Friday September 5, 2008
Father Jonas knows best
By GORDON KHO
Kevin Jonas Sr is both dad and manager to his celebrity sons, the Jonas Brothers.
One thing that is apparent about the Jonas Brothers is their humility. Everyone who works with the boys – from co-stars to bigwigs like Gary Marsh, Disney Channels Worldwide’s president of entertainment – has nothing but praise for their attitude.
Marsh says of Kevin, Joe and Nick: “They are insanely humble, grounded and down-to-earth. They are the everyday teens who happen to be superstars who are commanding audience of 50,000 people. It is an odd notion that they have not changed.”
To understand their humility, you just have to talk to their father, Kevin Jonas Sr. An ordained minister and a contemporary Christian musician himself, Kevin Sr has travelled to Malaysia on several occasions for concerts. “Kuala Lumpur is one of my favourite cities in Asia,” he says.
Asked if he would play in Malaysia again, Kevin Sr said that his music career is put on the back burner for the time being. “It is their time now,” says the 43-year-old who also serves as manager to his sons.
The Jonas family: (from left) mum Denise, Joe, dad Kevin Sr, Kevin, Nick and and youngest brother, Frankie at the premiere of Camp Rock in New York City. You’re their father as well as their manager. How do you separate the two?
I never take the dad hat out. I am a manager to protect their future, help guide the direction of their career in a way I hope will bring about a lasting opportunity. I still care about the business aspect but it is most important for me that their grandkids say thanks to me that they were well cared for financially.
The Jonas Brothers didn’t get to a flying start at first. How tough was it on the boys?
The first two to three years of their career were discouraging if you look at the numbers. But we are positive people so we try to teach the boys to think about positive things. If 10 people were there in a room that would accommodate 2,000, we would encourage them with the response that they had gotten from those 10 people. Part of the process of becoming musicians, especially songwriters, is that you have to go through your trials. You have to go through some rejection and out of that, comes a wonderful song, a greater desire.
In the era of Lindsay and Britney, how do you make sure that your sons do not fall into the pitfalls of Hollywood?
First of all, teens aren’t perfect. Whether they are in Hollywood, living in a small town, or in Malaysia. I don’t expect my kids to be perfect. I think there are numerous things that caused the young Hollywood (teens) to falter. One is lack of parental involvement so we are always with our kids. We don’t leave their upbringing to handlers. They are on the road with me, their mother, their little brother. They still live at home. The other thing is we aren’t invited to these parties. They were raised with values that we hope they will hold on to.
What are the values you instil in them?
Do the right thing. If you make a mistake, say you are sorry, Don’t make choices that are destructive. Learn from other people’s mistakes. Be careful who your friends are. Things change when you are a celebrity. And a lot of people who try to attach themselves to you, don’t have your best interest at heart. Hopefully, we have taught them to choose their friends wisely.
Related story:
The Jonas Brothers are down-to-earth heartthrobs
RSS
