Who I am

nick jonas goes solo with "who i am"

In 2009, Nick Jonas could have spent spring break catching rays on the beaches of Cancun with Joe and Kevin. Instead, he was holed up in Nashville's iconic Blackbird Studio (where everyone from Neil Young to Nick's current obsession, Kings of Leon, has recorded) with a handful of Prince's ex-bandmates. Eight days later, he emerged with a solo album full of raw, soulful tunes. "Songs were pouring out of me," the curly-haired crooner says. "I've been wanting to do this for three years."

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The side project recalls early Springsteen, most notably on tracks like the ultra-hard-rocking "Conspiracy Theory" and sly jam "State of Emergency." It's definitely a departure from the bubblegum anthems Nick's used to belting out for thousands of screaming girls as pyrotechnics explode behind him onstage. But the seventeen-year-old has been carving out his own musical identity for years. Even the most die-hard devotee might not know that the Jo-Bros started off as a one-man show: Nick recorded his debut,Nicholas Jonas, in 2004 on Columbia Records, but when the label found out he had two musically talented brothers, it had the boys do another album as a trio.

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Since then, Nick's been the bandleader--his rep for being the boss earned him the nickname The President (hence the moniker The Administration for his backup band). Talking about his album's title track, the John Mayer-esque ballad "Who I Am," Nick says, "It's about how I want someone to love me for my passion for music. It's all I've ever thought about." He's not exaggerating: The triple threat began singing at age three, and by seven he was starring on Broadway. (He racked up roles in Beauty and the Beast, Annie Get Your Gun, and Les Miserables.) "Broadway had a big part in my realizing that I wanted to make music a career," he says. "I'd love to go back--if the timing was right."

Time isn't something that Nick has a ton of, however--and 2010 is already shaping up to be a busy year. "Come mid-February, we'll be back in production for the new season of J.O.N.A.S. and working on plans for another world tour this summer." So fret not, fans: "I promise you the trio is intact," Nick says with complete conviction.