Joe Jonas is gearing up to release his upcoming album, ‘Music for People Who Believe in Love’, a project that marks a significant departure from his past work. While it’s not technically his solo debut—back in 2011, during a hiatus from the Jonas Brothers, Jonas released ‘Fastlife’, a rhythmic pop album with contributions from Lil Wayne and Chris Brown—it feels like an entirely different chapter of his life. Reflecting on ‘Fastlife’, Jonas, now 35, says with a smile, “I have so much love for those songs — they actually aged pretty well! But it feels like a different person.”
Since ‘Fastlife’, Jonas has traversed a diverse musical journey. In 2015, he found his way to the top of the charts with “Cake by the Ocean” as the frontman of pop collective DNCE. In 2019, he reunited with his brothers Nick and Kevin for a Jonas Brothers comeback, which led to the No. 1 hit “Sucker” and a global arena tour. During this time, Jonas also navigated significant personal milestones: marrying actress Sophie Turner in 2019, welcoming two daughters, and then enduring a very public divorce in 2023. “I was going through a lot of life changes,” Jonas reflects, “finding out who I was as a person and father and friend, and living under the microscope of what the music industry can be. And I think, at such a crazy time in my life, I looked to music as an outlet.”
The result of these experiences is ‘Music for People Who Believe in Love’, set to be released by Republic Records on October 18. Unlike ‘Fastlife’, and distinct from the sounds of Jonas Brothers or DNCE, this new album ventures into uncharted territory. Jonas has crafted a shimmering pop sound that synthesizes a wide range of influences, from garage rock to alt-pop to ’90s country. The lyrics delve into themes of navigating life’s uncertainties and finding gratitude amid loss.
On tracks like “My Own Best Friend,” Jonas addresses life’s challenges, singing, “Things you can’t imagine/Remind you of what you’ve always had/Maybe they need to happen/So you know the worst ain’t all that bad.” The song is a pleading anthem, punctuated by mournful whistling. Elsewhere, Jonas explores different musical landscapes: “Velvet Sunshine” is a fuzz-heavy synth workout, “Hey Beautiful” serves as a gently strummed lullaby for his kids, and the lead single, “Work It Out,” combines falsetto with a percolating beat as Jonas addresses his “head full of insecurities.”
The journey of creating ‘Music for People Who Believe in Love’ began with the song “Only Love,” a funk-infused pop-rock jam that Jonas initially conceived with his brothers while working with producer Joel Little in Australia. As the writing process unfolded, Jonas realized that the song was veering into deeply personal territory. “I noticed that the song was going toward the direction of some personal stuff that I went through,” he recalls. He approached his brothers, Kevin and Nick, to ask if he could explore this sound further and use it as a foundation for his own emotional exploration. They were fully supportive, with Nick remarking, “Well, damn, I really like that song. But I get what you need to do, so go for it.”
With this encouragement, Jonas embarked on creating an album that reflects his current stage in life—a period marked by introspection, emotional growth, and a desire to connect with listeners through honest and unfiltered music. ‘Music for People Who Believe in Love’ stands as a testament to Jonas’s evolution as an artist and as a person, capturing the complexities of life and love in a way that feels both intimate and universal.
