On Friday, May 24, Joe Jonas released his second solo album, Music for People Who Believe in Love. The 14-track album, his first since 2011, was inspired following Jonas’ highly publicized divorce in 2024. Jonas, along with various collaborators, blends pop, indie rock, and acoustic country on his new album, exploring themes of heartbreak, hope, and emotional recovery.

For most of his life, Jonas has been a well-known pop star. He rose to fame in the mid-2000s as one of the three members of the Jonas Brothers, a hit boy band that released hits like “Burnin’ Up,” starred in the Camp Rock Disney movies series, and built a celebrity image that followed Jonas into adulthood. After a brief hiatus, the Jonas Brothers returned in 2019 with their comeback album Happiness Begins, holding their place in the music industry as nostalgic icons with the ability to still pack arenas.

Throughout the success of the Jonas Brothers, Jonas underwent personal changes. In 2019, he married Game of Thrones actress Sophie Turner, but their marriage ended with divorce in 2024. Jonas has since opened up about how the split left him uncertain about how to move forward, particularly in love and dating. 

His continuing rediscovery of love sparked his creativity and his individual return to music. Jonas began working on a new solo album, Music for People Who Believe in Love, his first since 2011, and found himself writing more personally than ever before. In an interview with TalkShopLive, Jonas recounted how dating rekindled his lyricism. 

“I was seeing somebody, and this person kinda comically, sarcastically was like, ‘It’s only love.’” That offhand remark inspired the fourth track of Music for People Who Believe in Love, “Only Love,” one of the first songs written for the album The creative process, he said, felt “freeing,” which gave him the space he needed to explore his emotions in a way he hadn’t done publicly before.

Music for People Who Believe in Love opens with track one, “Woven,” a short, dreamy interlude that feels more like the beginning of a fairy tale rather than an album about a breakup. With delicate keys and percussion, it sets up a light, warm tone for the rest of the album. Track two, “Parachute,” quickly swaps out the softness as a full-blown rock-pop song about continuing on with life in the face of adversity. Jonas repeats the words, “I’ll be fine,” multiple times throughout the song. His voice echoes beneath layers of loud guitars and vocal effects, making it sound unoriginal in production and similar to an average pop song.

Track three, “Work It Out,” and track four, “Only Love,” continue the album’s optimistic tone, but both fall slightly flat. “Work It Out” starts strong but quickly becomes repetitive, as if Jonas is trying to cheer himself up with overproduced, positive pop. In this song, Jonas also sings the lyric, “Even baddies get saddies,” which is the slogan for his merch released alongside the album. 

Track four, “Only Love,” is groovier and filled with unique instrumental moments, but the lyrics only make sense when you read them along with the music, with lines like, “Young enough to dance, but smart enough to take it slow / Hey, this ain’t a 9-5 operation / I’m down to fly south, but I don’t want the great migration, Hey, I’m tryna keep my mind clean,” and they get lost under the weight of heavy effects. Though Jonas clearly expresses himself, he doesn’t exactly push musical boundaries.

Things take a turn with track five, “Heart by Heart,” and track six, “Honey Blonde,” two tracks that hone in on a more country influence. “Heart by Heart” is one of the most listened to songs on the album following its release. Jonas’ voice sounds raw as he belts out his thoughts in a catchy way. On the other hand, “Honey Blonde” is a confusing addition. While the guitar riffs shine, and the solo towards the end is sweet, the lyrics like, “Honey blonde, you turn me on,” feel underwhelming and oddly placed in an album centered around heartbreak.

Then comes track seven, “My Own Best Friend,” a raw, sad ballad that stands out for its honesty. With this song it is easy to hear Jonas’ moving voice. His words are distinct and unembellished with production effects, which feels like a first on the album. The song sounds lyrically like a rant in the best way, but its placement after the breezy “Honey Blonde” is jarring. If the album’s title promises love, this track delivers on the pain of losing love and learning to rely on yourself. 

The second half of the album incorporates more collaborations and a surprising blend of genres. Track number eight, “Velvet Sunshine,” featuring Jonas’ younger brother, Frankie Jonas, feels like a song fit for a retro beach day soundtrack. However, the overproduction of the song makes it hard to take seriously. Track nine, “Your Wine,” a road trip-style duet with country artist Sierra Ferrell, has stronger lyricism, and the guitar rhythm evokes the sound of a road trip, but Ferrell’s presence is barely felt, as she only sings a few lyrics on the song.

Things finally start to click with track 10, “Hey Beautiful,” a stunning multilingual collaboration with French singer Louane and indie band Tiny Habits. Their voices blend beautifully, and this time, Jonas steps back to let his co-stars’ vocals shine. The result is emotional, honest, and one of the strongest tracks on the record. Jonas said he dedicated “Hey Beautiful” to his daughters, bringing a beautiful message with his lyrics, “Just in case a day comes, I’m not next to you / I went and cut a deal with all the stars / And, when you wish upon them, you can call it proof / I’ll be with you wherever you are.” This message turns the song into a lullaby about family love. 

The final three songs off the album return to acoustic, emotional territory, and this time, it works. Track twelve, “You Got the Right,” ditches the Disney energy for a stripped-down sound that highlights Jonas’s soft vocals and introspective lyrics. It’s not just a sad love song; it’s a quietly powerful moment of acceptance. Track thirteen, “What This Could Be,” delivers the best lyrics on the album: “I’d give up my peace of mind / to lose my mind again with you.” The last song and the closer of the album, “Constellation,” wraps it all up with a celestial vibe and the clearest vocals on the album, floating through themes of loss and presence at once.

Music for People Who Believe in Love is an album that’s trying to achieve a lot at once—indie rock, country pop, sad ballads, and international collabs, and through this, the overall message of the entire album is hard to grasp and sounds like Jonas was just trying to get his sorrowful thoughts out. Still, Jonas shows that he’s more than just a former teen idol. 

While some songs feel overly processed or slightly confused in tone, others prove he has something personal and meaningful to say. At its best, the album is vulnerable, genre-blending, and quietly catchy. At its worst, it sounds like music from a Netflix original soundtrack. Overall, Jonas’ newest album earns three and a half out of five feathers.