Nick Jonas is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter Nick Jonas. It was released on November 10, 2014, by Island Records. The album features guest appearances from Angel Haze, Demi Lovato and Mike Posner. The album received generally favorable reviews from music critics and reached the top 10 in the United States, the top 20 in the United Kingdom, Mexico and Canada, and also reached the top 40 in Australia and New Zealand. It was re-released on November 20, 2015, under the title Nick Jonas X2; including three new tracks and four remixes.

Nick Jonas
Studio album by
ReleasedNovember 10, 2014 (2014-11-10)
Recorded2013–14
Genre
Length38:52
Label
Producer
Nick Jonas chronology
Songs from How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
(2012)
Nick Jonas
(2014)
Last Year Was Complicated
(2016)
Alternative cover
Nick Jonas X2 artwork
Singles from Nick Jonas
  1. "Chains"
    Released: July 30, 2014
  2. "Jealous"
    Released: September 5, 2014
Singles from Nick Jonas X2
  1. "Levels"
    Released: August 21, 2015

Background and recording edit

In an interview with Rolling Stone, Jonas stated that when Demi Lovato's The Neon Lights Tour gets off the ground, he will turn his attention towards his upcoming solo project. "Some of it is done and ready to be released," he said. "I've got a lot of things in the pipeline right now and I'm waiting to release some news about my music and my next steps. It isn't quite locked in yet, but I have started making some music and now it's all about lining up the pieces.[1]

"I came in really wanting to make a record that was different from anything I'd done in the past, but that was true to my influences: Stevie Wonder, Prince, Bee Gees," he told Time. "And then, more recently, The Weeknd and Frank Ocean. That whole vibe of alternative R&B and pop. It just fell into a really natural place really early. I came in really sure of what I wanted to do", Jonas said about his new record.[2]

On July 30, 2014, it was announced that after Jonas' stint as a creative and musical director for The Neon Lights Tour, that there will be an duet between him and fellow Camp Rock star Demi Lovato on the record. "It's a great song that we both love. Her voice is just amazing on it. She's the real deal. It's the perfect fit for this record", Jonas said about the song.[3] On September 5, 2014, it was announced along with the tour that his self-titled album would release on November 11, 2014.[4][5]

Jonas opened up to Entertainment Weekly about the prospect of re-releasing the album with some additional tracks. He revealed, "I feel like the next step is just going to be getting a collection of a few more songs and maybe repackaging the album. [...] I still feel like there’s some life left on the record I released last year."[6]

Singles edit

"Chains" was released as the lead single from Nick Jonas on July 24, 2014.[7] The song was written and produced by Jason Evigan, with additional songwriting provided by Ammar Malik, and Daniel Parker. The song peaked at number 31 on the US Pop Digital Songs chart.[8] The music video (directed by Ryan Pallotta) was released on July 30, 2014.[9] After the single's re-release in January 2015, it has since peaked at number 13 on the US Billboard Hot 100.[10] The single was released on June 21, 2015 in the United Kingdom.[11]

The album's second single, "Jealous" was released on September 7, 2014. It was written by Jonas, Simon Wilcox, and Nolan Lambroza; with production, which was helmed by Lambroza. On September 5, Jonas previewed 30 seconds of the new single.[12] It was announced on September 6, 2014, that his fans could pre-ordered his upcoming album to get early access to the tour ticket sale. They will also receive a download of his single, "Jealous" on September 8, 2014. The song peaked at number 7 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Jonas' highest charting single in the United States as of August 2016.[13][14] The music video (directed by Peter Tunney and featuring a cameo appearance by Jonas' real-life girlfriend Olivia Culpo) premiered on September 16, 2014.[15] The single was released on April 5, 2015 in the United Kingdom and it peaked at number 2 on the UK Singles Chart.[11]

With the re-release of the album, Jonas released a new single, "Levels", on August 21, 2015, to help with promoting.[16] The music video to accompany with the song was released on August 30, 2015.[17][18]

Within a few days later, the singer dropped "Area Code" on his SoundCloud account,[19] with a music video being later released on October 9, 2015.[20]

Release and reception edit

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic69/100[21]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [22]
Alter the Press!4.5/5[23]
andPOP8/10[24]
Entertainment WeeklyB+[25]
The Guardian     [26]
Idolator3.5/5[27]
NewsdayB[28]
PressPLAY     [29]
Rolling Stone     [30]
Slant     [31]

Upon the album's announcement, Jonas promoted the album during various radio and television appearances, including a performance of "God Bless America" at the televised US Open Women's Finals on September 7, and both Watch What Happens: Live and Fashion Rocks on September 9, 2014.[5] To promote the album Jonas released a track called "Numb" featuring Angel Haze as a countdown single from the album on October 7, 2014.[32] The album's third track, called "Teacher", was released as the second countdown single on October 14, 2014.[33] Also the album's fifth track, called "Wilderness", was released as the third countdown single on October 21, 2014.[34] Jonas embarked on the album's supporting tour, the Nick Jonas Live Tour which kicked off in Seattle on September 22, 2014.[5]

