Nick Jonas on Partying With Taylor Swift and Becoming a Gay Icon
About a year ago, Nick Jonas hit a dead end. The Jonas Brothers’ days as purity-ring-rocking boy-band kings were long over, and the sibling trio had canceled a planned reunion tour and album in the face of low demand. “There were a couple of months of sitting around and doing nothing,” says the singer, 22. “Then I woke up one morning and I thought, ‘This is not my life. I’m going to go work that much harder.'” His relaunch as a solo artist worked: Jonas’ ultracatchy single “Jealous” is a Top 10 smash, he’s dating former Miss Universe Olivia Culpo, and his half-naked photo shoots have turned him into a grown-up sex symbol. “It’s really bizarre, to be honest,” says Jonas. “I’ve never had a song like ‘Jealous.’ It’s pretty flattering.”
You recently Instagrammed a photo of yourself wearing a zebra mask at Taylor Swift’s birthday party. Care to explain what was up with that?
Oh, I think that was just the tequila talking. That was a fun night. Taylor threw a really good party. And I was pretty pumped about hanging out with Jay Z and Beyoncé. Talk about relationship goals!
Speaking of Beyoncé, does it make you jealous that she had a song called “Jealous” a year before you released yours?
Well, I’ve realized that there are a lot of songs about jealousy. I don’t think I can take ownership of the word. And I love Beyoncé, so I’d say it’s OK.
The photo shoot you did last year where you were in your underwear, grabbing your crotch, pretty much single-handedly jump-started your solo career. Did you know it was going to be such a big deal when you took the photos?
I had no idea. It just kind of happened, and now I have a lot of unexpected new fans. It was pretty interesting to watch it all unfold and travel in the way it did. It’s resurfacing at the moment, as another male artist [Justin Bieber] has done a photo shoot similar to it. It’s one of those things where I’m getting sick of looking at myself like that.
Between those photos, your role as a gay martial artist on the TV show Kingdom and your performances at gay clubs, you’ve become a new gay icon. How do you feel about that?
I don’t know if I’d necessarily call myself a gay icon. But my goal in the last year was to expand and grow as a person and an artist, and embracing my gay fans was a priority. Some of my gay friends have thanked me for that, and that’s a really good feeling.
Were you worried about backlash from your old fans?
Of course. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little fearful. But you have to be willing to say, “I know I’m pushing myself, and if not everybody comes with me, that’s OK.” I’m just thankful that a lot of them did.