DNCE

**DNCE** is an American pop rock band. The group consists of members Joe Jonas, Jack Lawless, Cole Whittle, and JinJoo Lee. The group signed with Republic Records, who released their debut single "Cake by the Ocean" in 2015. The song had success in various territories, reaching number 9 on the *Billboard* Hot 100 chart. Their debut extended play, *SWAAY* (2015), received a generally positive reception upon release. Their debut album is expected to be released in late August .They also were nominated for Favorite New Artist for the 2016 Kids' Choice Awards and Best Song to Lip Sync and Best Anthem for the 2016 Radio Disney Music Awards.

## Career

The idea for DNCE first came about while Jonas and Lawless were living together, though the project was put on hold due to the duo's busy schedules. Jonas, Lawless, and Lee officially came together to form DNCE in 2015, with work on their debut studio album beginning shortly afterwards. Though work on the project had already begun, the group struggled to find a fourth member to fit into the band. Jonas began working with songwriter Justin Tranter, of Semi Precious Weapons, for DNCE's debut album; this led to Jonas and Whittle becoming friends and ultimately adding him to the group. The group named themselves DNCE after the name of a song written for the album, which lyrically speaks of being too drunk to spell the word "dance". Jonas later added the group decided on the name as it described the "imperfect awesome[ness] of the four of [them] together." JinJoo later added that much like the spelling of the word, you don't have to be a perfect dancer to dance in life. The group began performing secret shows in New York City to rehearse for their upcoming tour and promotional performances. The band made an official Instagram account in September 2015; Joe later posted a teaser video for the band on his account, tagging the band's official page, on September 10.

The group released their debut single, "Cake by the Ocean", on September 18, 2015. Though starting out slow, the song went on to become a success in numerous territories. The song peaked at number 9 on the *Billboard* Hot 100, and at number 7 on the Canadian Hot 100. The group released their debut extended play, *SWAAY*, on October 23, 2015. The four track album received a generally positive critical reception upon its release, with *Entertainment Weekly* writing that it "splits the difference between [Joe's] former band’s slick power pop and the electro-kissed pop stylings of his solo album." The band embarked on a fourteen-date tour in November 2015, known as the Greatest Tour Ever. All fourteen scheduled dates for the tour sold out. The tour received critical praise, and featured unreleased songs as well as covers of older classics. The group has announced plans to release their debut studio album in August 2016.

On January 31, 2016, DNCE made a cameo during Fox's television special *Grease: Live*; a live production of the Broadway musical *Grease*. The band performed as Johnny Casino and The Gamblers during a high school dance scene, which incorporated a 1950s-inspired rendition of "Cake by the Ocean" and a cover of The Crickets' "Maybe Baby" alongside the *Grease* songs "Born to Hand Jive" and "Rock & Roll Is Here to Stay". In an interview with *Rolling Stone*, Jonas explained that DNCE was approached by the producers of the special following a show in New York City, and that he had always been a fan of *Grease*.

The band will join Selena Gomez as opening acts for her Revival Tour.

On April 22, 2016 the band appeared on BBC One's *The Graham Norton Show*, performing their debut song.

## Artistry

Band member Cole Whittle has said that "Musically, we sound like disco funk hits played by a good garage band." The band's influences include the Electric Light Orchestra, Sly and the Family Stone, Weezer, Earth, Wind & Fire, Hall & Oates, Prince, the Bee Gees, and Led Zeppelin.

## Members

* **Joe Jonas**: lead vocals (2015–present) – Jonas first rose to prominence as a member of the Jonas Brothers, a pop-rock band that had much success with music and acting. The group released four studio albums from 2006 to 2009, selling over 17 million albums worldwide. Jonas released a solo debut album in 2011 to a mixed critical and commercial performance. Despite the Jonas Brothers recording their fifth studio album in 2013, the project went unreleased and the band officially ended.
* **Cole Whittle**: bass guitar, keyboards, backing vocals (2015–present) – Whittle rose to fame as the bass player for Semi Precious Weapons. The band released three studio albums during their run, with their final release coming in 2014.
* **JinJoo Lee**: guitar, backing vocals (2015–present) – Lee, from South Korea, like Lawless, previously toured with acts such as the Jonas Brothers, playing the guitar. She was a member of CeeLo Green's touring band from 2010 to 2011, and later worked with Charli XCX.
* **Jack Lawless**: drums, percussion, backing vocals (2015–present) – Jack Lawless played drums for the Jonas Brothers from their Marvelous Party Tour (2007) until their disbandment. Lawless and Jonas were roommates, with Lawless continuing to perform with the band on subsequent tours. In 2010, Lawless became the drummer for alternative rock band Ocean Grove; the group released their debut extended play in 2011.

