Nick Jonas gets it off his chest: 'I'm ready to take over the world'

After 10 years on and off with the band, he's making a proper bid for solo stardom; and if early tracks Chains and Jealous are anything to go by, he's definitely got the goods to back up THAT recent raunchy photoshoot.  

We caught up with the star to talk going solo, his new album and find out if he plans to strip off again any time soon...

Hello Nick! You’ve come back without your brothers and armed with a new single called Chains. You must be pleased with the positive reaction to the song?

“Honestly it’s been a little overwhelming – the response has been surprisingly positive! In the US we’ve already moved on to my next track Jealous and now that’s taking off as well. It’s exciting and hard to believe that people are willing to be so positive about it. I’m excited to get more of the music out and build on this next chapter in my life.”

Jealous is also a brilliant song and feels like it could be your big breakthrough single; will it be getting a release here as well right?

“I believe so! Hopefully everything will fall into place. Chains is kind of a set-up single and we’ll see what happens after that. I co-wrote Jealous so I’m glad people are enjoying it.”

We’re hearing strong Drake/The Weeknd influences in your music. Was that what you were going for?

“They were definitely big inspirations behind this album. Drake when he’s singing is one of my favourites, and The Weeknd’s music has this great moody vibe to it. There are a lot of different tones on the record, but that atmospheric sound is the general theme throughout it.”

Nick Jonas’ new single, ‘Chains', is out on January 5. His self-titled album is available for pre-order on November 11.

If Jealous is anything to go by, you certainly know how to write a pop song…

“Thanks! I’ve been writing songs professionally for ten years, so when writing songs for this album, things clicked into place pretty quickly. Obviously, I’ve also worked with a ton of amazing people who have helped me craft songs and say things in a way that are universal.”

Who else ave you been working with on the album?

“I’ve worked with some really talented artists – Angel Haze, Mike Posner and Demi Lovato – as well as some great writers and producers in LA including Jason Evigan (Maroon 5, Selena Gomez) and Nolan Lambroza (Justin Bieber, Pitbull).

“I co-wrote Jealous and a song called Numb that was released in the US. Chains I did not write, but someone came to me with the song and I absolutely loved it – I’m not going to turn things down just because they didn’t have my involvement from the beginning.”

You’ve undergone a BIT of a transformation of late. When you sat down and decided you were going to branch off as a solo artist, did you have a clear vision of the kind of artist you wanted to be?

“I had a pretty clear vision actually. I took the mentality that nothing is off limits. I wanted to be completely open and transparent stepping into a new phase and with the idea that I’m starting over as a brand new artist. A lot of it has been intentional and some it has been out of my control. Basically, I’m just riding the wave and enjoying this new phase!"

There aren’t many good proper male popstars out there at the moment, so now feels like a good moment to strike, doesn’t it?

“It feels like there’s a gap, doesn’t there? And to be honest, it feels the same in US. Hopefully I can fill that void. I do think it’s a good time for a young male artist to come in and take over the world. I’d be honoured to be that person.”

We love a dance routine. We hope you’ve got one lined up at some point?

“I do actually. One of the songs on the album called Teacher – which will probably be the next single – has a dance routine. Hopefully I can elaborate on that in the video. I’m certainly not a dancer by trade, but this song requires that.”

THAT recent photoshoot of yours caused quite a stir, but in a positive way. Was that your way of distancing yourself from your ‘child star’ past?

“That was definitely one of the intentions. The other thing was to educate people it what I’m willing to say and do. I think it sent a pretty clear message.”

Jonas Brothers weren’t as big in the UK as they were in the US; does that make it easier starting over here?

“It’s certainly less of a challenge here than it has been in the US. It’s difficult to change the public’s perception when they’ve thought of you in a certain way for so long. The overall vibe has been great so far though - let’s see where it goes.

Will you be doing any more naked photo shoots any time soon?

“I don’t know, I think I’m going to try and keep my clothes on for a while after that. It was a fun shoot though, and I’m surprised by the life-of-its-own reaction it had. I don’t take anything like that seriously though. If I did, there would be an issue. It seemed to drive people to listen to the music, so at least it wasn’t for nothing!”