According to a tweet from Nick Jonas Wednesday morning, the boy band heartthrob turned solo artist is working with one of this generation's star producers - Corin Roddick of Purity Ring. As Stereogum points out, the pairing is slightly ironic given that Nick Jonas used to be known for wearing a purity ring.
Nick Jonas' self-titled album was one of the most buzzed about pop records of 2014, with his single "Jealous" peaking at No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 and the follow-up track "Chains" reaching No. 13. Despite that success, Jonas fell short of really dominating the charts the way his star status might suggest would happen. Perhaps it is because he's still discovering his voice in the music industry and breaking away from his Jonas Brothers days. He was certainly able to lay a foundation though, and it's attracted the attention of Roddick.
Megan James on vocals and Roddick on instrumentals make up the Canadian electronic duo Purity Ring, who have made waves on the electronic music scene since debuting with Shrines in 2012. This year, the duo is back with Another Eternity continuing its progressive take on electro-pop.
The combination of Purity Ring, a critically acclaimed indie darling, and Nick Jonas, the highly public figure who left the Jonas Brothers to pursue a solo career, might seem odd. However, listening to the music closely it's easy to see how this could benefit both of them greatly.
Nick Jonas' 2014 album stood in stark contrast to his previous work with the brothers, mainly in the production of the instrumental. Roddick can certainly boost Jonas' efforts on the instrumental side while Jonas can deliver his exceptional voice.
Purity Ring have worked with other less likely collaborators, foremost among them Danny Brown. Anyone familiar with Brown's "25 Bucks" knows how essential Roddick was to that production and how successful the project turned out to be.
Jonas' new single "Levels" dropped earlier this month and is set for its live debut on the VMA's this weekend.
Listen to the two artists below and imagine what it would be like to combine the two talents.
