Jimmy Fallon Teases Nick Jonas Over ‘Ew’ Success
Nick Jonas and Jimmy Fallon sat down to chat on Fallon’s The Tonight Show on November 26, ahead of Jonas’ appearance at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on Thursday. Discussing the Nick Jonas single “Jealous,” which has steadily climbed the charts since its release in September, conversation soon turned to Fallon’s own chart sensation “Ew!”, which appeared shortly afterward. Unable to resist an opportunity for some gentle teasing, Fallon made a point of reminding Jonas that while “Jealous” sat at number 28 on the Billboard chart, “Ew!” blasted in above it, at number 26.
Fallon’s song had something of a head start when it came to chart success, since “Ew!” features fan favorite rapper will.i.am, and was released on Interscope – which is the label that handles the Black Eyed Peas. Based on the popular Fallon sketch, which has Fallon and guests play exaggerated versions of teenage girls being constantly disgusted by things, the song received its first airing on The Tonight Show on October 6, 2014. It got its first radio play on the Elvis Duran And The Morning Show on October 7, 2014, and reached the Billboard chart a week later.
Speaking to the On Air with Ryan Seacrest radio show, Jimmy Fallon took the time to explain how the musical collaboration came about.
“So, we had will.i.am on the show about two months ago. Backstage, we’re talking and he goes, ‘I really like that sketch that you do, “Ew!”, where you dress up as a 15 year old girl and everything is, like, “Ew!” I said ‘You know, we’re doing it with Taylor Swift this week, but next time you come back, I’ll write you in and we’ll do one. In three days, before the writers and I could even write any lyrics, he sent me a full-on produced song. So then he flies to New York, I go to a recording studio, we tweak it a little, and I write some raps for myself. So this is me rapping as well, which is sad.”
The Billboard chart success of Jimmy Fallon comes after a solid start to his tenure as host of NBC’s The Tonight Show — a role in which he debuted on February 17, 2014. The show recently celebrated the positive outcome of the transition, by creating a new marquee bearing his name at 30 Rockefeller Center, New York City. Keeping the musical connections of the show alive, the construction is specially designed to bear the weight of a performing band, reports the New York Times – something Jimmy Fallon is looking forward to staging.
“Maybe we can have Bono up there when he’s healthy. I don’t know who will christen it, but it will be spectacular to have that happening over Sixth Avenue.”
[Image via RyanSeacrest.com]
