Good Times With Moo Phone Conversation with Nick Jonas

Good Times With Moo Phone Conversation with Nick Jonas

Wednesday, February 10, 2010 at 6:28PM

Here’s the transcript from my phone conversation with Nick Jonas which I did on Monday.  His solo album is entitled “Who I Am”, grab a copy now from MCA Music Philippines.  

Mo: Hey Nick!
Nick: Hello! How you doin’?
Mo: I’m doing great man, I saw on the you on the video for the remake, “We Are The World” where 75 of the industries biggest artists got together to do that 80’s song charity song again, this time for the Haiti victims. Can you tell me about that experience?
Nick: It was unbelievable, just looking around the room and seeing the caliber of the talent that was there, it was very humbling. I was just honored to be there, the other musicians are so much more talented that I am, I'm just proud to be a part of it.
Mo: Now I know with 75 artists there, it’s pretty difficult to squeeze in a solo part to sing. Where you able to get a part just for you?
Nick: I did actually, I sang Billy Joel’s part.
Mo: Oh, cool! Hey, I also want to say congrats on the new album, the solo venture.  Of course with a new band now, there’s definitely going to be a new sound.  How different do you sound on this compared to the Jonas Brothers material?
Nick: I think the thing that makes this different is that I tapped into some of my musical influences like Stevie wonder, Prince, those are big ones for me. And working with other musicians like the guys who I admire from the band, The Administration, made it great.  It’s incredible to be with them and work on this album to make it the best it could be, to be hopeful that we leave something that we are proud of.
Mo: What’s the fan reception like with this solo venture? Have they warmed up to the fact that you’re onstage alone, or do you feel they are constantly looking for Kevin and Joe?
Nick: Its been good.  The fan reception to this side project was amazing. And now with this record out, it’s great to see them so supportive. And to see their support of my dreams is unbelievable.
Mo: At any point though, in making this album, have you missed your brothers? Just not having them around must be awkward.
Nick: I think for me personally, the only thing that was hard to get used to was the traveling. It was a lot different from what I was used to, being all alone and things like that, but once I got over the first few bus rides, I was alright.

Mo: The name of this album is “Who I Am”, and at a very young age, 17 years old--you’re not a very typical 17 with all the success and traveling around the world--but did you find it difficult to be able to find enough material and experiences in your young life to write a whole album about it?
Nick: I think that I’ve been through a lot these past couple years and I was able to take what I’ve gone through and write and make songs out of it which is definitely a way to express myself.  I think I’ve experienced a fair amount of life to be able to pull from and it worked out so far cause I could write from the heart which means the world to me.
Mo: The name of your band is ‘The Administration’, which kind of has a political ring to it. I heard that you’re quite fond of politics and perhaps even interested in running for public office one day.  Perhaps even for the highest position—the Presidency. Are you serious about that?
Nick: I would love to run for president one day. It started out a joke at first, my nickname growing up was Mr President, but I guess it’s because I’m a more serous person.  It was great to make this record and to involve that in the whole process…using that whole presidential sway.
Mo: Speaking of the presidency, we as a country, the Philippines, will be having a big election in a couple of months.  Voter registration is very high, and a lot of the young people who are eligible to vote have registered. If you were to give us advice on what to look for in a candidate, what would that be? I know you are likely not in touch with our local politics, but how about some character things to look for?
Nick: I think the main thing to look for is someone you can trust, someone you can rely on to lead your country and to be with you during the good and bad times. Once you have that, then its all good.
Mo: I spoke to Kevin a few weeks back, right before he got married. So I’m sure he is enjoying the newlywed thing right now, and I assume you’re swamped with promo of this new album.  Can you keep us up to speed with what Joe Jonas is doing these days?
Nick: Joe is keeping busy in Los Angeles with meetings, for an acting career he wants to pursue and he is looking forward to do some recording as well. We have a lot of individual dreams and dreams to do together, and being able to work on those and knowing we are all supportive of each other is a beautiful thing.
Mo: What’s the future of the Jonas Brothers? I know this solo album of yours was to be a side project. How long is that side project going to last and how long is the break for the Jonas Brothers? What’s in store for the future?
Nick: We are working on the details right now for the future of the Jonas Brothers.  The next step for us is basically to go back to production of the TV show for the Disney channel, after we do that, which will take about four and a half months of our time, then we would probably do another world tour.
Mo: We’d love to see you here, every time a rumor that the Jonas Brothers are coming to the Philippines, your fans here start buzzing. So if you can make time during that world tour to squeeze the Philippines in, the fans here would really appreciate it.
Nick: We definitely would try our best!
Mo: Alright buddy, thanks for making some time for this interview.  Congrats on the new album.
Nick: Thank you very much and God Bless!

Mo: Oh Nick! One last question before I go, really important. Are you for or against private armies?
**I'm kidding guys. I didn't ask that.