The Jonas Brothers is Joe (Joseph Adam Jonas) & Kevin (Paul Kevin Jonas) & Nick (Nicholas Jerry Jonas)
Why They’re Hot?
This musical band of brothers makes popular songs that they describe as“music on Red Bull”. In 2007, Hollywood signed the band and with this label giant behind them, we can expect to see big things from them.
为何走红： 这支兄弟乐队称自己打造的流行乐为“红牛上的音乐”。2007年，好莱坞与这支乐队签约。有如此大牌做后盾，我们期待着他们取得巨大成功。
Fun Fact:
Their hit“Mandy” is written about a girl named Mandy Van Duyne, who was taught sign language by their mother so she could help the hearing impaired1. Mandy is Joe’s former girlfriend.
轶事： 他们的主打歌《曼迪》为一位名叫曼迪·凡·杜耐的女孩而写。她向乔纳斯兄弟的母亲学习手语，以便能去帮助听障人士。曼迪还是乔的前女友哦。
Ask the Jonas Brothers who they’re hoping to turn into fans with their CDs and they won’t say “everybody.” But that’s precisely1 what they’ll mean.“We’re aiming for people our age,” says 19-year-old Joe.“But we also wanna get kids younger than us,” adds 16-year-old Nick.“And older people, too,” 21-year-old Kevin pipes up2.
当问及乔纳斯兄弟希望哪些人成为他们唱片的忠实拥护者，他们不会回答“所有人”，其实“所有人”才是他们本意。“我们的目标是同龄人，”19岁的乔说。“但也希望让比我们小的孩子们喜欢，”16岁的尼克补充。“还有比我们年长的人。”21岁的凯文突然插了一句。
“Music on Red Bull.” Without hesitating, that’s how Kevin describes the sounds he’s created with his two brothers on their debut album, It’s About Time. “We go crazy on stage!” said Kevin. “It’s so much fun!”
Music always played a major part in the brothers’ lives growing up in New Jersey. Their parents are both musicians, so gathering around the piano for sing-alongs was an essential part of the family’s life.
The oldest, Kevin, who plays guitar and sings backing vocals, was home sick one day when he found a guitar and a Teach Yourself Guitar book lying around the house.“I spent the next three days learning how to play the basic chords4,” Kevin remembers.“That was about seven years ago.”
Nicholas, who shares lead vocals with Joseph in the group, began singing as soon as he could talk.“From the time I was two years old, I would wake up in the morning and start singing all the time, every second of the day,” he says. Nicholas was “discovered” singing while getting his hair cut in a local barbershop. His emotional voice caught the attention of a woman in the shop who immediately introduced him to a professional show business manager.
Joseph’s original plan, however, was slightly5 different than his brothers. He first dreamed of becoming a comedian and wanted to audition for short, humorous skits6. “But I was always attached to7 music and loved listening to different kinds of music, especially rock,” he says.
In 2005, Columbia Records, after hearing Nicholas’ incredible voice, began planning a solo record with him. And then fate changed their plans...
Nicholas and his brothers began submitting songs that they’d written together. When the label became aware that Nicholas had musically talented siblings, a group performance was arranged. After a spectacular group audition was held for the label, the direction was clear. All three of them were signed on the spot as the Jonas Brothers.
For the Jonas boys, the real fun began as they combined their musical abilities to write and record their debut album together, quickly realizing how lucky they were to have each other for personal inspiration.“It’s awesome to have my brothers on stage and in the studio with me,” explains Nicholas.“You have a security that everything is going to be okay, even when you mess up8.”
The band signed with Hollywood Records in February 2007. Their self-titled album, Jonas Brothers was released in August, and came in at #5 on the Billboard Top 200 Album chart. In 2008, they won Kid’s Choice Awards for Favorite Music Group.
This spring the brothers performed in front of President George W. Bush and First Lady, at the 2008 White House Easter Egg Roll. Even President Bush said he was a fan of them.
In the summer, the Jonas Brothers released their 3rd studio album, A Little Bit Longer. Their first TV movie, Camp Rock, attracted more than 8.9 million viewers and is going to knock High School Musical off the shelves in stores.
凯文毫不犹豫地用“红牛上的音乐”来形容他和兄弟们在首张专辑《年少轻狂》中所打造的音乐。“我们在台上很疯狂！”凯文说，“太有趣了！”
乔纳斯兄弟在新泽西长大，音乐一直在他们生活中扮演着主要角色。他们的父母都是音乐家，聚在钢琴旁一起唱歌是他们家庭生活中必不可少的一部分。
老大凯文是吉他手兼合声。一天他因病在家，碰巧从屋里找出一把吉他和一本《自学吉他》的书。“接下来，我用了三天学会弹奏基本和弦，”凯文回忆，“那大概是7年前吧。”
乐队中与约瑟夫共同担当领唱的尼古拉斯自打会说话起就开始唱歌。“从两岁开始，大清早我一睁眼就开始唱歌，每一秒都在唱。”他说。尼古拉斯的演唱天赋是在当地一家理发店理发时被“发掘”的。他那动人的嗓音引起店中一位妇女的注意，她立刻把尼古拉斯推荐给一位专业演艺经纪人。
约瑟夫最初的人生打算与兄弟们稍有不同。他最初梦想成为一名喜剧演员，并希望得到滑稽短剧的试镜。“但是我一直很喜欢音乐，喜爱听不同类型的音乐，尤其是摇滚。”他说。
2005年，哥伦比亚唱片公司听完尼古拉斯那令人难以置信的嗓音，计划为他录制一张个人唱片，但是命运打乱了他们的计划……
尼古拉斯和兄弟们开始递交他们共同创作的歌曲。当公司意识到尼古拉斯还有具有音乐才华的兄弟，便安排了一场集体演出。在这场精彩的集体试镜后，方向明确了。唱片公司当场与他们三人签约，为他们取名为“乔纳斯兄弟”。
对乔纳斯兄弟而言，真正的乐趣由他们结合各自的音乐才能来写歌、并共同录制首张专辑开始。他们很快意识到能从彼此身上得到灵感有多幸运。“在舞台上和录音室里都有兄弟陪你左右，这种感觉棒极了。”尼古拉斯解释道，“你有一种安全感，觉得一切尽在掌握，甚至当你搞砸了也是如此。”
2007年2月，这支乐队与好莱坞唱片公司签约。他们的同名专辑《乔纳斯兄弟》于同年8月发行，并在公告牌排行榜前200名专辑中名列第5。2008年，他们获得儿童票选奖之最佳乐队奖。
今年春天，2008年白宫“复活节滚彩蛋”比赛中，兄弟们在总统乔治·W·布什和第一夫人面前表演。就连布什总统都说自己是他们的歌迷。
夏天，乔纳斯兄弟发行第三张专辑《再久一点》。同时他们的第一部电视电影《摇滚青春》吸引了890多万观众，大有把《歌舞青春》赶下场的势头。
1. impair v. 损害
2. precisely adv. 恰好地
3. pipe up 开始（大声）讲话
4. chord n. 和弦
5. slightly adv. 轻微地
6. skit [skit] n. 幽默故事
7. be attached to 喜欢