You have a family full of showbiz greats.
Was/is it tough to stand out?
[Sighs.] That’s a hot-button topic. It’s all such a
journey. But for a long time, even being in my
brothers’ band, it was just like, Who am I? You
get in this place where — especially because my
brothers are older, they’ve been around longer,
they know more, they know who they are —
where, when I was younger, I didn’t know who I
was. Obviously, having family in show business is
a blessing, because you get [a leg up], but it can
be kind of crippling.You can think, Oh, I’ll never be
as good. However, in the past year, I’ve found my
voice. And I know what I wanna say. And it’s not
scary anymore. Now I’m in a good place.
So tell us about your friendship with
fellow musician Bridgit Mendler.
It’s kind of funny. We have so many random
connections. Basically, I met her at church. I knew
about her, because my husband was in the Jonas
Brothers band; he was their bass player. And I
went on tour and sang backup for them. So when
we were on tour, I had to learn this song called
“Give Love a Try,” which Bridgit sang in the Jonas
brothers’ TV show. Then I saw her at church.
Also, one of my closest friends, Katelyn Tarver,
had become friends with Bridgit somehow, and
so we went out and got pizza together.
Recently, Bridgit and I have hung out more.
She’s almost like my therapist. I tell her my
deepest, darkest, saddest moments. And she just
listens to me. Her heart is so good. She’s just one
of those people who you feel comfortable around.
She has this maturity, yet is so young. And she’s
so wise and talented and beautiful. She’s really
dope. I love that girl.
82 ragged // raggedmag.com