Nick Jonas: ‘Ignorant’ Social Media Gets To Him, So He Leans On Strong Women
Nick Jonas recently opened up to Elle about his life as a solo star, and he reached into his past with his former boy band, The Jonas Brothers, to talk about why he has such a hard time being so famous and how he has found solace in the emotionally strong women in his life.
That was sick @TodayShow, thank you to everyone who came out! #NickJonasToday pic.twitter.com/gsAs3M3Q9g
— Nick Jonas (@nickjonas) June 10, 2016
The constant media attention is not as bad as when he was basically assigned sex symbol status as a 15-year old member of the three-boy squad, Nick reveals, but it is still enough to really get under his skin.
Jonas opened up the interview by saying that 2015 had been a difficult year for him, both in terms of his own music and his personal relationships.
For example, Nick broke up with Olivia Culpo, a now-24 year-old former Miss Universe winner who Jonas had been dating for two years before what was reportedly a very messy split.
“I invite all opinions because I think that we’re all entitled to our own, but I think that ignorant ones are frustrating,” Nick said, noting that he is not the best at shaking off criticism, an important skill for pop stars.
“Social media allows for some really ignorant people to spread their voice. It’s just unfortunate.”
Because 2015 proved to be a very complicated year in Nick Jonas’s life, he decided to go literal with the name he gave to his recently released album, Last Year Was Complicated, a work which Nick says really showcases the evolution and overall forward momentum he experienced in his life.
“There’s definitely been a progression. I worked really hard to push things forward and take it from where people had their first introduction to me to where things are now. It was a challenge to get people in that frame of mind, but it’s been amazing to see how far it’s come,” Jonas reflects.
It’s time! Get my new album #LastYearWasComplicated on @iTunes now! https://t.co/rfLaEm2iPx #LYWCisout pic.twitter.com/1Fwc0MJt8I
— Nick Jonas (@nickjonas) June 10, 2016
Nick also says that his many ignorant haters may get him down occasionally, but he has found comfort in the strong women he surrounds himself with. Taylor Swift, Selena Gomez, Lorde — they are all independent, intelligent women who regularly go out of their way to deliver messages of female empowerment, and Nick Jonas has made friends with all of them.
In another Elle interview from last year, Jonas talked about how his profound respect for females and gender equality stemmed from his childhood, when Nick’s father was a preacher who emphasized mutual respect among all people in his sermons.
When asked in the more recent interview if any of the influential women Nick Jonas associates with might be more than friends, though, he quickly put his foot down and dismissed the idea.
“I think it’s totally possible for men and women to be friends, and I think those relationships are important, especially with women you admire. I think that growing up with such a strong woman in my life – my mum raised four boys [so] she had to be tough – I’m now drawn to strong women, women who are really intelligent.”
Jonas says that he is happy with his current fame situation, which is still dying down in terms of intensity since he left the media-mongering Jonas Brothers.
“There’s definitely less of the pandemonium that was there with the Jonas Brothers, which is good because it sort of evolves to a mature place where it’s about the music,” Nick stated with relief.
“I’m trying my hardest to live in the moment because I do jump around so much in my thinking. I’ve worked so hard on this album that I’m truly enjoying it and living it in real time.”
Sounds like Nick Jonas is settling in very nicely to his internationally known singer-songwriter role. Only time will tell where Jonas’ bright future will take his career.
[Photo by Clemens Bilan/Getty Images for Glashuette Original]
