Joe Jonas Says Diving Back into Dating After Divorce Was ‘Really Scary and Intimidating’: ‘It Was a Big Deal’

Joe Jonas is opening up about the hesitations he felt diving back into the world of dating after his divorce.

The singer, 35, is gearing up for the release of his upcoming solo album Music for People Who Believe in Love — and in a new interview, he shed light on his own views on the matter.

In a TalkShopLive stream that aired Wednesday, May 21, Jonas discussed the making of a new song called “Only Love,” the title for which came from a comment made by someone he was dating.

“I was seeing somebody at the time and I was kind of having this idea of dating again. It was really scary and intimidating,” he said. “Love takes different shapes and forms and I was re-discovering what that was.”

The “Heart by Heart” singer was previously married to actress Sophie Turner, and they divorced in 2023 after four years of marriage. Jonas — who shares daughters Willa, 4½, and Delphine, 2½, with Turner — briefly dated model Stormi Bree afterward, and they split in June 2024.

Jonas said that the unnamed person he was dating “comically” brushed aside his romantic concerns by saying, “Well, it’s only love,” which ultimately inspired the song.

“I was like, ‘Well, when you put it that way…’ So we wrote a song about it,” he said. “Like, it was not a big deal, but it was a big deal to me, and a big deal to them, too. But it’s okay to take a leap of faith and just try again and put yourself out there.”

Initially, he’d written the tune with the Jonas Brothers in mind, having completed the song in the studio with Alexander 23, Justin Tranter and Beau Nox. But once Jonas played the song back and started picturing brothers Nick and Kevin singing along with him, he realized it was something he wanted to keep for himself.

“I sat Kevin and Nick down. I said, ‘Hey, look, I would like the opportunity to see what this is like for me,’” he recalled. “I know it could be Brothers, but I also keep seeing my own life when I hear it, and I’m seeing that person that I was seeing, and I just don’t know if I want to change any of the lyrics to match it with what you’re going through.”

He continued, “Sure enough, I got their blessing. Nick actually went, ‘Well damn, I really like this song, so I guess you can have it.’… They’re very generous, and thank God they said yes.”

Jonas previously told PEOPLE in April that he wrote “Only Love” last March, and it “felt very personal” to him.

The star’s new album is out on Friday, May 23. He celebrated the release with an intimate show in Los Angeles on Monday, May 19, during which he performed new tracks and brought out friends and collaborators like brother Franklin Jonas, Aly & AJ, Sierra Ferrell and more.