Will This Joe Jonas Solo Era Be More Successful Than the Last One?

Teasing his upcoming solo era, Joe Jonas commanded the stage alone this past weekend to showcase music from his upcoming project Music for People Who Believe in Love. The intimate set took place at Alhambra in Paris, France, including performances of his latest single "What This Could Be."

The Camp Rock star also performed guitar and debuted unreleased songs from the project, including "You Got the Right" and "Constellation." With much anticipation brewing around this upcoming release, could the pop star expect a better critical response than his last solo venture?

Jonas' debut solo album Fastlife released in October 2011 and met commercial failure, going on to sell only 45,000 copies in the United States. This project followed the demise of The Jonas Brothers, as younger brother and bandmate Nick Jonas went on to pursue an ultimately successful solo career.

Hoping to contrast his band's signature pop-rock sound, Fastlife was strikingly R&B and the first by any Jonas Brother to include a Parental Advisory sticker. Despite fairly positive reviews from music critics, the commercial performance of the project was disappointing and impacted the artists' mental health. Sharing on Jay Shetty's "On Purpose" podcast that the album's response led him to a dark place, it kickstarted his therapy journey. "I started feeling like physically ill and I really told myself and I believed that I was sick."

Fortunately, the singer finally struck success with his group DNCE, with their 2015 single "Cake By the Ocean" reaching the top 10 on the US Billboard Hot 100. As the frontman of their funk-pop sound, Jonas was able to creatively experiment through DNCE until the reunion of The Jonas Brothers in 2019.

The brothers continue to bask in a successful second go-round, following two critically acclaimed studio albums and global tours. However, that hasn't seemed to scratch Jonas' itch to make something of his own. Music for People Who Believe in Love arrives amidst a highly publicized divorce from actress Sophie Turner, as the couple battle custody of daughters Willa and Delphine. It stands as an opportunity for him to tell his side of the story through a musical lens.

Despite history, there is much more hope for this new solo chapter. The Alhambra show also featured a cover of Addison Rae's viral single "Diet Pepsi," proving the singer is marketing to a younger demographic. Rooted in a state of confidence and ready to reclaim his narrative, Music for People Who Believe in Love may be the reintroduction Joe Jonas has long been wanting to make.

Tags

Joe Jonas, DNCE, The Jonas Brothers, Nick Jonas