## Discography

*Main article: DNCE discography*

* *Swaay* (2015)

## Concert tours

Headlining
* Greatest Tour Ever Tour (2015–16)

Opening act
* Revival Tour (2016)

## References

1. ^Spanos, Brittany (October 23, 2015). "Joe Jonas on New Funk-Pop Party Band DNCE, Second Chances". Rolling Stone. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
2. ^"Best of 2015: Joe Jonas on 'Mad Max,' Other Favorites – Rolling Stone". Rolling Stone.
3. ^Colla, Matt. "DNCE Biography – AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved July 10, 2016.
4. ^Trust, Gary (February 11, 2016). "Hot 100 Chart Moves: DNCE's 'Cake by the Ocean' Sweetens Pop Radio". Billboard. Retrieved July 10, 2016.
5. ^Kaplan, Ilana (October 23, 2015). "Get Ready to DNCE". Interview Magazine (Interview, Inc). Retrieved July 10, 2016.
6. ^"INTERVIEW: Who Is DNCE? Everything You Need To Know". iHeartRadio. October 13, 2015.
7. ^"Interview with DNCE". 997now. November 5, 2015.
8. ^"8 Questions with Joe Jonas's New Band, DNCE". InStyle. October 16, 2015.
9. ^"Joe Jonas on New Funk-Pop Party Band DNCE, Second Chances". Rolling Stone. October 23, 2015.
10. ^"Joe Jonas Teases New Band". MTV. September 11, 2015.
11. ^"Joe Jonas forms new band". Toronto Sun. September 16, 2015. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
12. ^"Music: Top 100 Songs – Billboard Hot 100 Chart". Billboard.
13. ^"SWAAY – EP – DNCE". iTunes.
14. ^"DNCE – SWAAY EP".
15. ^"Swaay by DNCE: EW review". Entertainment Weekly. October 23, 2015.
16. ^"DNCE Announce Greatest Tour Ever Tour". Alter the Press.
17. ^"Instagram". Instagram.
18. ^"Concert Review: Let DNCE Be Your New Favorite Band".
19. ^"Joe Jonas Talks DNCE's 'Grease: Live' Cameo". Rolling Stone. Retrieved February 1, 2016.
20. ^Vulpo, Mike (February 23, 2016). "Selena Gomez's Revival Tour Just Turned Into an Even Bigger Party With the Addition of DNCE". E! Online. Retrieved February 23, 2016.
21. ^"BBC One – The Graham Norton Show, Series 19, Episode 5". Bbc.co.uk. April 22, 2016. Retrieved April 23, 2016.
22. ^Copsey, Rob (April 26, 2016). "DNCE talk Cake By The Ocean, working with 'pop god' Max Martin and being inspired by Prince - Interview". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 5, 2016.
23. ^Kaplan, Ilana (October 23, 2015). "GET READY TO DNCE". Interview. Retrieved March 30, 2016.
24. ^Stern, Claire (April 26, 2016). "8 Questions with Joe Jonas's New Band, DNCE". InStyle. Retrieved October 16, 2015.
25. ^"Some teen stars are still well-scrubbed, others have gone wild". NY Daily News (New York). April 29, 2008.
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27. ^"Jonas Brothers Break Up...With Record Label". E! Magazine. October 10, 1999. Retrieved November 15, 2008.
28. ^Cheung, Nadine (May 20, 2010). "Joe Jonas Is Working on His Very Own Solo Album". Jsyk.com. Retrieved July 25, 2010.
29. ^Caulfield, Keith (October 19, 2011). "Evanescence Nets Second No. 1 Album on Billboard 200 Chart". Billboard. Retrieved October 19, 2011.
30. ^Trust, Gary (February 17, 2015). "Ask Billboard: Jonas Brothers Want to Know Their Album & Song Sales". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved February 17, 2015.
31. ^"Nick Jonas Opens Up About The Jonas Brothers Break Up, Promises To Be At Chicago’s B96 Pepsi Jingle Bash In December « Chicago’s B96 – 96.3 FM". Retrieved October 24, 2014.
32. ^Poet, J. "StyleHive Semi Precious Weapons – Biography". Retrieved December 12, 2008.
33. ^Atkinson, Claire (November 19, 2015). "Meet the duo behind pop music’s latest and greatest hits". New York: New York Post. Retrieved November 26, 2015.
34. ^"Who Are the Members of Joe Jonas' New Band DNCE?publisher=MTV". September 15, 2015.
35. ^Boyle, Kelly (2008) "The Jonas Brothers hit Boston", bostonmusicspotlight.com. Retrieved November 19, 2013
36. ^"Little Record – EP". iTunes.
37. ^Norton, Jessica (October 27, 2015). "What Can We Expect From DNCE’s ‘Greatest Tour Ever Tour’?". MTV. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
38. ^"Here Are The Nominees For The 2016 Kids’ Choice Awards". MTV. March 14, 2013. Retrieved March 16, 2013.
39. ^"2016 Radio Disney Music Awards". Nick and More. March 14, 2013. Retrieved March 16, 2013.
40. ^"Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez, Zayn Malik Lead Teen Choice Awards 2016 Nominations". Retrieved May 24, 2016.

