By Alyssa Haddad
For most of us in our mid-20s to 30s, the 2000s were a blissful time. It was a time of colored braces and oversized t-shirts tied at the hip. A time of torn out pages from J-14 magazine adorning our bedroom walls. A time when 7 Things by Miley Cyrus was all we knew about heartbreak. We were truly living.
But, as with most blissful times, they were born out of ignorance. We all collectively made a couple of oversights, and might’ve ended up on the wrong side of history. But now in the year 2019 we have a chance to redeem ourselves. To look back on our past mistakes with a critical eye and try to do better. It?s time we give Kevin Jonas his due.
You all remember the Jonas Brothers? The boy band that defined our teen years and left us longing for their return well into adulthood? Well, their long anticipated return is finally here, as you probably already know. Their two new hit singles, Sucker and Cool rose on the Billboard charts. Their album, Happiness Begins, was chock full of jams that won’t be leaving our playlist anytime soon.
In the 2000s when the Jonas Brothers were at their peak, we defined ourselves in one of two possible ways: were you Team Joe or Team Nick? The Kevin Jonas erasure wasn’t completely unwarranted. Nick and Joe gravitated to the spotlight like moths flying headfirst into a lamp. Kevin was much more grounded, content to be playing the music he made with his brothers. We overlooked him so much it was a running joke. Nobody was team Kevin. To be team Kevin would render you an outcast, the subject of brutal humiliation. Kevin cemented his place as the afterthought.
But now it is 2019. We are no longer drowning in ignorance. Kevin has come into his own, full of personality and confidence. He’s created ownership over his identity as the dad of the group, the family man who shreds on a guitar and then goes home and changes a diaper. Let’s celebrate Kevin for what he brings to the Jonas Brothers; modesty, unforced humor, and a haircut that finally works. I’m standing loud and proud as Team Kevin.
Alyssa Haddad
Columnist
Alyssa Haddad is a Brooklyn-based Playwright and Screenwriter. Her plays have been presented at the Capital Repertory Theatre, Theater for the New City, Sundog Theatre, Kraine Theater, and The Midtown International Theatre Festival where she was the recipient of the Playwright’s Award. She is an alumna of Living Room Theater’s New Play Incubator Lab and a current member of New Perspectives Theatre Company’s Women’s Work Play Lab. She is also an Artist-In-Residence at Adams State University’s Rare AIR program. Connect with Alyssa at AlyssaHaddad.com, on Twitter @AlyssaSwagdad and on Instagram @AlyssaHaddad.