The “Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea” days are far behind for Franklin “Frankie” Jonas. On Tuesday, the youngest of the Jonas Brothers — the slayest of them all, some would say on TikTok — released his debut single “Cocaine,” and he’s touching on a serious topic in his life.
The song contrasts the radio-friendly hits of his older brothers and talks about Jonas’ previous struggle with addiction and “longing for the coping mechanisms you don’t have or can’t do anymore.”
“It’s the point where you become nostalgic for the bad times because even the bad times had good distractions,” Jonas said in a statement.”
The video follows Jonas in a retro vehicle as he takes the road with his partner before he’s seen walking through a field of grass solo. The video sees Jonas flashing back in time to memories with the love interest, played by Audrey Anglum. “Hold me/Kiss me/Whisper to me/Darling, sweet love,” he sings, as he’s seen performing in a field, at a diner, and on an empty stage.
Jonas was commendably open about his past struggles with addiction and suicidal thoughts and shared on TikTok back in 2021 how close he got to “trying to kill myself accidentally” for many years. He has also called himself a “sober drug addict.”
“From a very young age, I struggled with drinking and drugging as an escape because I hated life, and I didn’t want to be here,” Jonas said at the time. At one point, “Something intervened, and my life was saved. I went to treatment, and it saved me. I couldn’t be more grateful for the fact that I’m alive today because my world has changed so beautifully and so astronomically, and I am not that person anymore. I couldn’t be more grateful that I’m alive and happy.”
“Cocaine” is the first single from Jonas after singing the theme for the film Ponyo alongside Noah Cyrus back in 2010. He also released several electronic songs on Soundcloud under the name Mephisto. He released the song “New Girl Line” a year ago and “Appa” four years ago.
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“I hope you enjoy cocaine. The song and the video and the piece of myself that I give away with this project,” he wrote on Instagram. “There are so many people who worked so hard on this. I owe each of you my life. You’ve taken my sickly infant and given your time and energy to help make something beautiful. Thank you for believing in this.”