1. ↑ Trust, Gary (February 11, 2016). "Hot 100 Chart Moves: DNCE's 'Cake by the Ocean' Sweetens Pop Radio". *Billboard*. http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/6874743/hot-100-chart-moves-dnce-cake-by-the-ocean-pop-radio. Retrieved July 10, 2016.
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Template:Cite news
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "INTERVIEW: Who Is DNCE? Everything You Need To Know". iHeartRadio. October 13, 2015. http://news.iheart.com/articles/trending-104650/interview-who-is-dnce-everything-you-14026503/.
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 "Interview with DNCE". 997now. November 5, 2015. http://997now.cbslocal.com/2015/11/05/dnce/.
5. ↑ "8 Questions with Joe Jonas's New Band, DNCE". InStyle. October 16, 2015. http://www.instyle.com/news/joe-jonas-new-band-dnce-interview-video.
6. ↑ "Joe Jonas on New Funk-Pop Party Band DNCE, Second Chances". Rolling Stone. October 23, 2015. http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/joe-jonas-on-new-funk-pop-party-band-dnce-second-chances-20151023?page=2.
7. ↑ "Joe Jonas Teases New Band". MTV. September 11, 2015. http://www.mtv.com/news/2267657/joe-jonas-teases-new-band/.
8. ↑ "Joe Jonas forms new band". September 16, 2015. http://www.torontosun.com/2015/09/16/joe-jonas-forms-new-band/. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
9. ↑ "Music: Top 100 Songs – Billboard Hot 100 Chart". *Billboard*. http://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100.
10. ↑ "SWAAY – EP – DNCE". iTunes. https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/swaay-ep/id1050241373.
11. ↑ "DNCE – SWAAY EP". http://radio.com/2015/10/13/dnce-swaay-ep-cake-by-the-ocean-video/.
12. ↑ "Swaay by DNCE: EW review". Entertainment Weekly. October 23, 2015. http://www.ew.com/article/2015/10/23/dnces-swaay-ep-review-joe-jonas-new-project-brief-funky.
13. ↑ "DNCE Announce Greatest Tour Ever Tour". Alter the Press. http://www.alterthepress.com/2015/10/dnce-announce-greatest-tour-ever-tour.html.
14. ↑ "Instagram". *Instagram*. https://www.instagram.com/p/92QOYtj8C0/.
15. ↑ "Concert Review: Let DNCE Be Your New Favorite Band". http://www.dailytarheel.com/blog/medium/2015/11/concert-review-let-dnce-be-your-new-favorite-band.
16. ↑ Template:Cite news
17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 Vulpo, Mike (February 23, 2016). "Selena Gomez's Revival Tour Just Turned Into an Even Bigger Party With the Addition of DNCE". http://www.eonline.com/news/742601/selena-gomez-s-revival-tour-just-turned-into-an-even-bigger-party-with-the-addition-of-dnce. Retrieved February 23, 2016.
18. ↑ "BBC One – The Graham Norton Show, Series 19, Episode 5". Bbc.co.uk. April 22, 2016. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b078cvdp. Retrieved April 23, 2016.
19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 Copsey, Rob (April 26, 2016). "DNCE talk Cake By The Ocean, working with 'pop god' Max Martin and being inspired by Prince - Interview". Official Charts Company. http://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/dnce-talk-cake-by-the-ocean-working-with-pop-god-max-martin-and-being-inspired-by-prince-interview\_\_14730/?Day=&Month=&Year=1993. Retrieved July 5, 2016.
