Nick Jonas Talks Broadway, Whitney Houston, Mastering His Craft

got on the mic at public radio station WNYC earlier this week to talk to Soundcheck's John Schafer about his past as a child star, teen idol and a bonafide broadway draw.

In the interview Jonas, 19, talks about everything from his days singing in a Wyckoff hair salon with his mom to the Jonas Brothers hiatus and .

Jonas, who is currently staring on Broadway in "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying," tells Schaefer about getting his professional start as an 8-year-old understudy as Tiny Tim in "A Christmas Carol."

Jonas conceeds he was quite passionate about singing from an early age and took home some valuable lessons from that stage of his career.

"Learning that work ethic at a really young age was very influential for me as a person and really shaped me as a performer and a person," Jonas said before going on to praise the cast and crew of "How to Succeed..."

When Schaefer asks Jonas about dealing with the tribulations of being a young celebrity, Nick reveals his great admiration for Whitney Houston, who died at the age of 48 this week.

"I was so devastated to hear that news about her," Jonas said in the interview. "She's so inspiring to so many people, especially people who have a passion for music."

Jonas says Houston was "one of the greatest voices of all time... it was a real tragedy to see her go."

The youngest Jonas Brother also spoke candidly with the WNYC host about the failure of the group's first record "It's About Time" in 2006.

"It was probably the best thing that happened to us," Jonas tells Scaefer, referring to the poor record sales that got the trio dropped from Columbia Records. "We had to make a decision whether to press on or call it quits at that point... luckily we pressed on."

Luckily for his fans, too.

Jonas will be onstage as J. Pierrepont Finch until July 1. Tickets are available here.

You can hear the full interview on the WNYC Soundcheck page.