When you’ve spent over half your life in the spotlight, finding those moments of calm and privacy for yourself can be impossible -something Joe Jonas knows only too well.
‘Sometimes, I need a good healthy distraction,’ the Jonas Brothers star told Metro as we chatted over Zoom from opposite sides of London.
Joe, 36, now splits his time between the UK and the US to spend as much time as possible with his two daughters, Willa and Delphine.
He’s had a life-changing few years, becoming a dad for the first time in 2020 before very publicly splitting with ex-wife Sophie Turner in 2023 after almost a decade together.
Last year, Joe dropped his second solo album – the first being 2011’s Fastlife – which was titled Music for People Who Believe in Love.
‘With that album I took an intention that I wanted to create something that was reflective of a new beginning of finding love again and feeling loved,’ he shared.
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The SOS singer continued: ‘One of the fun things about being an artist is that you can be mysterious and sometimes [you] have people trying to be play detective on what lyrics mean, what or who it’s about.
‘I wanted to be able to go, “This is reflective of where I’m at in my life right now, and this is how I feel”. I’m very proud of that album.’
Heart by Heart, a song off the album, has taken on a life of its own with fans, prompting Joe to return to it for a music video.
He teased new music is on the way, promising there is ‘another one ready to go’, all he needs is to fit it into his busy schedule.
Time off is something hard-earned for a touring musician, but Joe steals snippets of relaxation while he can – which is exactly why he loves gaming.
‘For me, [there’s] a lot of planes, trains, automobiles, and sometimes I need a good, healthy distraction, and it’s quite nice, if instead of doomscrolling, I’m building my farm,’ Joe laughed.
He’s just revealed his collaboration with mobile farming game Hay Day, remixing The Cozy Anthem, which is the game’s country-inspired theme song.
Metro admitted that the collab sounded a little random, but Joe insisted it was a ‘no-brainer’ for him, adding: ‘We had it done in a day or two.
‘I already had this melody idea, and it was just great. I mean, I’m really happy with how it came out.’
Country might not be a genre Jonas fans are used to, but it’s one that’s built into the core of the brothers’ story thanks to their dad, Paul.
At 19, Papa Jonas was a country singer – or ‘aspiring country singer’ as Joe corrected himself – so the track ‘still feels authentic’.
The Cozy Anthem marks the launch of Hay Day’s two-week virtual music festival, headlined by the Cake By The Ocean icon, with fans able to remix the song from June 18 to June 30.
Joe added: ‘Songwriting is one of my favourite things in the world, and to be able to push myself into different genres and try different things. Country is kind of something that has always been around in our family.
‘Of course, I want to protect my artistry and make sure that I’m creating something that has a nice nod to what I’ve done before. So, for this, it’s like I put on my thinking cap and a little bit of a character, thinking, “What would Country Joe do in this Hay Day world?”‘
While Country Joe grows his farm, real-world Joe has been living the dream, including being named to this year’s Disney Legends ceremony.
Joe and his brothers, Kevin and Nick, will be awarded the company’s highest honour in August, alongside stars like Anne Hathaway, Dwayne Johnson, and Alan Tudyk.
Laughing that he wasn’t a Legend just yet, Joe called it an ‘insane’ milestone for the brothers and one which he wholeheartedly welcomes.
He reflected on his 20s, when he felt the need to rebel against the Disney kid label, acting out a ‘bad boy’ phase to free himself from the squeaky clean Jonas Brothers image.
This rebellion spurred on his first solo album as Joe wanted to ‘prove’ he could do something on his own, confessing he had been ‘quite disappointed’ in the response.
‘I was probably too immature to realise when you create art, at least for myself as I matured, you don’t create it hoping it would be number one, you just create it because it’s what you love, and at the moment that’s how you felt.’
While he may have gained a reputation as a bit of a heartbreaker at the time, the Camp Rock star admitted he was relieved he hadn’t ‘burned bridges’.
Teasing his return to the fan favourite Disney set for Camp Rock 3, now as an executive producer alongside Demi Lovato, Joe lit up with excitement.
The co-stars briefly dated during their time on the original Camp Rock set in 2010, but split after a few months and have remained friends.
Joe said it had been ‘incredible’ to share the stage with Demi again, with the Confident singer appearing as a surprise guest on the latest Jonas Brothers tour and Joe later returning the favour on her own tour.
He warned: ‘I would encourage younger artists – and I have – to keep your side of the street clean, and don’t burn any bridges, because ultimately, people come back around in your life.’
Now in his 30s, the once bad boy of Disney is embracing a much cosier way of life, with family time an absolute priority.
‘I work really hard, so I have quiet mornings,’ he said. ‘That’s the goals this month, making breakfast and getting myself up and getting kids to school, that keeps me motivated.
‘Career-wise, luckily, there’s big plans, and there’s big tours and big ideas but on the personal side, just kind of taking care of myself and working hard, so I can have quiet days.’
As one final tease, Joe signed off by saying how much he’d love to redo the Jonas Brothers’ Royal Albert Hall performance. Count us in.