Yahoo Finance Joe Jonas Says There's an 'Adjustment Period' to Balancing Career and Family: 'Learning as I Go'
Jesus Aranguren/Invision for STAAR Surgical Company/AP Images Joe Jonas
After more than 15 years in the entertainment industry, Joe Jonas has things mostly figured out — but with a burgeoning acting career, a new baby at home and two bands in the mix, it's understandable if he's still working some things out.
"It's an adjustment period," the musician, 32, tells PEOPLE of how he keeps everything on track. "Just something that I'm learning as I go, I think I can now work a little bit harder to take time off. I'm still trying to figure it out. Some weeks are a little bit more challenging than others, but it makes it a lot easier when you enjoy your gig… I wake up every day just thrilled to be able to go make music or act and create different projects and have a beautiful family, so it feels like a dream come true."
Jonas, who's the new spokesman for STAAR Surgical after having received the company's EVO lens implant, has plenty of reasons to enjoy his gig. For starters, he and brothers Kevin, 34, and Nick, 29, have been touring together, and recently launched their very own Las Vegas residency. Meanwhile, in February, Jonas announced the return of DNCE, the dance-pop group he formed in 2015.
"I think for a while I felt like one couldn't live without the other, and so we had to focus either on DNCE solely for a year and then [Jonas] Brothers for a year," he says. "[But then] Kevin, Nick and I just looked at each other like, 'Look, let's just all do our own thing when we want to. We'll be that much more inspired and excited to come back and work on the Brothers projects if it doesn't feel like we have to stop everything,' so it made things a lot easier and more fun, and we're going to keep releasing DNCE music."
Jesus Aranguren/Invision for STAAR Surgical Company/AP Images
DNCE, who will soon perform at the U.S. Open, made a splash with the Kygo-assisted single "Dancing Feet" earlier this year after a years-long hiatus, and have since released a steady stream of singles, including "Move" and "Got Me Good."
Jonas says he finds the ability to release songs as he wants, and not on the grueling timeline of an album cycle, "very freeing," and also touts the camaraderie he shares with bandmates Jack Lawless and JinJoo Lee, who tour with the Jonas Brothers.
In between his musical endeavors, the star also found time to make his feature film debut in the upcoming Korean War drama Devotion, which will premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September. Jonas calls Devotion, which stars Jonathan Majors and Glen Powell, a "really special project," and says the chance to step in front of the camera as an actor scratched a creative itch different from that of performing as a musician.
"I'm so grateful I have music because I'm able to express my own stories and emotions and things I go through. You're playing someone else when you're on film, and I like that you have to immerse yourself into somebody else's shoes, or at least find that place where you can go… It's a nice balance," he says. "[I] got the opportunity to work with some incredible actors who really challenged me, and you want to step up your game because you're like, 'Oh, this is fun, but this is going to be a challenge,' and you want to really respect the art of it. The story's beautiful and I can't wait for everyone to see this."
Jesus Aranguren/Invision for STAAR Surgical Company/AP Images Joe Jonas
The movie was filmed in Georgia, a spot that Jonas and wife Sophie Turner, 26, fell in love with while she also worked nearby, on the HBO Max miniseries The Staircase.
When filming on both projects wrapped, the couple — who share daughter Willa, 2, and a newborn baby girl born last month — decided to make a change and embraced the Southern charm, moving their family to Miami after Jonas realized during the pandemic that he didn't need to be tied to Los Angeles to be an entertainer.
"We went to come visit and we just loved it. I saw a whole different side of Miami that I've never experienced — really quiet areas, and the food's amazing. I feel like it's the best-kept secret," he says. "It's really great. I'm enjoying [Miami] and I've become pretty good friends with people down here, and it's not far from Europe and it's not far from New York. My parents live in North Carolina, so they're a lot closer."
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Jonas' chat with PEOPLE comes about a week after he received STAAR's FDA-approved vision corrected lens, which is implanted into the eye between the iris and the lens to correct nearsightedness and astigmatism.
The "Leave Before You Love Me" singer first started wearing glasses for his vision problems around age 12 (he was thrilled, as he was "envious" of his brother's glasses at the time), and eventually upgraded to contacts around age 17.
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But as the Jonas Brothers took off, his ability to take care of his eyes wavered, and the countless plane rides and late nights took a toll.
"I had no real issues until I started really traveling and touring — early mornings, late nights. Your eyes are dry when you're traveling, you take a red-eye flight, you wake up and either you forgot to take your contacts out or just putting them back in doesn't feel right," he says. "I think we've all had that experience with contacts."
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He learned about the EVO implant a year ago, and eventually had the procedure done in New York City earlier this month, giving him the ability to hold his crystal-clear vision over the head of Turner.
"I have bragging rights in our household to have 20/20 vision," he says. "My wife doesn't believe me, but I'm like, 'OK..' and so in our house we'll do read-offs. I'll be like, 'All right, what's that book say?' I think it's really life-changing and makes things a lot easier."
