Joe Jonas has revealed that the disappointing commercial performance of his 2011 solo debut Fastlife triggered panic attacks and physical pain that ultimately led him to seek therapy.
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The singer reflected on the album’s reception during a recent episode of the Hey Jonas! podcast, which he co-hosts with his Jonas Brothers bandmates and siblings, Nick and Kevin Jonas. Jonas said he had expected the record to match the success the trio had enjoyed at their peak and had tied its outcome to his own self-worth. “Somewhere in my core, I was like, ‘If I do that, then I matter,’” he told his brothers.
Fastlife peaked at No. 15 on the Billboard 200, while its lead single “See No More” reached No. 92 on the Hot 100 — results Jonas found deeply deflating.
“I started having panic attacks and started having physical pain,” he recalled. He said a doctor found him physically healthy and recommended he see a therapist, a suggestion he initially resisted. “I was like, what do you mean a therapist? I don’t need a therapist. Why would I need a therapist?” he said, adding that he instead took long bike rides to get away from his phone.
Jonas eventually found a commercial second act. In 2015, he formed the funk-pop band DNCE, whose debut single “Cake by the Ocean” reached No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 — a mainstream radio hit that had eluded both his solo career and, to that point, the Jonas Brothers. The family band reunited in 2019 and topped the Billboard 200 with Happiness Begins, led by the Hot 100 No. 1 “Sucker” — the group’s first chart-topping single.