20. ↑ Kaplan, Ilana (October 23, 2015). "GET READY TO DNCE". *Interview*. http://www.interviewmagazine.com/music/dnce-swaay/#\_. Retrieved March 30, 2016.
21. ↑ Stern, Claire (April 26, 2016). "8 Questions with Joe Jonas's New Band, DNCE". InStyle. http://www.instyle.com/news/joe-jonas-new-band-dnce-interview-video. Retrieved October 16, 2015.
22. ↑ Template:Cite news
23. ↑ "Jonas Brothers Leave Disney's Hollywood Records". *Billboard*. October 10, 1999. http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/46397/jonas-brothers-leave-disneys-hollywood-records. Retrieved November 15, 2008.
24. ↑ "Jonas Brothers Break Up...With Record Label". *E! Magazine*. October 10, 1999. http://www.eonline.com/news/312963/jonas-brothers-break-up-with-record-label. Retrieved November 15, 2008.
25. ↑ Cheung, Nadine (May 20, 2010). "Joe Jonas Is Working on His Very Own Solo Album". Jsyk.com. http://www.cambio.com/2010/05/20/joe-jonas-is-working-on-his-very-own-solo-album/. Retrieved July 25, 2010.
26. ↑ Caulfield, Keith (October 19, 2011). "Evanescence Nets Second No. 1 Album on Billboard 200 Chart". *Billboard*. http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/465638/evanescence-nets-second-no-1-album-on-billboard-200-chart. Retrieved October 19, 2011.
27. ↑ Trust, Gary (February 17, 2015). "Ask Billboard: Jonas Brothers Want to Know Their Album & Song Sales". *Billboard*. Prometheus Global Media. http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/6473009/ask-billboard-jonas-brothers-want-to-know-their-album-song-sales. Retrieved February 17, 2015.
28. ↑ "Nick Jonas Opens Up About The Jonas Brothers Break Up, Promises To Be At Chicago’s B96 Pepsi Jingle Bash In December « Chicago’s B96 – 96.3 FM". http://b96.cbslocal.com/2013/10/30/nick-jonas-opens-up-about-the-jonas-brothers-break-up-promises-to-be-at-chicagos-b96-pepsi-jingle-bash-in-december/. Retrieved October 24, 2014.
29. ↑ Poet, J.. [[[:Template:Allmusic]] "StyleHive Semi Precious Weapons – Biography"]. Template:Allmusic. Retrieved December 12, 2008.
30. ↑ Template:Cite news
31. ↑ 31.0 31.1 "Who Are the Members of Joe Jonas' New Band DNCE?publisher=MTV". September 15, 2015. http://www.mtv.com/news/2271028/dnce-band-members/.
32. ↑ Boyle, Kelly (2008) "The Jonas Brothers hit Boston", bostonmusicspotlight.com. Retrieved November 19, 2013
33. ↑ "Little Record – EP". *iTunes*. https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/little-record-ep/id419982648.
34. ↑ Norton, Jessica (October 27, 2015). "What Can We Expect From DNCE’s ‘Greatest Tour Ever Tour’?". http://www.mtv.com/news/2360338/dnce-concert-greatest-tour-ever/. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
35. ↑ "Here Are The Nominees For The 2016 Kids’ Choice Awards". MTV. March 14, 2013. http://www.mtv.com/news/2734729/kids-choice-awards-2016-kcas-nickelodeon-nominees-list/. Retrieved March 16, 2013.
36. ↑ "2016 Radio Disney Music Awards". Nick and More. March 14, 2013. http://www.nickandmore.com/2016/03/04/nominees-for-2016-radio-disney-music-awards-announced. Retrieved March 16, 2013.
37. ↑ "Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez, Zayn Malik Lead Teen Choice Awards 2016 Nominations". http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop/7385087/teen-choice-awards-2016-nominees-justin-bieber-selena-gomez. Retrieved May 24, 2016.