Singer Nick Jonas at Singapore Art Week: Wife Priyanka Chopra, brother Joe inspired his love of art
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
American singer-actor Nick Jonas was a guest at the Singapore Art Week 2026 opening reception at National Gallery Singapore.
ST PHOTO: JOEL LIM
SINGAPORE – American singer-actor Nick Jonas is starting to get serious about art collecting, and it is all thanks to his Indian actress-wife Priyanka Chopra and elder brother-bandmate Joe Jonas.
In town for Singapore Art Week 2026’s opening reception at National Gallery Singapore on Jan 21, the 33-year-old professes his love for art from Asia.
“My interest in South-east Asian art was definitely influenced by my wife,” he tells The Straits Times in a press conference with local media. He and Chopra, 43, share a four-year-old daughter.
“I’ve come to know some amazing work from our friends in India and their homes, and coming here today and seeing some of the pieces... (Filipino painter and sculptor) Juan Luna, for instance – I was blown away by and really loved.”
The pop star adds: “And there’s a few other things that really inspired me to continue to learn and absorb. I’m no expert by any means, but this is a really exciting first step into my venture into learning more about South-east Asian art and Singapore art, and I’m just thrilled at the chance to come and do it all today.”
Describing himself as a “baby collector in the early stages”, Jonas says his love for art started some time in 2016 and 2017, when he went on a trip to Europe with friends and visited places like the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam and Guggenheim Museum in Venice, as well as museums in Paris.
His personal collection includes works by English artist Damien Hirst and Spain’s Coco Davez.
Nick Jonas (left) and his wife Priyanka Chopra at the Jonas Brothers hand and footprint ceremony in Los Angeles on Dec 3, 2025.
PHOTO: AFP
“I have a few pieces I really love that have special meaning for me. My brother Joe – who’s kind of like my art curator, in a way – he’s got his finger on the pulse for sure, of new artists and emerging artists that have added to the collection.”
When shopping for art, Jonas looks out for works that inspire his music and artistry.
He says: “The use of colour is always nice. I think it just really opens my mind up. I’m a very visual thinker, so as I approach writing music, creating, telling stories on screen or otherwise, it’s always helpful for me to go sit and look at some art and take it all in and try to apply that to what I’m doing.”
The entertainer also reminisces about his first visit to Singapore in 2012 when pop trio Jonas Brothers – also comprising his brothers Kevin, 38, and Joe, 36 – played their debut concert here at Fort Canning Park.
(From left) Kevin Jonas, Nick Jonas and Joe Jonas at the premiere of the film A Very Jonas Christmas Movie in New York on Nov 10, 2025.
PHOTO: REUTERS
“It was a great trip, we had some amazing food. The city was just electric. And the confluence of the modernity with the heritage, how it all works together and creates this wonderful atmosphere that’s really honouring the history, but also always pushing the envelope. That’s why we’re here today. It’s so exciting to be back, and to be here for Singapore Art Week is really special,” he says of this year’s event, which runs until Jan 31.
He adds that seeing works by artists such as French painter Claude Monet at National Gallery Singapore was inspiring and that he is looking to procure works by South-east Asian artists.
“The use of colour and the textures, it does take you to a place emotionally that I think directly influences what I bring to the table as a musician and songwriter. And I think it’s going to be really inspiring over the next 48 hours (while I’m in Singapore) to see so many works from South-east Asian artists and to be thinking about what I can possibly add to my collection down the road.”
Earlier in the day, Jonas also held an exclusive listening session of his upcoming album Sunday Best with Singapore fans at the House of Tan Yeok Nee in Penang Road.
It is his fifth solo album and the follow-up to 2021’s Spaceman. In August 2025, Jonas Brothers released their seventh album, Greetings From Your Hometown.
On the acting front, Jonas has starred in Hollywood blockbusters such as Night At The Museum: Battle Of The Smithsonian (2009), Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle (2017) and Jumanji: The Next Level (2019). He is set to appear in the as-yet-untitled fifth instalment in the Jumanji film series, scheduled to open in cinemas at the end of 2026.
