# Happiness Begins
**Happiness Begins** is the fifth studio album by the American pop trio [Jonas Brothers](https://www.edgepedia.org/jonas-brothers), released on June 7, 2019, through [Republic Records](https://www.edgepedia.org/republic-records). It was the band's first studio album in ten years, following *Lines, Vines and Trying Times* (2009), and their first release since reuniting after their 2013 breakup.[1](https://www.universalmusic.ca/2019/06/07/jonas-brothers-release-highly-anticipated-album-happiness-begins-today/) • [2](https://www.grammy.com/news/jonas-brothers-bring-happiness-grammy-u-soundchecks-new-york/) The album's lead single, "[Sucker](https://www.edgepedia.org/sucker-song)," became the band's first number one on the Billboard Hot 100, and the album itself debuted at number one on the Billboard 200.[1](https://www.universalmusic.ca/2019/06/07/jonas-brothers-release-highly-anticipated-album-happiness-begins-today/) • [2](https://www.grammy.com/news/jonas-brothers-bring-happiness-grammy-u-soundchecks-new-york/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Artist / release | Jonas Brothers; fifth full-length album, June 7, 2019, Republic Records[1](https://www.universalmusic.ca/2019/06/07/jonas-brothers-release-highly-anticipated-album-happiness-begins-today/) |
| Length | 14 songs, 43 minutes[3](https://music.apple.com/us/album/happiness-begins/1461478261) |
| Lead single | "Sucker," the band's first Billboard Hot 100 number one and the first number one debut from a group in the 21st century[1](https://www.universalmusic.ca/2019/06/07/jonas-brothers-release-highly-anticipated-album-happiness-begins-today/) |
| Chart debut | Number one on the Billboard 200; 414,000 total consumption units with 68 million streams, the biggest debut from a group in 2019[2](https://www.grammy.com/news/jonas-brothers-bring-happiness-grammy-u-soundchecks-new-york/) |
| Producers | Ryan Tedder, with Greg Kurstin, Max Martin, and Shellback among the contributors[4](https://time.com/5601989/jonas-brothers-comeback-album/) • [1](https://www.universalmusic.ca/2019/06/07/jonas-brothers-release-highly-anticipated-album-happiness-begins-today/) |
| Certification | Platinum-certified album; "Sucker" certified 5x-Platinum[5](https://www.universal-music.de/jonasbrothers/biografie) |
| Accolades | MTV VMA for Best Pop Video (August 2019); Grammy nomination for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance[2](https://www.grammy.com/news/jonas-brothers-bring-happiness-grammy-u-soundchecks-new-york/) • [6](https://www.grammy.com/news/2020-grammy-nominees-album-available-now/) |
| Critical score | Metascore of 76, based on five critic reviews[7](https://www.metacritic.com/music/happiness-begins/critic-reviews) |
## Background and reunion
The Jonas Brothers, brothers Kevin, Joe, and [Nick Jonas](https://www.edgepedia.org/nick-jonas), rose to fame as [Disney Channel](https://www.edgepedia.org/disney-channel)-linked teen pop-rock acts in the late 2000s before disbanding in 2013. During the hiatus, Nick Jonas released two solo albums including a Top 10 single, and Joe fronted the electro-pop group DNCE, while Kevin started a family and worked in real estate.[8](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/jonas-brothers-happiness-begins/) • [4](https://time.com/5601989/jonas-brothers-comeback-album/) Nick Jonas said he was the first to raise his hand for a reunion, telling the Recording Academy that after accomplishing his solo benchmarks, "there was a magic missing from it that I had with my brothers."[2](https://www.grammy.com/news/jonas-brothers-bring-happiness-grammy-u-soundchecks-new-york/) Their longtime manager Phil McIntyre told *Time* that the brothers came back "because they missed doing it together," not because they needed to.[4](https://time.com/5601989/jonas-brothers-comeback-album/)
The reunion was accompanied by the documentary *Chasing Happiness*, released exclusively on Amazon Prime Video, which follows the band from its earliest days through its success, breakup, and reunion.[1](https://www.universalmusic.ca/2019/06/07/jonas-brothers-release-highly-anticipated-album-happiness-begins-today/)
## Recording and sound
Rather than a nostalgia project, the album was aimed at contemporary [Top 40](https://www.edgepedia.org/top-40) pop. The brothers worked with hitmakers including [Ryan Tedder](https://www.edgepedia.org/ryan-tedder), Max Martin, and [Greg Kurstin](https://www.edgepedia.org/greg-kurstin).[4](https://time.com/5601989/jonas-brothers-comeback-album/) Tedder produced "Sucker" and "Cool," having started "Sucker" with co-producer Frank Dukes before offering it to the band because he did not feel it fit OneRepublic.[2](https://www.grammy.com/news/jonas-brothers-bring-happiness-grammy-u-soundchecks-new-york/) Shellback co-produced "Only Human," much of which was written and recorded over FaceTime between Los Angeles and Sweden, and Kurstin produced "I Believe" and "Every Single Time."[1](https://www.universalmusic.ca/2019/06/07/jonas-brothers-release-highly-anticipated-album-happiness-begins-today/) • [3](https://music.apple.com/us/album/happiness-begins/1461478261)
The sound incorporates elements from the brothers' solo careers: Nick's R&B leanings and DNCE's funk, built on spacious synths and programmed drums, with guitars often absent from the mix.[8](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/jonas-brothers-happiness-begins/) [Joe Jonas](https://www.edgepedia.org/joe-jonas) told Apple Music the band went into every session "hoping to bottle up happiness and bring it to the world," a phrase that became the album's title.[3](https://music.apple.com/us/album/happiness-begins/1461478261) Songs include the reggae-tinged "Only Human," the self-assured single "Cool," the [Post Malone](https://www.edgepedia.org/post-malone)-influenced "Used to Be," and the Police-flavored "Every Single Time."[8](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/jonas-brothers-happiness-begins/) • [3](https://music.apple.com/us/album/happiness-begins/1461478261)
