High School Hit-Makers to Modern-Day Musicians: Here’s What the Jonas Brothers Did Right

A few make-it-or-break-it lessons from the Jonas Brothers

About a month ago, Amazon Prime Video dropped Chasing Happiness, the Jonas Brothers’ documentary that chronicled their journey from babyhood to a Sony deal and Disney-stardom to a breakup/makeup rollercoaster that left the music and pop culture worlds in tears and cheers.

Given its premise, you would think that the documentary would cater most to their fans—and perhaps it does—but there’s more to Chasing Happiness than some fun family videos and a behind-the-scenes look at what went down during the separation (and eventual reunion) of the Jonas Brothers.

There are truths to learn and re-learn, no matter where you fall on the JoBros appreciation spectrum.

There is no success without struggle

On the surface, success stories seem to happen overnight, which is frustrating when you don’t know the whole story. But as the documentary in question proves, nothing happens overnight. The Jonas Brothers always had talent and charm, but their rise to fame didn’t come without major setbacks.

Within weeks of their father losing his job, the record deal the family was then banking on fell through. For a while, it seemed like the family has nothing to hold on—until Disney came around. And while it sounds like a miracle, it took literal blood, sweat and tears to be granted.

Give yourself space

Nick, Joe and Kevin Jonas officially parted ways some six years ago in a move that the youngest of the bandmates/brothers initiated. The older of the JoBros felt a little betrayed at the suggestion, but there was really little they could do once Nick made his choice. It might have shattered something on the offset, but it let them grow as individuals.

Kevin went on to marry and start his family, Joe focused on his music and Nick explored his other options. And in the end, they all learned to be on their own and we were able to recognize and appreciate them as individuals. Ultimately, when news of a reunion broke, we knew the Jonas Brothers were coming back fuller and ready to (re)conquer.

Distance can be closed

In the documentary, Nick admitted he was worried that Joe and Kevin wouldn’t speak to him after he expressed his wishes to break up the band—and there was a rift. But they all eventually found their ways back to each other, worked on their relationship and the rest is recent history:

Truth be told, the story of the Jonas Brothers isn’t much of a secret. A simple Google search of the trio—individually or as a group, depending on the time frame you’re looking to fill—will give you enough results to be an expert on the topic. But Chasing Happiness gives you more than a look at what happened and the drama that commenced; it gives you a look at experiences that define the transition from youth to adulthood.

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