If you’re like us, you’ve probably wondered what famous people add to their carts. Not the JAR brooch and Louis XV chair but the hair spray and the electric toothbrush. We asked musician Nick Jonas — who also founded Villa One Tequila and launched Rob’s Backstage Popcorn with his brothers and bandmates today — about the sneakers, styling cream, and baseball hat he can’t live without.
Because of my roots in New Jersey, I’ve been a big Yankees fan my whole life. The classic New Era Yankees hat is the best one. It’s the same one the players wear, with a flat brim and a nice shape. I think it completes every outfit, especially when I’m on the road, and it’s great to have because I don’t always want to do my hair. I always take it with me.
I like to take a classic approach to my style but with a little bit of an edge — pops of colors or something vibrant. That way, that classy tailored feel is always there, even when I’m just wearing jeans and a T-shirt (or a T-shirt with a suit, which is a cool move because it also has that edge). For my everyday wardrobe, I wear these Vans a lot. I own two or three pairs right now because they’re so easy to throw on and pair with anything. It adds a nice punch to any outfit, but they’re also comfortable. They’re in my bag every single time I travel.
I use this any day I’m not wearing my Yankees hat. I apply it in the morning, and I think my hair looks good all day — neat but not overly styled. My hairstylist that I’ve worked with for a long time introduced me to the products years and years ago. I don’t think I’ve used much else since then.
This is a backstage staple for us. Joe always had it in his room, and I was like, “That looks good,” so I started eating it too. And now it is a must-have for me on the road. We always look for delicious healthy snacks, and a little bit of dark chocolate is exactly that. I don’t think about how much I eat of it. I eat whatever feels right. As a type-1 diabetic, I have certain limitations and can’t indulge too much, but I love it. I prefer just the straight-up chocolate. I don’t like to get crazy with the flavors. The sea-salt one here and there is nice, but I won’t go for much more than that.
Our manager was getting really into Celsius, and it kind of rubbed off on me. It gives you that extra boost in the morning. I love to have Celsius right after my coffee for a caffeine double whammy. I can’t claim to be an expert on all of the science behind how it might accelerate your metabolism and the other stuff that the brand talks about, but I think it tastes good and gives me a lot of energy, without sugar or artificial flavors and stuff. I drink one a day.
Between golfing three times a week and flying to concerts every night and performing onstage, I get a good workout regularly. It’s really important to take care of my body and stay as healthy as I can. When I was working on Jersey Boys recently, I played Frankie Valli, so I was dancing a lot every day. It can take a toll on your body, so this has been really helpful for staying fresh and working through sore muscles. I like the head that’s like a ball. I think it gets the job done better than the other heads.
I use my laptop quite a bit for writing screenplays and other projects I’m working on outside of music, but the iPad is absolutely necessary for entertainment purposes. I think the size is better for watching TV than a laptop. When I’m out on the road, there’s a lot of downtime — sometimes hours and hours on end — so I watch a lot of shows. I just binge-watched Ted Lasso — amazing show. I recently watched Clickbait, which was also pretty good. I also like to rewatch certain shows I’ve seen before, like Game of Thrones and Veep. I’m a big fan of this sketch-comedy show right now called I Think You Should Leave. It’s very funny.
The story of this popcorn stems back to our very dear friend Rob, who is the father of our manager, Greg, and one of our closest friends. In the early days of the Jonas Brothers, like 2002 or 2003, Rob would bring his homemade popcorn to shows. I even watched him cook it up in the kitchen a few times. Kevin, Joe, and I fell in love with it. Then, over the years, we would request that he bring it out to our shows in the New York and New Jersey area, so it became a staple. About two years ago, we asked him, “Hey, would you be okay if we brought this experience that’s been so wonderful to us to the world?” And he said, “By all means.” From there, we took off trying to create the perfect recipe, based on his homemade recipe, with our partners at the Naked Market. I never asked too many questions about what made the popcorn so delicious. There’s something magical about it. There’s a lot of love in it, and it’s been such a special part of the history of our band that it’s an honor for us to now be able to share that with the world.
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