
At the same time, the brothers had revealed some frustrations they experienced while working with Disney, specifically when it came to maintaining a squeaky-clean image. “We were having to censor ourselves, I think any artist could relate,” Joe lamented. “That's not fun.” That said, Nick also clarified, “Before this becomes an indictment of Disney and Disney culture, I think it's important to say that, though we felt limited at times, bottom line, Disney was really good for us; really good training wheels for anybody that wants to become a musician or entertainer, as far as work ethic and all the rest.”
Nick and his brothers have since put their Disney beginnings behind them. Nonetheless, Nick still acknowledged that it was “a major part of our story and a big way that our fans connect with us and continue to today.”
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