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For over 20 years, Nick Jonas has drawn inspiration from his life for his music, including his Type 1 diabetes diagnosis.
The singer and one-third of the Jonas Brothers was diagnosed with the chronic condition at 13. To express his feelings about his diagnosis, he put pen to paper, resulting in the emotional and reflective song “A Little Bit Longer” — included in the Jonas Brothers’ 2008 album of the same name.
Now age 33, Jonas has again been inspired by his health journey, highlighting his continuous glucose monitor (CGM) on the cover of his new album, “Sunday Best.”
“This album for me was all about transparency. I worked with some incredible co-writers who really helped me articulate some things that I’ve been thinking and feeling for a long time,” Jonas tells TODAY.com. “The fact that the music is some of my most transparent and vulnerable that I’ve ever written, I wanted the album cover to symbolize, first of all, this idea of looking at yourself in the mirror.”
Jonas says there are moments when he and others ask themselves: “Are we being the best version of ourselves today? Are we being nice to ourselves today?”
“And that’s why I wanted that reflective moment,” he explains. “When I looked at the frame and saw the Dexcom G7 on my arm, I was really excited at the idea of leaning in and not doing a version without it because I want people to see this is the real me. This is what my life is like, day in, day out, living with Type 1 diabetes.”
Type 1 diabetes occurs when the pancreas doesn’t make enough insulin, causing glucose to build up in the bloodstream, which can lead to a range of complications, according to the American Diabetes Association. The condition is usually diagnosed in kids but can develop at any time, and doctors don’t know why. There’s no cure, and the primary treatment is taking insulin.
“(Diabetes) is a part of my story. It’s part of my DNA at this point,” Jonas says.
“I’m really going to go to very honest places with this (new) music and (speaking) about a number of things … my relationship, fatherhood, my experiences, and living with Type 1 diabetes for over 20 years is a huge part of my story,” he says.
Below, Jonas dives deeper into how he manages his Type 1 diabetes, the most personal songs on “Sunday Best,” and what he’s most looking forward to in 2026.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
How Do You Manage Your Diabetes Day to Day?
People living with Type 1 diabetes have to make hundreds of decisions a day to better manage their disease, little things like when you need a snack, or adjusting your insulin delivery, just watching the trends of your glucose. These are all things that add extra layers to an already very busy life and hectic life.
What I try to do is make that next best decision and then, obviously, staying active and getting your body moving is always really helpful. When you’re on tour, it’s tough to find time sometimes, so even just a nice, long walk can do.
I think that there’s a growing conversation around the mental and emotional health aspects of living with diabetes, and things like diabetes burnout. It’s been great to see that awareness continue to grow and to be a small part of that conversation.
Which Songs on Your New Album, ‘Sunday Best,’ Reference Your Health Journey?
The first song of the album is called “Sweet to Me,” and it is about a lot of different things, but the first verse begins talking about the safety and innocence of childhood — memories like going to Blockbuster with my dad and the hot pizza box on my lap, and how visceral that feeling of just knowing that you’re safe to walk around your neighborhood and everyone knows each other’s names, and wanting to get back in touch with those simpler days.
As the song progresses, the second verse touches on a lyric, which I love: “When the doctor told me there’s too much sugar in your bloodstream, baby, that’s too sweet. It’s just too sweet.”
When I wrote “A Little Bit Longer,” it was this more negative and harder to comprehend side of living with Type 1. But now I have a real appreciation for it and the experiences I’ve had in my work with Beyond Type 1, my nonprofit, but also meeting people in this community and being able to use my platform as a way to speak about something that’s incredibly important to me.
It has given me a lot of wonderful, life-changing memories, and it’s really nice to see that contrast in my songwriting, too. I have a wonderful wife and a 4-year-old daughter, and I just see everything through the lens of how grateful I am to have my family by my side and still be doing what I’m doing. It’s not to say that there aren’t tough days, but I see everything through that lens of how the song says, “It’s just so sweet to me.”
With the Single ‘Gut Punch,’ Why Was It Important for You to Be So Vulnerable?
It’s probably easy for some people to look at my life and think that I never have thoughts like that, but that’s just fundamentally not true. The themes in this album are universal.
You don’t have to have lived my life to understand what it’s like to look at yourself in the mirror and question yourself, (have) self-doubt, negative self-talk. I’ve loved hearing from people about how the song has been healing for them and seeing online people connecting to the bridge. It’s about getting back in touch with your inner child.
How Do You Manage Your Diabetes on Tour?
Having access to the frequency of the glucose readings that I get really helps. I saw a major change the minute I got on CGM. As the technology has gotten better, the ability to integrate into the smartphone has been really helpful.
In addition, it’s about just trying my best each day to handle it with as much care as I can. Also knowing that there are going to be some days that are tough and unpredictable, and to not get stressed about that and to be upfront with the people you love in your inner circle about, “Hey, my glucose is high or it’s low.” Not even saying, I need you to do anything, but just to alert them so that they’re aware in case something comes up.
What Are Your Go-To Snacks for Managing Your Blood Sugar?
If it’s low, Welch’s Fruit Snacks are always good. Generally, I eat a pretty low-carb diet, some good protein, macronutrients and then a sustaining carb, something that helps if I’m going on the stage, a good baseline. But also it’s difficult when you’re on the road, there’s not a lot of choices. Sometimes you just have to improvise and figure it out.
What Are You Looking Forward to in 2026?
I join my “Jumanji” cast mates again pretty soon, which will be fun, getting back on the “Jumanji” set. There’s another film project, which is coming together right now and aiming to start production fairly soon, which would be great because it’s a project I’ve been developing for a while, and the development process can be very long and exhausting, so when you finally get to a start date, it’s very exciting. It’s top secret, but there’ll be an announcement about it soon. And a lot of shows, both with the brothers and solo throughout the rest of the year.
