Nick Jonas is setting the record straight after a music executive reportedly dismissed him as “not a soulful singer.”
After performing a gospel-inspired version on last year’s Jonas Brothers tour, Jonas released the studio recording of Jealous (Gospel Version) as a Target exclusive on his new album Sunday Best on February 6.
Upon asking about why did Jonas choose to pair a steamy pop track with a gospel choir, and why does it resonate so powerfully, Jonas responded, "I wonder that all the time," he told PEOPLE, explaining the fan response to Jealous (Gospel Version) was a "driving force" for "getting back in touch with my musical roots from growing up singing in church.”
"The genesis of the 'Jealous (Gospel Version)' video was actually a funny story," Jonas noted.
He recalled, "Around the time the original 'Jealous' came out, we heard from someone at the record label that another artist's manager — someone who, I guess, thought their artist had a lot of soul — said, 'The record's good,' in a candid conversation to this executive, 'But Nick doesn't have any soul. He's not a soulful singer.'"
"So they suggested that we do something to show that I do [have soul]," added Jonas.
He mentioned, "And this idea came about to do a 'Jealous (Gospel Version),' and I just loved it because it's how I grew up singing with a big choir in church. And that's how it was born."
To note, the Jumanji star launched his solo career in 2014, scoring a hit with Jealous, later reworked with a choir for a live performance now boasting over 37 million YouTube views.