Nick Jonas earned generally favorable reviews from music critics upon release, holding an aggregate score of 69 out of 100 based on five reviews.[21] Stephen Thomas Erlewine from AllMusic stated, "For all the guests and modern accouterments, Nick Jonas is at its best when Jonas plays it straight, when he relies on his eternal Prince and Stevie Wonder fixations, which give him not only a fairly rich palette to draw from but provide him with a good direction to channel his melodic skills".[22]

Commercial performance edit

The album debuted at number 6 on the US Billboard 200, with first week sales of 37,000 copies in the United States.[35] It has sold 225,000 copies in the United States as of May 2016.[36]

Track listing edit

Nick Jonas – Standard edition[37]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Chains"
3:23
2."Jealous"Sir Nolan3:43
3."Teacher"
  • Evigan
  • Malik
  • Parker
  • Evigan
  • Jonas[a]
3:19
4."Warning"
  • Sebastian Kornelius Gautier Teigen
  • Bjørn Pedersen
  • Joseph Gil
Coucheron3:16
5."Wilderness"Kirkpatrick3:47
6."Numb" (featuring Angel Haze)Monson3:58
7."Take Over"
2:40
8."Push"
  • Jonas
  • Chase Foster
  • Daniella Mason
  • Christopher Young
  • Paul Shelton
Foster3:32
9."I Want You"
  • Ruth
  • C. Taylor
3:23
10."Avalanche" (featuring Demi Lovato)
Heyaca3:17
11."Nothing Would Be Better"
  • Jonas
  • Kirkpatrick
  • Douglas
Kirkpatrick4:34
Total length:38:52
Nick Jonas – Deluxe edition (bonus tracks)[37]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
12."Chains" (Just a Gent Remix)
  • Evigan
  • Malik
  • Parker
Evigan3:53
13."Santa Barbara"
  • Jonas
  • Shelton
Jonas3:40
14."Closer" (featuring Mike Posner)
  • Jonas
  • Posner
  • Monson
Monson3:49
Total length:50:14
Nick Jonas X2[38]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
15."Levels"2:47
16."Area Code"
 2:41
17."Chains (Remix)" (featuring Jhené Aiko)
  • Evigan
  • Jonas[a]
3:23
18."Jealous (Remix)" (featuring Tinashe)
Sir Nolan3:41
19."Good Thing" (Sage the Gemini featuring Nick Jonas)Ilya3:47
20."Teacher" (Young Bombs Remix Radio Edit)
  • Evigan
  • Malik
  • Parker
 3:35
21."Levels" (Alex Ghenea Radio Edit)
  • Douglas
  • Riley
  • Kirkpatrick
  • Lomax
  • S. Johnson
  • J. Johnson
  • Martin
 3:14
Total length:73:22

Notes

  • ^[a] signifies a vocal producer.

Charts edit

Weekly charts edit

Chart (2014–15) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[39] 40
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[40] 192
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[41] 13
Irish Albums (IRMA)[42] 57
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[43] 35
UK Albums (OCC)[44] 16
US Billboard 200[45] 6

Year-end charts edit

Chart (2015) Position
US Billboard 200[46] 41

Release history edit

Country Date Version Format Label Ref
Canada November 10, 2014
  • Standard
  • deluxe

