Staff Editor on September 11th, 2016

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The Grammy Museum’s “Up Close & Personal” series allowed fans to get just that with Nick Jonas on Thursday night, as the 23-year-old pop star discussed forging a solo career out of the ashes of the Jones Brothers and followed with a short acoustic performance.

In an hour-long discussion with Scott Goldman, vice president of the Grammy Foundation and MusicCares, Jonas relayed how he had to work on his songwriting chops after the demise of the Disney Channel sensations, having penned some 150 songs without having a single one of them cut. The song “Santa Barbara” helped get him signed, and “Jealous” was his first writing credit that became a hit. Throughout the process, he explained humbly, he remains grateful for the relationships that give him these opportunities.

In discussing the recent album “Last Year Was Complicated,” Jonas and Goldman spent a lot of time talking about the song “Bacon,” which features Ty Dolla $ign. It had its roots, Jonas said, when he heard Ty’s songs at a part hosted by The Weeknd. Ty then asked to hear Jonas’ material, and upon hearing “Bacon” decided to try to add something to it. The song, Jonas joked, came about when he felt free of the doomed relationship that inspired the new album, and that “the only thing that could make life better was bacon.”

The talk was followed by a performance of the songs “Close” and “Jealous,” with Jonas accompanied by Chris Payton.

Photos by Annie Lesser