Kevin Jonas

Kevin Jonas
Jonas in September 2008
Born	(1987-11-05) November 5, 1987 Teaneck, New Jersey, U.S.
Occupation	Actor, musician, director
Spouse(s)	Danielle Deleasa (m. 2009)
Children	1
Musical career
Genres	Pop rock, teen pop
Instruments	Vocals, guitar, mandolin, piano, drums
Years active	2005–present
Labels	Columbia, Hollywood, Jonas
Associated acts	Jonas Brothers, Demi Lovato
Notable instruments
Gibson Explorer Gibson Les Paul

Paul Kevin Jonas II (born November 5, 1987),^[1] better known as Kevin Jonas and KJ2, is an American musician and actor. He is the oldest member of the Jonas Brothers, a pop rock band he created with his younger brothers Joe and Nick. In 2008, he appeared on People magazine's list of the Sexiest Men Alive.^[2] On December 19, 2009, he married Danielle Deleasa, whom he had met in the Bahamas in summer of 2007. As of August 2012, Jonas and his wife star in their own E! reality series, Married to Jonas.

Early life

Kevin Jonas was born in Teaneck, New Jersey,^[3] and grew up in Wyckoff. His mother, Denise Marie (née Miller), is a former sign language teacher and singer, and his father, Paul Kevin Jonas, Sr., is a songwriter, musician, and former ordained minister at an Assemblies of God church.^[4][5][6][7] He is of Italian (from a great-grandfather), German, English, Irish, Scottish, Cherokee, and French-Canadian descent.^{[3][8][9][10]} He has three younger brothers, Joe (born 1989), Nick (born 1992) and Frankie (born 2000).

Career

Music

In early 2005, Columbia Records' new president, Steve Greenberg, listened to Nick's record. While Greenberg did not like the album, he did like Nick's voice.^[11] After hearing the song "Please Be Mine", written and performed by all the brothers, Daylight/Columbia Records decided to sign the three as a group act.^[12] After being signed to Columbia, the brothers considered naming their group "Sons of Jonas" before settling on the name "Jonas Brothers".^[13]

It's About Time, the brothers' first album, was released on August 8, 2006.^[14] According to the band's manager, it was only a "limited release" of a little over 50,000 copies. Because Sony was not interested in further promoting the band, the Jonas Brothers then considered switching labels. The band was ultimately dropped by Columbia Records in early 2007.

After shortly being without a label, the Jonas Brothers signed with Hollywood Records in February 2007.^[15][16] Around the same time, the brothers began appearing in GAP commercials for Baby Bottle Pops, singing the jingle.^[16] Their self-titled second album, Jonas Brothers, was released on August 7, 2007.^[17] It reached number five on the Billboard Hot 200 chart in its first week.

The Jonas Brothers' third studio album, A Little Bit Longer, was released in the United States on August 12, 2008 and peaked at #1 on the Billboard 200.^[18]

On June 16, 2009, the brothers' fourth studio album, and third release under Hollywood Records, entitled Lines, Vines, and Trying Times was released. The album peaked at number 1 on the Billboard 200 with 247,000 copies sold. It was announced on May 1, 2012, that the Jonas Brothers parted ways with their record label Hollywood Records, and bought the rights to their music.^[19][20]

Acting

On August 17, 2007, Jonas and his brothers guest-starred in an episode of Hannah Montana entitled Me and Mr. Jonas and Mr. Jonas and Mr. Jonas. The episode debuted alongside the television film High School Musical 2 and a sneak peek of the new Disney Channel show Phineas and Ferb.^[21] The episode broke basic cable records with a record 10.7 million viewers and became basic cable's most watched series telecast ever.^[22]

Jonas and his brothers filmed the Disney Channel Original Movie Camp Rock, where they played a band called "Connect Three". Kevin played Jason, a guitarist; Nick played Nate, also a guitarist; and Joe played the lead male role and lead singer, Shane Gray. A soundtrack for the movie was released on June 17, 2008. The movie premiered on June 20, 2008 in the U.S.A., on Disney Channel, and Canada, on Family. Production began on the sequel, Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam, in September 2009, and the film premiered on September 3, 2010.

The Disney Channel reality short series, Jonas Brothers: Living the Dream, premiered on Disney Channel on May 16, 2008. The show, which ran until September 5, 2008, documented the brothers' lives on the Look Me in the Eyes Tour. The name was inspired by their hit song When You Look Me in the Eyes. The series was renewed for a second season that premiered on March 21, 2010.^[23] The second season followed the band on the European leg of their World Tour 2009.

He and Joe, Nick, and Frankie starred in their own Disney Channel Original Series, JONAS, which premiered May 2, 2009.^[24] The show was renewed for a second season that premiered on June 20, 2010 as Jonas L.A., centering on the three brothers on summer vacation, in their Los Angeles vacation house with Stella and Macy.

Jonas appeared on MTV's fourth episode of When I Was 17 (Season 1), talking about his memories from when he was seventeen.

Kevin Jonas guest hosted on "Live with Kelly" on December 13, 2011 making him the second brother besides Nick to have the honor of doing so. He co-hosted the show a second time on July 4, 2012.^[25]

Kevin currently appears in an E! reality series^[26] alongside his wife Danielle and brothers Nick and Joe, which started on August 19, 2012. Produced by Ryan Seacrest, Married to Jonas documents the young couple's domestic life as well as the brothers' recording efforts as they prepare to release their newest group album.

Personal life

Jonas married Danielle Deleasa, a former hairdresser, at Oheka Castle on December 19, 2009, with his brothers Joe and Nick as his best men. The couple first met while on vacation with their families in The Bahamas in May 2007.^[27] They have one daughter, Alena Rose Jonas, born on February 2, 2014.^[28]

Filmography

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kevin Jonas.

• Kevin Jonas at the Internet Movie Database