Nick Jonas has emancipated himself from the squeaky-clean shackles of former purity ring-wearing boy band The Jonas Brothers.
After the wholesome trio broke up in October, there’s been some deep, dark soul-searching.
Now Nick is making a comeback with a buffed-up physique for DirecTV’s mixed martial arts drama “Navy Street” and a song called “Chains,” which describes his feelings about being trapped for years in the chaste character of a JoBro and comes with a racy video starring Dylan Penn.
A source told us, “ ‘Chains’ is a metaphor for what he has been feeling all these years.”
But before you assume he’s now gone all Miley Cyrus, the source added, “Nick has spent years experiencing a burden that’s hard to explain. He’s not blaming anyone for it; it’s just what fame does to people, especially at a young age.
“Different people respond in different ways — some do drugs and act out, but his response was to conform to what he thought people wanted him to be. Remember, he was a 13 year-old kid when he became famous. For example: He thought that when he slept in a hotel room on tour, people would talk s - - t about him if he didn’t make his own bed. So he made it.
“He feels free now for the first time in his life. He’s making music he believes in. He’s done apologizing for everything and trying to be perfect. He’s just going to be himself; if people like him, great, if not, he’s done giving a s - - t.”