Pop rock quartet DNCE graced the Malaysian shores for the first time ever last Tuesday, bringing the party to the dance floor at KL Live with an infectious blend of catchy tunes and exuberant showmanship!
Fronted by former Jonas Brothers’ member, Joe Jonas, the band was formed in the summer, featuring Korean guitarist JinJoo Lee, bassist/keyboardist Cole Whittle, and drummer Jack Lawless.
DNCE first introduced themselves to the audiences worldwide with the unexpected release of their debut single “Cake by the Ocean”, their now certified double-platinum breakout smash which has made them one of the most buzzworthy acts.
The band released their self-titled album in November 2016, featuring other dance-ready tracks like “Toothbrush” and “Body Moves”.
TheHive.Asia gets to catch the members of DNCE during their visit in Malaysia, right before the concert.
It’s been almost two years since “Cake by the Ocean” came out, how has this ride taking you guys so far?
Joe: It’s been amazing. We had a lot of fun. One would probably assume that we’re pretty tired, but we feel honoured because every day is another day where we get to go on stage, play the music that we love travel the world, seeing new cities together, and meeting new people.
You’ve collaborated with Nicki Minaj back in April on “Kissing Strangers”, how did that come about?
Cole: We were in love with the song. We're also big fans of her obviously, and she's kind of like a living cartoon character. We just kind of in love with the idea and contacted her, and so quick she recorder her verse and sent back to us, and in such a short time, we shot the video with her, and we're really connected and become friends. We had a really great time and it was a really awesome experience.
There’s also a Spanish version of “Kissing Strangers”, how did that come about? But I’m guessing it has something to do with the success of “Despacito”.
Joe: It's kind of happen naturally. There's a lot of remix happening, and like you said it's because of "Despacito". I think for us, it was a great opportunity and Luis Fonsi is a great artiste, and we couldn't say no. When they send it to us, we actually love it. So we decided to put it out.
Just curious, but how did the name DNCE come about?
Cole: It was when we were in the studio writing our song. It was a long day. When we got home, we were tired, so we got on the bed and texted each other. We really like the song but we weren't sure about the band name yet. We came up with a bunch of ideas and then someone misspelled the word "dance" in the text message. At that moment it just clicked, and when we saw that, we knew that that was going to be our band name.
What is the best experience you had so far in DNCE?
Joe: Wow, it's really difficult to pick a favourite. We're able to perform with some amazing artistes. Obviously performing with Nicki Minaj was an amazing experience, we also won the MTV Video Music Award for Best New Artist last year. That is something we need to look at every time we’re home, because it reminds us that we started something really exciting and new for people to listen to.
Cole, you seem to love posing around with your underwear. Why is that?
Cole: I don’t like wearing a lot of clothes all the time, you know sometimes during the show, my clothes just come off accidentally, so it’s just one of those party moments. But we all have our own personal style, and mine kind of seem like that a lot of the time.
Joe, how has the dynamic change since the time you were with the Jonas Brothers?
Joe: I think it can be hurdle and difficult for a lot of artistes. It was a challenge to start, but I have three amazing musicians, performers, and creators with me along this ride, and DNCE is kind of an idea from all of us, but we didn't know yet. So when we decided to do this, we wanted it to be something that feels brand new.
It was never about trying to tell people to forget my past. I'm really proud of my past and I've always love everything that I did with my brothers, but it's something that I want to present to the world with the music first, and that's kind of what we all did. We all come from different bands with different stories, so with "Cake by the Ocean", we lead off growing our fan base based off the music rather than the digital first.
You also opted for more mature songs compared to the Jonas Brothers’ era
Joe: It's just the time in our lives. We were all a little bit older like when we create this music. It was never like we were force to make songs that are more mature, it just kind of happens naturally. So when people listen to DNCE, we want them to be able to fall in love our songs no matter what age they are.
You used to DJ back then, but do you still DJ?
Joe: Yeah. I've been so busy with the band, I don't even have time to do DJ set, but I still love it. I was DJ-ing a few weeks ago and it was fun, but it’s a different thing, maybe we’ll play something here soon.
For JinJoo, How does it feel to be the only girl in the band?
JinJoo: It's kind of annoying. No, it's actually really fun. They make me laugh all the time. They're kind of like my younger and older brothers, and sometime they act like my dads. I feel really lucky to be part of the band.
So, DNCE will be releasing their second album soon, is the album going to follow a different direction from your current album?
Cole: No I think, right now, we're between being on tour and concerts, so we're collecting new songs and getting inspired by different things. But I think the essence of DNCE is that, we'll keep you guessing because we don't think too much about anything. If we feel something is right, or crazy, or inspires us, we'll just put it out and do it.