DNCE

DNCE
JinJoo Lee, Joe Jonas, Cole Whittle and Jack Lawless in 2016.
Background information
Origin	United States
Genres	Pop rock[1] funk pop[2]
Years active	2015–present
Labels	Republic
Website	dnce.com
Members	Joe Jonas Jack Lawless JinJoo Lee Cole Whittle

DNCE is an American pop rock band. The group consists of members Joe Jonas, Jack Lawless, Cole Whittle, and JinJoo Lee. The group signed with Republic Records, who released their debut single "Cake by the Ocean" in 2016. The song had success in various territories, reaching number 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.^[3] Their debut extended play, SWAAY (2015), received a generally positive reception upon release. They also were nominated for Favorite New Artist for the 2016 Kids' Choice Awards and Best Song to Lip Sync and Best Anthem for the 2016 Radio Disney Music Awards.

Career

The idea for DNCE first came about while Jonas and Lawless were living together, though the project was put on hold due to the duo's busy schedules.^[4] Jonas, Lawless, and Lee officially came together to form DNCE in 2015, with work on their debut studio album beginning shortly afterwards.^[5] Though work on the project had already begun, the group struggled to find a fourth member to fit into the band.^[6] Jonas began working with songwriter Justin Tranter, of Semi Precious Weapons, for DNCE's debut album; this led to Jonas and Whittle becoming friends and ultimately adding him to the group.^[6] The group named themselves DNCE after the name of a song written for the album, which lyrically speaks of being too drunk to spell the word "dance".^[5] Jonas later added the group decided on the name as it described the "imperfect awesome[ness] of the four of [them] together."^[5] JinJoo later added that much like the spelling of the word, you don't have to be a perfect dancer to dance in life.^[7] The group began performing secret shows in New York City to rehearse for their upcoming tour and promotional performances.^[8] The band made an official Instagram account in September 2015; Joe later posted a teaser video for the band on his account, tagging the band's official page, on September 10.^[9]

The group released their debut single, "Cake by the Ocean", on September 18, 2015.^[10] Though starting out slow, the song went on to become a success in numerous territories. The song has so far peaked at number 9 on the Billboard Hot 100, and at number 7 on the Canadian Hot 100.^[11] The group released their debut extended play, SWAAY, on October 23, 2015.^[12][13] The four track album received a generally positive critical reception upon its release, with Entertainment Weekly writing that it "splits the difference between [Joe's] former band’s slick power pop and the electro-kissed pop stylings of his solo album."^[14] The band embarked on a fourteen-date tour in November 2015, known as the Greatest Tour Ever.^[15] All fourteen scheduled dates for the tour sold out.^[16] The tour received critical praise, and featured unreleased songs as well as covers of older classics.^[17] The group has announced plans to release their debut studio album in 2016.^[6]

On January 31, 2016, DNCE made a cameo during Fox's television special Grease: Live; a live production of the Broadway musical Grease. The band performed as Johnny Casino and The Gamblers during a high school dance scene, which incorporated a 1950s-inspired rendition of "Cake by the Ocean" and a cover of The Crickets' "Maybe Baby" alongside the Grease songs "Born to Hand Jive" and "Rock & Roll Is Here to Stay". In an interview with Rolling Stone, Jonas explained that DNCE was approached by the producers of the special following a show in New York City, and that he had always been a fan of Grease.^[18]

The band will join Selena Gomez as opening acts for her Revival Tour.^[19]

On April 22, 2016 the band appeared on BBC One's The Graham Norton Show, performing their debut song.^[20]

Influences

The band's influences include the Electric Light Orchestra, Sly and the Family Stone, Weezer, Earth, Wind & Fire and Hall & Oates.^[21]

Members

• Joe Jonas: lead vocals (2015–present) – Jonas first rose to prominence as a member of the Jonas Brothers, a pop-rock band that had much success with music and acting.^[22] The group released four studio albums from 2006 to 2009, selling over 17 million albums worldwide.^[23][24] Jonas released a solo debut album in 2011^[25] to a mixed critical and commercial performance.^[26][27] Despite the Jonas Brothers recording their fifth studio album in 2013, the project went unreleased and the band officially ended.^[28]

• Cole Whittle: bass guitar, keyboards (2015–present) – Whittle rose to fame as the bass player for Semi Precious Weapons.^[29] The band released three studio albums during their run, with their final release coming in 2014.^[30]

• JinJoo Lee: guitar (2015–present) – Lee, from South Korea, like Lawless, previously toured with acts such as the Jonas Brothers, playing the guitar.^[31] She was a member of CeeLo Green's touring band from 2010 to 2011, and later worked with Charli XCX.^[31]

• Jack Lawless: drums, percussion (2015–present) – Jack Lawless played drums for the Jonas Brothers from their Marvelous Party Tour (2007)^[32] until their disbandment. Lawless and Jonas were roommates, with Lawless continuing to perform with the band on subsequent tours.^[4] In 2010, Lawless became the drummer for alternative rock band Ocean Grove; the group released their debut extended play in 2011.^[33]

