Jonas Brothers★強納斯兄弟≡Taiwan Blog

The Jonas Brothers are the latest symbol of a puzzle the recording industry hasn’t been able to solve for decades: How do you parlay kid-pop stardom into something longer-lasting than the average pubescent cycle?

The list of those who have succeeded (Michael Jackson, Justin Timberlake, Christina Aguilera) is much shorter than those who have stalled (LeAnn Rimes, Hanson) or failed (everyone else in N’ Sync).

Like Hanson, the Jonas boys give their label something to market beyond their sibling novelty and teen-idol looks. They are also trained musicians with Broadway musical backgrounds and songwriters who render resolute power-pop tunes.

Their lyrics can get too innocuous and homogenized, but when your future is in the hands of the Disney franchise and your songs get reviewed by Christian-music Web sites, you are pretty much obligated to present yourself as wholesome, if not virginal.

The music, though, is a different story, and it explains why more than just lovelorn preteen and teenage girls showed up to hear the brothers at Sprint Center last December, when they opened for Miley Cyrus/Hannah Montana.

The boys cite the Beatles and Elvis Costello as inspirations, but those resemblances are so faint they’re incidental.

The music on their latest album, “Jonas Brothers,” draws its sound from elsewhere in the pop and power-pop universe: ABBA, Electric Light Orchestra (“Out of the Blue”), All-American Rejects, the Romantics, post-“Mmmbop” Hanson, every emo band that sweetened its sound with pop-punk and, for an instant, Aerosmith. The brothers’ current single, “When You Look Me in the Eyes,” sounds related to “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing.”

The brothers have also collaborated with fellow New Jersey native Adam Schlesinger of Fountains of Wayne, who wrote the indestructible pop hit “Stacy’s Mom.”

Disney has further plans to nourish the Jonas Brothers brand: In June it will air the original Disney Channel film “Camp Rock,” featuring all three brothers. The boys will also get their own reality-based fictional/action series, “J.O.N.A.S.,” on the same network — their version of “Hannah Montana.” (The acronym stands for “Junior Operatives Networking As Spies.”)

In July the brothers will release another album, which will reportedly reveal more evidence that the group is evolving and growing up and away from its early music and its days opening for Jesse McCartney, the Cheetah Girls, Aly & AJ.

One of the new songs is called “A Little Bit Longer,” which addresses Nick Jonas’ diabetes — nothing to LOL about.

TV stardom doesn’t guarantee anything, except regular exposure and eventual royalties. If the Jonas Brothers survive longer than the average teen-pop stars, it will have to be for something more portable and durable, something that stands up to repeated plays, like their songs.

So far they’re off to a good start. But as so many teen idols have learned, you never know when your next start is the beginning of the end.



　　Jonas Brothers的成功可能是這十年來音樂界裡的難題之一：大家為何都要聽這三位青少年的音樂，且勝於其他年輕藝人。
　　而那些成功藝人的演唱生涯(如:Michael Jackson，Justin Timberlake，Christina Aguilera)往往比慢慢走下坡(LeAnn Rimes，Hason)或已經離開樂壇的藝人(N'Sync)還要短。
　　以Hason為例，Jonas Brothers將他們的歌曲重新詮釋，並與百老匯重節拍的音樂家們一起討論背景音樂及歌詞的修改，以致於成為成功的單曲。
　　至於音樂的魔力，又是另外一回事了，這就是為何去年的12月，當JB為Hannah Montana開唱時，吸引了眾多即將進入青少年的兒童及青少年。
　　JB提到Beatles和Elvis Costello為他們耶月的啟發，但他們的相似度卻是非常微弱的。最近這張的同名專輯也引起了樂壇各界的注意，如ABBA，Electric Light Orchestra，All-American Rejects，the Romantics，包括了Aerosmith；JB的最新單曲When You Look Me In The Eyes似乎就與I Don't Want To Miss A Thing有大的影響。
　　近期，JB也與來自紐澤澤西寫下不滅傳說"Stacy's Man"著名pop曲的作曲家，Adam Schlesinger of Fountains of Wayne一起合作。
　　迪士尼更進一步的為Jonas Brothers打下知名度，今年六月，將會在迪士尼頻道播放三兄弟的電影"Camp Rock"，此外，孩有他們專屬的連續影集J.O.N.A.S.。
　　今年七月，他們會發佈他們的第三張專輯，據說將會與前兩張有不同的改變，且也會Jesse McCartney，Cheetah Girls，和Aly & AJ的演唱會前開場。
　　而其中一首正是"A Little Bit Longer"，這首歌是由Nick因為自身的糖尿病所寫──這並沒有什麼可恥的。
　　電視台並不保證任何事情的發生，若JB比其他的青年團體在樂壇的時間還久，他們的歌當然也會一直被播放，流傳下去。
　　目前為止，他們已經起步，並往下一個階段開始──這是所有青年音樂人都該學習的，因為你永遠都無法知道你下一個開始就是結束的開始。


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