How Will A Married Man Fit Into Disney’s Boy Band?
Posted by meredith on 07-02-2009
All jokes about tween hearts breaking aside, the news of 21-year-old Kevin Jonas, a.k.a. the oldest member of the Jonas Brothers, getting engaged did make me wonder about the impact on the group’s “boy band” image.
I realize that Kevin Jonas will neither be the first boy band member in recent memory to get married (Taylor Hanson), nor the first pop star to replace his chastity ring with an engagement ring (Jessica Simpson), but given the trio’s heavy Disney branding and the considerable franchise that’s been built around the group (TV show, Disney movies, etc) it’s hard not to wonder what questions are being raised by the brand behind the band.
Of course, concerns about the sustainability of the JoBros’ on-screen popularity aren’t exactly new. Back when the Monkees-style sitcom “JONAS” premiered in May the Los Angeles Times reported it as “Disney Channel’s lowest-rated live-action series premiere among kids 6-11 since 2005′s “Life with Derek” and many of our commenters pointed out that the boys are more fun to “squeal about” than relate to as characters. So, will a marriage announcement create further distance between fans, the band and the fantasy? Stir up renewed interest in the boys’ real lives as a brand new backstory? Not matter because Nick is the “dreamy” one anyway? And, more importantly, will any of this affect Disney’s marketing strategy for the band? What do you predict, Ypulse Readers? Feel free to add thoughts in comments.
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Categorized under: Tweens
July 2nd, 2009 at 10:51 am
It will help the band.
Writing about his marriage will give the gossip magazines and websites something new to talk about.