Discography

• Swaay (2015)

Filmography

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2016	Grease: Live	Johnny Casino and the Gamblers	Television special

Concert tours

Headlining Greatest Tour Ever Tour (2015–16)[34] Opening act Revival Tour (Selena Gomez) (2016)[19]

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Category	Nominee	Result	Ref.
2016	Kids' Choice Awards	Favorite New Artist	Themselves	Nominated	[35]
	Radio Disney Music Awards	Best New Artist			[36]
		Best Song to Lip Sync	"Cake by the Ocean"
		Best Anthem

References

1. Spanos, Brittany (October 23, 2015). "Joe Jonas on New Funk-Pop Party Band DNCE, Second Chances". Rolling Stone. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
2. "Best of 2015: Joe Jonas on 'Mad Max,' Other Favorites - Rolling Stone". Rolling Stone.
3. "Hot 100 Chart Moves: DNCE's 'Cake by the Ocean' Sweetens Pop Radio". Billboard.
4. "Get Ready to DNCE". Interview Magazine. October 23, 2015.
5. "INTERVIEW: Who Is DNCE? Everything You Need To Know". iHeartRadio. October 13, 2015.
6. "Interview with DNCE". 997now. November 5, 2015.
7. "8 Questions with Joe Jonas's New Band, DNCE". InStyle. October 16, 2015.
8. "Joe Jonas on New Funk-Pop Party Band DNCE, Second Chances". Rolling Stone. October 23, 2015.
9. "Joe Jonas Teases New Band". MTV. September 11, 2015.
10. "Joe Jonas forms new band". Toronto Sun. September 16, 2015. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
11. "Music: Top 100 Songs - Billboard Hot 100 Chart". Billboard.
12. "SWAAY - EP - DNCE". iTunes.
13. "DNCE - SWAAY EP".
14. "Swaay by DNCE: EW review". Entertainment Weekly. October 23, 2015.
15. "DNCE Announce Greatest Tour Ever Tour". Alter the Press.
16. "Instagram". Instagram.
17. "Concert Review: Let DNCE Be Your New Favorite Band".
18. "Joe Jonas Talks DNCE's 'Grease: Live' Cameo". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 1 February 2016.
19. Vulpo, Mike (February 23, 2016). "Selena Gomez's Revival Tour Just Turned Into an Even Bigger Party With the Addition of DNCE". E! Online. Retrieved February 23, 2016.
20. 00:10 (April 22, 2016). "BBC One - The Graham Norton Show, Series 19, Episode 5". Bbc.co.uk. Retrieved April 23, 2016.
21. Kaplan, Ilana (October 23, 2015). "GET READY TO DNCE". Interview. Retrieved March 30, 2016.
22. "Some teen stars are still well-scrubbed, others have gone wild". NY Daily News (New York). April 29, 2008.
23. "Jonas Brothers Leave Disney's Hollywood Records". Billboard. 1999-10-10. Retrieved November 15, 2008.
24. "Jonas Brothers Break Up...With Record Label". E! Magazine. 1999-10-10. Retrieved November 15, 2008.
25. Cheung, Nadine (2010-05-20). "Joe Jonas Is Working on His Very Own Solo Album". Jsyk.com. Retrieved 2010-07-25.
26. Caulfield, Keith (2011-10-19). "Evanescence Nets Second No. 1 Album on Billboard 200 Chart". Billboard. Retrieved 2011-10-19.
27. Trust, Gary (February 17, 2015). "Ask Billboard: Jonas Brothers Want to Know Their Album & Song Sales". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved February 17, 2015.
28. "Nick Jonas Opens Up About The Jonas Brothers Break Up, Promises To Be At Chicago’s B96 Pepsi Jingle Bash In December « Chicago’s B96 – 96.3 FM". Retrieved October 24, 2014.
29. Poet, J. "StyleHive Semi Precious Weapons - Biography". Retrieved 12 December 2008.
30. Atkinson, Claire (November 19, 2015). "Meet the duo behind pop music’s latest and greatest hits". New York: New York Post. Retrieved November 26, 2015.
31. "Who Are the Members of Joe Jonas' New Band DNCE?publisher=MTV". September 15, 2015.
32. Boyle, Kelly (2008) "The Jonas Brothers hit Boston", bostonmusicspotlight.com. Retrieved November 19, 2013
33. "Little Record - EP". iTunes.
34. Norton, Jessica (October 27, 2015). "What Can We Expect From DNCE’s ‘Greatest Tour Ever Tour’?". MTV. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
35. "Here Are The Nominees For The 2016 Kids’ Choice Awards". MTV. 2013-03-14. Retrieved 2013-03-16.
36. "2016 Radio Disney Music Awards". Nick and More. 2013-03-14. Retrieved 2013-03-16.