Joe Jonas to go solo with 'most personal music' following Sophie Turner split
Joe Jonas is releasing his first solo album in 13 years — and he's calling it the "most personal music I've ever put out."
The 34-year-old singer-songwriter and actor announced his upcoming single "Work It Out" will arrive on July 19, with a solo album separate from the Jonas Brothers to follow.
This announcement comes less than a year after Jonas' split from Sophie Turner, who has been vocal about the fallout of their divorce.
In September, the couple released a joint statement stating that they had "mutually decided to amicably end" their marriage after four years. In the petition for dissolution of marriage filed by Jonas, he requested "shared parental responsibilities" between himself and Turner for their two young daughters, Willa, 3, and Delphine, 2.
Jonas addressed fans directly during a Jonas Brothers concert at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles that same week: "I just want to say, if you don't hear it from these lips, don't believe it. OK?"
In May, Sophie Turner opened up about the aftermath of their divorce, saying "didn't know if she would make it" after she was shamed and called a "partier" and bad mother, calling mom guilt "so real."
Joe Jonas asked for the Jonas Brothers' permission to go solo
Jonas' new music came with an important conversation with his brothers and bandmates – he had to get "permission" from the Jonas Brothers to do it.
Jonas spilled the details during his appearance on Jake Shane's "Therapuss" podcast Wednesday, revealing that "Work It Out" was originally written for a Jonas Brothers album, but Jonas felt a deeper connection to the track.
"I asked my brothers' blessings. I was like, hey, I wanna go work on … I don't want to call it solo, but I want to go do something on my own, and I don't feel like it’s DNCE, and I need to go just express some stuff for myself," he said during the chat. "And they're like, 'Go for it.' Nick booked a movie. Kevin was going to do another season of 'Claim To Fame,' and so I had a window of time, and I locked myself away."
In an Instagram post, he shared that he is both "excited and emotional" as he prepares to release new music.
"I'm humbled and grateful to collaborate with some of my favorite musicians and creators," he wrote. "I hope you find as much happiness and peace as I do when you listen to these songs."
The album will feature collaborators like Alexander 23, MUNA’s Josette Maskin, Jason Evigan, Tommy English, and Paris Carney.
He first hinted at new music in March 2024 with a TikTok to Madison Beer's "Make You Mine."
"The way I would've bodied this trend if I weren't in the studio working on something new," he wrote, adding an eye emoji to clue fans in to the upcoming news.
The next day, he made a video responding to a fan's comment, sharing a "tiny little something" he had been working on. The 13-second video featured two studio guitarists lost in soft melodies that presumably will be featured on Jonas’ new album.
In June, Kevin Jonas also pointed to new music, telling USA TODAY, "I'm going to let him talk about that. There will be Jonas Brothers stuff, but I think Joe might be doing something."
Jonas has been a part of American-dance rock band DNCE since 2015 and the Jonas Brothers since 2005, but last released a solo album in 2011. The R&B record "Fast Life" peaked at No. 15 on the Billboard 2000.
Joe Jonas solo album release date
An exact release date hasn’t been announced for the album, but Jonas said it would be out "later this year," and more singles are to come before the full release.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Joe Jonas, Sophie Turner split sparks Jonas Brothers star's solo music
