If God hadn't made the Jonas Brothers, chances are, Disney's marketing department would have. Kevin, Nick and Joe are setting out to be the kings of the tween market, that new cash cow that Disney calls its own.

In America the brothers' all-conquering plans are going smoothly, with three albums, and a record-breaking pay-per-view TV movie debut.

Having given us the pre-teen Britney, Justin and Christina in The Mickey Mouse Club back in the 90s, Disney repeated the trick when they launched teen queen Hilary Duff through TV's Lizzie McGuire, and then crossed The Kids From Fame with Grease, and came up with the money-spinning High School Musical franchise. The latter has grossed, oh, about US$7.53 gazillion through albums, movies and DVDs. And loads and loads and loads of lovely Disney merchandising. And let's not forget that other Disney tyke, Miley Cyrus and her alter ego, Hannah Montana.

Ready to launch, Disney have got a fresh army of dimpled cute-bots ready to descend upon the planet. . . in search of pocket money. Miley is about to be sideswiped by budding sex kitten Selena Gomez, the 15-year-old star of Disney Channel's Wizards Of Waverly Place, who looks pretty much like a pocket-sized Angelina Jolie. She will be huge. Or maybe her crown will slip onto the head of 15-year old Texas girl Demi Lovato, another Disney product.

From the outside, the tween sensations from the Disney camp are all one big happy family; the Jonas Brothers were introduced to the screaming young girls of America when they joined the Hannah Montana tour last year. The Jonas Brothers' TV movie, Camp Rock, includes young Demi Lovato so that she can be introduced to their fans. It's called "synergy", people.

When I met up with the brothers from Wyckoff, New Jersey, they were, naturally enough, excited and delighted about just how well Disney's plans for them were going. Last year, the Jonas Brothers earned a cool US$12 million. And it's only just begun. . .

PAUL BYRNE: So, everything's coming up roses in the Jonas Brothers' camp, right?

KEVIN JONAS: Absolutely! We've been having a great time on the road, a great time making records, making the TV movie. What's not to be happy about?

NICK JONAS: There might be the odd day where you're feeling a little jaded, but then you remember how it feels, walking out there on stage in front of all those screaming fans and any negative thoughts just fly out of your head.

JOE JONAS: This is a dream come true for us.

Nick, you were discovered at six years old, singing in a barber shop and you went on to become a Christian rock pin-up?

NJ: True. I was in a hair salon with my mum, and before I knew it, I was singing in front of a manager. Then I did four Broadway shows before recording a single, which led to an album deal. And that's actually when the three of us starting working together; the record label liked a song we wrote and recorded together.

Joe, you had plans to become a stand-up comedian; were you really sold on becoming a pop sensation?

JJ: We were all doing our own thing, but there was always the idea of being in a band.

Are you comfortable being part of this big Disney tween machine?

NJ: Our partnership with Disney is something that we're really grateful for. A lot of opportunities have come out of it. We don't have any plans to turn our backs on Disney, or our fans.

You might turn into Hanson. . .

JJ: That's always a possibility, but whatever happens, we'll be doing what we want. That's really the only way to work.

Are there artists that inspire you?

KJ: Bands like U2, The Rolling Stones -- bands who have been doing it forever, and who appeal across the generations.

You mentioned U2, perhaps the four most depraved party animals on the rock circuit today. By contrast, you guys each wear a purity ring, saving yourselves for marriage. Does it ever get itchy, given that you're a rock'n'roll band out on the road?

NJ: Our mum and dad are out on the road with us. We have a family bus; it's important to keep the family together. It's important to stay humble, to keep the right attitude. But have fun, too.

Should you ever slip up, and start going down that dark path of nocturnal pleasures, you'll end up looking like me. . .

JJ: You've convinced me to stay on the straight and narrow now, that's for sure.

NJ: Yeah, any thoughts I had about partying a little, those thoughts are now gone.

When the second album hit the

Billboard charts at number five, how did you celebrate?

JJ: We pretty much just threw our hands in the air and jumped around like loons.

KJ: We were actually playing a sold-out show that night, and it was a pretty special night.

JJ: You're always thinking of bigger, so you just think, OK, next time, we're going to hit number one.

You've got an awful lot of things going on. Ever feel, too much, too young?

JJ: Not at all. We're even thinking now how cool it would be to produce other people, other artists. For us, it's all good. We want to do as much as we can, basically.

KJ: We're in a blessed position now, where our dreams have become reality. So, it's pretty hard for us not to keep on dreaming bigger .

Any plans for five, 10 years from now?

JJ: Whether you like it or not, we're around for the long haul ...

NJ: Yeah, sorry about that ...

The Jonas Brothers' new album, A Little Bit Longer, is out now

- Paul Byrne