## Commercial performance
"Sucker," released in March 2019, debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, the band's first chart-topping single and the first time a group debuted at number one on that chart in the 21st century.[1](https://www.universalmusic.ca/2019/06/07/jonas-brothers-release-highly-anticipated-album-happiness-begins-today/) It went on to lead Billboard's Pop Songs chart for eight weeks, the longest run of any song that year and the longest since [Ed Sheeran](https://www.edgepedia.org/ed-sheeran)'s "Shape of You" in 2017.[9](https://www.universalmusic.ca/2019/06/17/jonas-brothers-make-historic-return-with-record-breaking-debut/)
The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 in June 2019 with 414,000 total consumption units, including 68 million streams, the biggest debut from a group that year.[2](https://www.grammy.com/news/jonas-brothers-bring-happiness-grammy-u-soundchecks-new-york/) In Canada it also debuted at number one on the Billboard Canadian Albums chart with 36,000 total consumption units, the trio's third chart-topping album in that country after *A Little Bit Longer* (2008) and *Lines, Vines and Trying Times* (2009).[10](https://ca.billboard.com/fyi/jonas-brothers-return-no-1-album) The album was later certified Platinum, and "Sucker" was certified 5x-Platinum.[5](https://www.universal-music.de/jonasbrothers/biografie)
## Touring
The Happiness Begins Tour, the band's first North American headline tour in nearly a decade, ran across 40 cities with special guests [Bebe Rexha](https://www.edgepedia.org/bebe-rexha) and Jordan McGraw, launching on August 7, 2019, in Miami.[11](https://www.universalmusic.ca/2019/05/01/jonas-brothers-announce-first-north-american-headline-tour-in-nearly-a-decade/) The tour wrapped that December with performances at The Forum in Los Angeles, having sold more than 1 million tickets, the band's largest and most successful tour to that point.[12](https://ca.billboard.com/fyi/music-biz-headlines-dec-18-2019)
## Reception
Critical response was generally favorable. The album holds a Metascore of 76 on Metacritic, with all five collected reviews positive.[7](https://www.metacritic.com/music/happiness-begins/critic-reviews) Variety praised the closing run of "Rollercoaster" and "Comeback," and The Independent called it "the best pop comeback" of the year.[7](https://www.metacritic.com/music/happiness-begins/critic-reviews) Pitchfork's review, scoring 62, called the album "by no means an extraordinary" record but "a respectable showing from a group that has long deserved more respect than they've received," noting that the brothers had updated their sound to current pop trends while remaining "earnest, charismatic, media-savvy family men."[8](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/jonas-brothers-happiness-begins/)
"Sucker" earned the trio the MTV Video Music Award for Best Pop Video in August 2019 and a Grammy Award nomination for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance at the 2020 ceremony.[2](https://www.grammy.com/news/jonas-brothers-bring-happiness-grammy-u-soundchecks-new-york/) • [6](https://www.grammy.com/news/2020-grammy-nominees-album-available-now/) The album marked a shift in course for the band, and its success set up the follow-up *The Album* in 2023.[13](https://americansongwriter.com/american-songwriter-november-december-cover-story-jonas-brothers-behind-the-album-it-really-has-been-mind-blowingly-fun/)
## References
1. [Jonas Brothers Release Highly Anticipated Album Happiness Begins Today, Universal Music Canada](https://www.universalmusic.ca/2019/06/07/jonas-brothers-release-highly-anticipated-album-happiness-begins-today/)
2. [Jonas Brothers Bring Happiness to GRAMMY U SoundChecks in New York, Recording Academy](https://www.grammy.com/news/jonas-brothers-bring-happiness-grammy-u-soundchecks-new-york/)
3. [Happiness Begins, Apple Music](https://music.apple.com/us/album/happiness-begins/1461478261)
4. [How the Jonas Brothers Grew Up and Got Cool, Time](https://time.com/5601989/jonas-brothers-comeback-album/)
5. [Jonas Brothers Biografie, Universal Music Germany](https://www.universal-music.de/jonasbrothers/biografie)
6. [2020 Grammy Nominees Album Available Now, Recording Academy](https://www.grammy.com/news/2020-grammy-nominees-album-available-now/)
7. [Happiness Begins Critic Reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/music/happiness-begins/critic-reviews)
8. [Jonas Brothers: Happiness Begins Album Review, Pitchfork](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/jonas-brothers-happiness-begins/)
9. [Jonas Brothers Make Historic Return with Record-Breaking Debut, Universal Music Canada](https://www.universalmusic.ca/2019/06/17/jonas-brothers-make-historic-return-with-record-breaking-debut/)
10. [Jonas Brothers Return with a No. 1 Album, Billboard Canada](https://ca.billboard.com/fyi/jonas-brothers-return-no-1-album)
11. [Jonas Brothers Announce First North American Headline Tour in Nearly a Decade, Universal Music Canada](https://www.universalmusic.ca/2019/05/01/jonas-brothers-announce-first-north-american-headline-tour-in-nearly-a-decade/)
12. [Music Biz Headlines, Dec. 18, 2019, Billboard Canada](https://ca.billboard.com/fyi/music-biz-headlines-dec-18-2019)
13. [Jonas Brothers Behind 'The Album', American Songwriter](https://americansongwriter.com/american-songwriter-november-december-cover-story-jonas-brothers-behind-the-album-it-really-has-been-mind-blowingly-fun/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musical works and recordings › Albums and recorded releases › Studio albums › Pop albums › 2010s albums › Fourth and later albums*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license