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Joe Jonas Says He Sought Therapy After His Solo Album Underperformed

Fastlife peaked at No. 15 on the Billboard 200, while its lead single "See No More" reached No. 92 on the Hot 100.

Joe Jonas at the 18th Annual Tribeca Artists Dinner hosted by Chanel on June 09, 2025 in New York, New York

Joe Jonas at the 18th Annual Tribeca Artists Dinner hosted by Chanel on June 09, 2025 in New York, New York

John Nacion/Variety

Joe Jonas has revealed that the disappointing commercial performance of his 2011 solo debut Fastlife triggered panic attacks and physical pain that ultimately led him to seek therapy.

The singer reflected on the album’s reception during a recent episode of the Hey Jonas! podcast, which he co-hosts with his Jonas Brothers bandmates and siblings, Nick and Kevin Jonas. Jonas said he had expected the record to match the success the trio had enjoyed at their peak and had tied its outcome to his own self-worth. “Somewhere in my core, I was like, ‘If I do that, then I matter,'” he told his brothers.


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Fastlife peaked at No. 15 on the Billboard 200, while its lead single “See No More” reached No. 92 on the Hot 100 — results Jonas found deeply deflating.

“I started having panic attacks and started having physical pain,” he recalled. He said a doctor found him physically healthy and recommended he see a therapist, a suggestion he initially resisted. “I was like, what do you mean a therapist? I don’t need a therapist. Why would I need a therapist?” he said, adding that he instead took long bike rides to get away from his phone.

Jonas eventually found a commercial second act. In 2015, he formed the funk-pop band DNCE, whose debut single “Cake by the Ocean” reached No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 — a mainstream radio hit that had eluded both his solo career and, to that point, the Jonas Brothers. The family band reunited in 2019 and topped the Billboard 200 with Happiness Begins, led by the Hot 100 No. 1 “Sucker” — the group’s first chart-topping single.

This article was first published by Billboard U.S.

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The Weeknd at the "Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning" U.S. premiere held at Lincoln Center Fountain Plaza on May 18, 2025 in New York, New York.
Kristina Bumphrey/Variety

The Weeknd at the "Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning" U.S. premiere held at Lincoln Center Fountain Plaza on May 18, 2025 in New York, New York.

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The Weeknd Appears to Do About-Face on Retiring Stage Name: ‘Imma Be Here Forever With You’

The artist born Abel Tesfaye said in 2025 that he'd "mastered" his alter ego and needed a new challenge.

Like a professional boxer who just can’t quit the ring, Abel Tesfaye can’t cut The Weeknd short. The singer revealed over the weekend that he’s reconsidered plans he announced last year to retire his stage persona. “It’s a headspace I’ve gotta get into that I just don’t have any more desire for,” he continues. “You have a persona, but then you have the competition of it all. It becomes this rat race: more accolades, more success, more shows, more albums, more awards and more No. 1s. It never ends until you end it.”

Tesfaye has been releasing music as The Weeknd since 2011, but last year when asked by Variety magazine to explain social media teasers for his then-upcoming Hurry Up Tomorrow album that read: “The Weeknd/ The End is Near/ 8 beautiful chapters in this story,” he said he was considering retiring the name after he wrapped up his already-on-the-books commitments.

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