Joe Jonas has opened up about experiencing panic attacks and physical discomfort after his first solo album, Fastlife, struggled commercially in 2011, eventually convincing him to begin therapy.

Speaking during a new episode of the Hey Jonas! podcast, Jonas looked back on how he handled the record’s disappointing response. He cohosts the show with his Jonas Brothers bandmates and siblings, Nick and Kevin Jonas. Jonas explained that he believed the project would repeat the success enjoyed by the trio during their biggest years, leaving his confidence dependent on its results. “Somewhere in my core, I was like, ‘If I do that, then I matter,'” he told his brothers.

Fastlife only climbed to No. 15 on the Billboard 200, and its main single, “See No More,” reached No. 92 on the Hot 100. Those numbers left Jonas feeling extremely discouraged.

“I started having panic attacks and started having physical pain,” he recalled. A doctor determined that nothing was physically wrong and advised him to speak with a therapist, although Jonas was reluctant to accept the recommendation at first. “I was like, what do you mean a therapist? I don’t need a therapist. Why would I need a therapist?” he said. Instead, he began taking lengthy bicycle rides to spend time away from his phone.

Jonas later found another opportunity for mainstream success. He created the funk and pop group DNCE in 2015, and its first single, “Cake by the Ocean,” rose to No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100. The track delivered the major radio breakthrough that neither his solo work nor the Jonas Brothers had achieved at that stage. The siblings reunited as a band in 2019 and sent Happiness Begins to the top of the Billboard 200. Its leading track, “Sucker,” also became their first single to reach No. 1 on the Hot 100.