From singing with the Jonas Brothers and starring in Disney Channel's 2009 series Jonas to spinning at a flashy club near you, Joe Jonas has shed his Mickey Mouse ears and become DJ Danger.
"I'm no Avicii or Tiësto, but I enjoy it. I have fun."
tweet this
Well, sort of.
"We used to make really funny videos back in the day," the middle Jonas recalls of his past pop-star years with his bros. He, Nick, and Kevin would post YouTube videos of themselves pretending to be rapper-DJs promoting their music.
"We created these alter egos, and mine was DJ Danger," he chuckles. "Sometimes I think I have certain fans who still think that's my DJ name. It's comical."
His nickname may be all laughs, but Joe's step into the world of disc jockeying is no joke. And this Friday, DJ Joe Jonas will make his Magic City debut behind the decks at Mansion.
"It's always been something that's been a fun pastime," he explains. "It's something I would do when I had parties at home, and then turned into something a bit bigger. I have friends in the nightclub industry. I would get invited to DJ at their parties, and it went well. It's a great thing to be able to do while I'm working on music."
Though DJing is a fairly new concept to Jonas, being in front of an audience — either onstage or in the booth — is something with which he's quite familiar.
"Performing live is always a special place for me," he admits, "being able to get onstage and perform music I'm passionate about. I love being out there and rocking with the audience. As a DJ, you're more of a conductor — you're able to conduct and curate the night. I think it can be as interactive as you like or not. That's the cool thing about it."
Jonas has been DJing publicly for about two years. The music junkie made his official DJ debut at Foxtail Nightclub at the SLS Las Vegas last year and was the resident DJ at the Hard Rock Hotel's Sound of Your Stay Music Lounge during Lollapalooza 2014 in Chicago.
"I'm mostly into mixing," Jonas explains of his DJ style. "Eventually, I want to get into producing as well. There's something different about playing dance music. It's something a lot of people are starting to get into."
Music aside, Jonas has also ventured into the restaurant business. In March, he, along with New York restaurateurs Matthew Hechter and Chris Brandon, opened Hinterland, a Southern-inspired celebrity eatery in Santa Monica.
"It's nice that we live in a world where we can do individual things," he says. "I can do music. I can DJ. I can be in the restaurant business. It's a really exciting time. There are a bunch of different things I'm working on that are up in the air, but I love it."
For now, though, Jonas is focused on bpm, bass drops, and partying it up in the 305.
"I've always loved Miami," he says. "Being able to go out there and do the DJ gig, it's gonna be a good time."
And to those who complain that anyone with money and connections can become a DJ, lower your pitchforks. Jonas doesn't consider himself a big-shot disc jockey, but simply a dude who loves music.
"I enjoy sharing my taste of music," he says. "I'm no Avicii or Tiësto, but I enjoy it. I have fun."
Joe Jonas. Presented by Super Fridays. Friday, July 17, 11 p.m. Mansion Nightclub, 1235 Washington Ave., Miami Beach; 305-695-8411; mansionmiami.com. Tickets cost $30 plus fees via wantickets.com. Ages 21 and up.
