Joe Jonas is throwing his support behind ex-girlfriend Taylor Swift‘s new album, The Life of a Showgirl.
In a new digital cover story with his brothers for Esquire, published Monday, October 20, Jonas, 36, admitted he’s only “heard some of” Swift’s 12th record, which was released earlier this month.
“I think she’s obviously the biggest artist out there, and I think it’s good,” Jonas — who seemingly was not asked about fan speculation that Swift’s “The Life of a Showgirl” track resembles the Jonas Brothers song “Cool” — continued. “Everybody’s got an opinion about it, but from what I’ve heard, there are some catchy melodies.”
Swift, 35, announced The Life of a Showgirl in August while making her debut on fiancé Travis Kelce‘s “New Heights” podcast. At the time, she revealed that working with producers Max Martin and Shellback on the 12 new songs “felt like catching lightning in a bottle.”
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“We knew that we had to bring the best ideas that we’ve ever had, and I also know that I’m putting pressure on this record by saying that, but I don’t care, because I love it that much. I’m so proud of it. … It just comes from the most infectiously joyful, wild, dramatic place I was in in my life. And so that effervescence has come through on this record,” she continued.
Kelce, 36, teased on the podcast that all the songs were “bangers,” giving Swifties high hopes. When the album dropped on October 3, however, some fans were left wanting more.
Swift addressed the mixed reviews in an interview with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe on October 7, joking, “I welcome the chaos.”
The pop star added that she has “respect” for the wide-ranging opinions. “The rule of show business is, if it’s the first week of my album release and you are saying either my name or my album title, you’re helping,” she continued, insisting that she’s “not the art police.”
Swift explained that “oftentimes, an album is a really, really wild way to look at yourself,” which might be why some listeners haven’t been able to connect. “What you’re going through in your life is going to affect whether you relate to the music that I’m putting out at any given moment,” she said.
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Long before she was hypnotized by Kelce’s “Wood,” Swift briefly dated Jonas in 2008. Swift famously claimed Jonas ended their relationship in a 27-second phone call, which inspired some of her earliest hits, including “Forever and Always” from Fearless and “Better Than Revenge” from Speak Now. The Jonas Brothers followed up with a breakup track of their own titled “Much Better.”
The exes have since put all the drama behind them, with Jonas revealing in a 2023 interview that he’s “cool with Taylor.”
“I hope to think [her fans] like me,” he said on the “Armchair Expert” podcast at the time. “No one f***s with the Swifties, you know? … It’s been many, many years removed.”
Swift previously hinted at burying the hatchet with Jonas on the Folklore song “Invisible String,” which includes the lyrics, “Cold was the steel of my axe to grind for the boys who broke my heart / Now I send their babies presents.”
The song was released in 2020, the same year Jonas welcomed eldest daughter Willa with Sophie Turner. The exes welcomed daughter Delphine in 2022, one year before calling it quits. Their divorce was finalized in 2024.