Island

United States
United Kingdom July 17, 2015

References edit

  1. ^ "Nick Jonas' Next Gig: Demi Lovato's Musical and Creative Director". Rolling Stone. February 4, 2014. Archived from the original on February 2, 2018. Retrieved October 19, 2014.
  2. ^ "Nick Jonas Channels Lionel Richie, Elvis While Balancing Music, Acting". Music Times. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved October 19, 2014.
  3. ^ "It's Official! Demi Lovato to Appear on Nick Jonas' New Album!". E!. July 30, 2014. Archived from the original on October 8, 2014. Retrieved October 19, 2014.
  4. ^ Gardner, Elysa (September 5, 2014). "Nick Jonas to release album in November". USA Today. Archived from the original on January 24, 2018. Retrieved October 2, 2014.
  5. ^ a b c Seacrest, Ryan (September 5, 2014). "Nick Jonas Announces Solo Album Release Date, 11-Date Tour". Ryanseacrest.com. Archived from the original on September 29, 2015. Retrieved October 2, 2014.
  6. ^ Falcone, Dan Rose (June 12, 2015). "Nick Jonas promises new record later this year". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on June 13, 2015. Retrieved June 12, 2015.
  7. ^ "Listen: "Chains" by Nick Jonas". VH1. Archived from the original on January 8, 2015. Retrieved July 25, 2014.
  8. ^ Caulfield, Keith (August 29, 2014). "Nick Jonas Says New Single Is 'New-Agey Lionel Richie'". Billboard. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved October 24, 2014.
  9. ^ Midgarden, Cory (July 25, 2014). "Exclusive: We've Got Your First Look At Nick Jonas' 'Chains' Music Video". MTV. Archived from the original on December 1, 2015. Retrieved October 24, 2014.
  10. ^ "Nick Jonas - Chart history | Billboard". www.billboard.com. Archived from the original on June 24, 2015.
  11. ^ a b "Nick Jonas | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". Official Charts. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved January 1, 2016.
  12. ^ "Nick Jonas Announces Tour 2014, New Album and Teases Single 'Jealous'". Music Times. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved October 19, 2014.
  13. ^ "Nick Jonas Album & Song Chart History". Billboard. Archived from the original on April 14, 2016. Retrieved November 7, 2014.
  14. ^ Stern, Bradley (November 19, 2014). "Nick Jonas Scores His First Solo Top 10 Hit, Taylor Swift Reigns At #1 With "Blank Space" On Billboard Hot 100". Idolator. Retrieved November 20, 2014.
  15. ^ Malkin, Marc (August 25, 2014). "Nick Jonas: Don't Look at My Girlfriend's Ass, New Song Inspired by My Own Jealousy". E!. Archived from the original on November 11, 2015. Retrieved October 24, 2014.
  16. ^ "Nick Jonas Is Going To All New 'Levels' On The VMA Pre-Show". MTV. August 13, 2015. Archived from the original on January 24, 2016. Retrieved August 13, 2015.
  17. ^ "Nick Jonas Is Sexier Than Ever In These 'Levels' Music Video Teasers". MTV News. Archived from the original on November 17, 2015. Retrieved December 9, 2015.
  18. ^ "Nick Jonas Takes Us Behind The Scenes Of His 'Levels' Video: Watch". MTV News. Archived from the original on October 7, 2015. Retrieved December 9, 2015.
  19. ^ Iasimone, Ashley (October 9, 2015). "Is Nick Jonas' New Song 'Area Code' About Selena Gomez?". Billboard. Archived from the original on January 1, 2016. Retrieved December 9, 2015.
  20. ^ Ashagre, Aggi (October 9, 2015). "Nick Jonas Releases 'Area Code' Music Video: Watch". Billboard. Archived from the original on December 12, 2015. Retrieved December 9, 2015.
  21. ^ a b "Nick Jonas – Nick Jonas". Metacritic. Archived from the original on March 10, 2016. Retrieved November 13, 2014.
  22. ^ a b Thomas Erlewine, Stephen. "Nick Jonas – Nick Jonas". AllMusic. Archived from the original on January 24, 2016. Retrieved November 11, 2014.
  23. ^ Jones, Lauren (November 2014). "ATP! Album Review: Nick Jonas – S/T". Alter the Press!. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved November 11, 2014.
  24. ^ Francone, Vanessa (November 10, 2014). "Track-by-Track Review: Nick Jonas by Nick Jonas". andPOP. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved November 11, 2014.
  25. ^ Stack, Tim (November 11, 2014). "Nick Jonas Review". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on July 9, 2019. Retrieved November 11, 2014.{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  26. ^ "Nick Jonas review – Disney dreamboy aims to please as a solo act". The Guardian. July 20, 2015. Archived from the original on May 10, 2017. Retrieved December 15, 2016.
  27. ^ Gracie, Bianca (November 10, 2014). "Nick Jonas' 'Nick Jonas': Album Review". Idolator. Retrieved November 11, 2014.
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  29. ^ "Review: Nick Jonas – Nick Jonas". PressPLAY. November 10, 2014. Archived from the original on November 11, 2014. Retrieved November 11, 2014.
  30. ^ Spanos, Brittany (November 11, 2014). "Nick Jonas's New Album: Nick Jonas". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on September 13, 2018. Retrieved November 11, 2014.{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
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  32. ^ "NEW MUSIC: NICK JONAS F/ ANGEL HAZE – 'NUMB'". Rap-up.com. Townsquare Music. October 7, 2014. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved October 7, 2014.
  33. ^ "New Songs: Nick Jonas - "Teacher" + "Wilderness" [Audio]". Archived from the original on April 9, 2016. Retrieved April 7, 2015.
  34. ^ Strecker, Erin (October 22, 2014). "Listen to Sexy New Nick Jonas Song 'Wilderness'". Billboard. Archived from the original on December 24, 2015. Retrieved October 22, 2014.
  35. ^ "Taylor Swift's '1989' No. 1 for Third Week on Billboard 200 | Billboard". Archived from the original on November 21, 2014. Retrieved November 29, 2014.
  36. ^ "The Billboard 200". Billboard. October 17, 2015. Archived from the original on November 9, 2016. Retrieved November 27, 2016.
  37. ^ a b c American release of Nick Jonas:
  38. ^ "Nick Jonas X2 by Nick Jonas". iTunes. November 20, 2015. Archived from the original on November 21, 2015. Retrieved November 20, 2015.
  39. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Nick Jonas – Nick Jonas". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 13, 2015.
  40. ^ "Ultratop.be – Nick Jonas – Nick Jonas" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 27, 2014.
  41. ^ "Nick Jonas Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 13, 2018.
  42. ^ "GFK Chart-Track Albums: Week 30, 2015". Chart-Track. IRMA. Retrieved July 24, 2015.
  43. ^ "Charts.nz – Nick Jonas – Nick Jonas". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 13, 2015.
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  47. ^ Canadian release of Nick Jonas:
  48. ^ British release of Nick Jonas: