An interview these days with Nick Jonas, the youngest member of The Jonas Brothers, really isn't all that much about Nick Jonas — even though he's the one playing a headline show at Musikfest's Steel Stage on Saturday.
The interview is about the artists with whom Jonas is working as a writer and producer: R&B singer Mario, male 'tween power vocalist Greyson Chance and female 'tween power vocalist Charice.
The interview is also about middle Jonas Brother Joe, whose debut solo album, "FastLife," is due out Oct. 11.
And it's even about the fact that, while all the brothers are engaged in solo pursuits, they expect to reunite at some point.
It's been a year and a half since Jonas, 18, released "Who I Am," his solo album with his side band The Administration, with its Top 40 digital title song.
The Bethlehem concert apparently is the only one Jonas will do this summer, before heading to South America for a full tour in September. The Musikfest show came about, he says, because it "felt like the right kind of show to be playing this year."
Jonas decided to essentially take a year off from performing.
"I met with the team late last year and just said I want to lock down and just do some writing and producing for other people," Jonas says over the phone from Chicago.
"And so they went after it, basically, and just found the right artists for me to work with, and it's a new journey. We wrote a bunch of songs and produced songs for other people and worked with some really talented people. And it's been really nice, too, to be in one place in a studio, working there and doing that."
That's understandable after the whirlwind that was The Jonas Brothers for the past four years: Three albums (two of which hit No. 1) and four soundtracks that sold a total of more than 5 million copies and produced a dozen Top 40 singles.
They had a top-rated Disney Channel show, three Disney Channel movies and a 3D concert movie. And they played virtually non-stop tours, which included a 2008 sold-out Allentown Fair show.
He doesn't talk about his reported relationship with Australian pop singer Delta Goodrem, who at 26 is eight years his senior. "Um, I usually don't speak about my personal life, and I think I'll leave it at that for today," he says. "But she's an amazing woman."
Even when Jonas does talk about himself, it's more about his recent pursuits in theater.
Jonas, who had Broadway stints in the shows "Beauty and the Beast" and "Les Misérables," returned to the stage last year for a "Les Mis" production in England. Then last week, he played Link Larkin in a production of "Hairspray" at the Hollywood Bowl.
"I'm finding the right roles for me to do, and make sure they're always a comfortable fit and they feel like the right kind of shows to be a part of," Jonas says, explaining that he's not predominantly focusing on acting. "And 'Les Mis' was an amazing opportunity and something that I was passionate about. ... 'Hairspray' is a similar deal."
But what Jonas really is focusing on is working with other artists. In May, he was reported to be in the studio with Mario, and other reports have had him working with or writing for Cody Simpson, Nickelodeon star Ariana Grande and "American Idol" winners Jordin Sparks and Lee DeWyze.
He's also worked with YouTube sensation Greyson Chance, who opened for Miranda Cosgrove at Musikfest on Sunday, and says he recently was in Europe, "doing some songwriting there, and there's a British artist named Rachel Furner, for whom I predict big things, as well."
"I think that there are some new bands and some new artists that I'm looking forward to people checking out," he says. "So it's just a lot of different sounds, a lot of different artists that I'm looking forward to just working on behind the scenes."
Perhaps his biggest focus right now is the Quaker Chewy contest. The competition auditioned wannabe pop stars ages 8-14, with Jonas as a talent scout. The winner gets the chance to record a song produced by Jonas, an online music video, a contract with Jonas Group Management and $5,000 in cash. Online voting will be held Aug. 29-Sept. 9.
"I'm going to be heavily involved," Jonas says. "I really feel that I want to be involved in every step of the way, picking the winner, and after we pick the winner, finding the perfect song and producing that song for them. And then enjoying kind of giving them as much input as I can and kind of helping them and guiding them in a way that is productive for them with all that I've learned over the years."
One project in which Jonas didn't have a direct hand is the album recorded by his brother Joe, who next heads out to support Britney Spears' album.
"On the writing side and all that, I didn't, really," Nick says. "However, I feel like when it was all coming in, I was looking at all the tracks, and he would get really excited to play me some songs. And I was excited to hear it, just to see that he'd really come a long way.
"Joe and I, our relationship is probably the best it's been in many years. And we're happy to support each other in our individual endeavors and I'm happy for him and his single and all he's going through with that. And I think he made the perfect record for him to release, and it's really fantastic. I'm proud of him for that."
Asked whether The Jonas Brothers even have a thought of a new record these days, Nick replies, "There definitely is, in our minds, and we're looking forward to the day when we come back together and start working on music again."
"However, I think it's going to be a little while before we're back in the studio or back touring. And so we're enjoying this season of just kind of following our individual dreams and aspirations and all that."
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