Four years after Why Don’t We went on hiatus, Jonah Marais, Jack Avery and Zach Herron are preparing to share a stage again.
Jonah Marais had been asking his manager about returning to Australia for months. When an offer finally arrived, he happened to catch his former Why Don’t We bandmates Jack Avery and Zach Herron livestreaming together on Twitch.
That gave him an idea.
“What if I just ask Jack and Zach to hop on this tour as well?”
It wasn’t some carefully orchestrated reunion announcement. Marais wanted to play Australia again, his old mates were right there on his screen, and suddenly something that hadn’t seemed possible a few years earlier was coming together.
Now the three are preparing to hit the road for The Dreamer Tour, kicking off in Melbourne on November 11th. It’s Marais’s headline tour, with Avery and Herron joining as special guests, but it also marks their first time performing together since Why Don’t We’s final shows in 2022.
And after speaking with all three, it’s apparent just how much this opportunity means to them.
The End Of Why Don’t We Wasn’t Easy
When Why Don’t We went on hiatus in 2022, the five members were coming off years of international touring, enormous streaming numbers and the kind of success most young musicians spend their lives chasing.
For Marais, losing that shared career was devastating.
“I went through like the hardest time in my life after the band.”
He remembers struggling to process how quickly everything had changed. Something that had consumed much of his teenage years and early adulthood was suddenly gone.
“all of a sudden it was kind of ripped away”
What followed wasn’t an easy adjustment.
“it took me a while to kind of get on the right track, honestly.”
Herron felt much the same way. He believed the band had plenty left to achieve and wasn’t prepared for their time together to end.
“I definitely didn’t want it to end the way that it did.”
He speaks about the group with a sense of unfinished business, believing there was still “a lot more life to live and more legacy to live”.
Avery is equally candid, describing the breakup as “one of the hardest moments of my life.”
Each has spent the intervening years working through that experience and building a life outside the band. But despite the difficult ending, their friendships survived.
“we never lost connection,” Marais explains.
Being able to perform together again is something he doesn’t take lightly. He’s particularly grateful that the opportunity has arrived at a point when all three are in a different place personally.
A Twitch Livestream Started The Conversation
Marais had been determined to return to Australia ever since Why Don’t We’s previous visits. He remembers the shows being among the highlights of the band’s touring years.
“All the shows in Australia were low key like some of the best shows we ever played as a band.”
He kept mentioning the idea to his manager, who eventually approached an Australian promoter.
An offer arrived. Then came that Twitch livestream.
Rather than treating the tour as another solo outing, Marais thought about bringing Avery and Herron along. The arrangement made sense for the three musicians, but he also knew what it would mean to the fans who had followed them through Why Don’t We.
The decision was spontaneous, and the response has already prompted conversations about what else might be possible.
Marais reveals that the tour has started “all these conversations of doing more shows”.
That’s not confirmation of another tour or a full Why Don’t We reunion, but it does suggest the Australian run might not be a one-off.
For now, the focus is firmly on the five November dates.
The level of interest led to a change in Melbourne, where the November 11th performance was relocated to Northcote Theatre following requests from underage fans and their families.
The move allows for a licensed all-ages show, giving younger supporters an opportunity to see the trio perform together.
Why Don’t We ‘8 Letters’ video
The Fans Who Never Really Left
For all the difficult memories surrounding Why Don’t We’s ending, there’s still plenty of affection for the people who supported the band.
And, unsurprisingly, some fairly chaotic stories.
Marais recalls fans turning up at private homes and attempting to access hotel rooms. Herron has experienced similar situations, including discovering supporters waiting outside his hotel room.
Avery remembers trying to escape a crowd after a show in Boston.
Exhausted and hungry, he decided to avoid the usual security escort and sneak back to the tour bus with his hood pulled up.
It didn’t work.
A fan recognised him, ran towards him and nearly knocked him over. Within moments, Avery found himself surrounded by other fans while a member of the touring party tried to clear a path.
Looking back, he believes the young fan was simply overwhelmed with excitement.
Those encounters are an uncomfortable side of fame, and the three recognise that personal boundaries can sometimes get lost in the excitement.
But when asked about their most meaningful fan interactions, Marais doesn’t hesitate.
He recalls meeting people who told him Why Don’t We’s music helped them through nights when they were questioning whether they wanted to continue living.
For him, discovering that a song could have such a personal impact was profoundly moving.
Herron agrees. He says it wasn’t always easy to understand the connection fans had with their music while they were caught up in the relentless cycle of recording and touring.
It often took somebody approaching them in person and sharing their story for that impact to properly register.
It’s those encounters, rather than the numbers, that have stayed with them.
Success Means Something Different Now
Perhaps the biggest change across all three musicians is how they define success.
When Why Don’t We first took off, their lives revolved around enormous milestones. Bigger shows, more followers, international tours and the next achievement waiting around the corner.
Marais has spent considerable time rethinking those priorities.
His faith has become an important part of that process, helping him examine his purpose and the direction he wants his life to take.
He now thinks about success in terms of the impact he can have on somebody else’s day.
A fan coming to a show after a difficult week, spending time with friends, dancing to old songs and discovering something new matters to him.
“That is success right there.”
The commercial markers that once seemed so important no longer carry quite the same weight.
“what are you actually doing in the world?”
Herron admits his expectations have become harder to manage in a different way.
Before Why Don’t We, simply moving to Los Angeles and pursuing music felt like an enormous achievement. Joining the band raised the bar. Playing their first show raised it again.
After experiencing that level of success so young, he’s found himself constantly demanding more.
“I’m a perfectionist,” he admits.
He describes those expectations as “a blessing and a curse”, recognising that the same ambition that pushes him forward can also make it difficult to appreciate how far he’s already come.
For Avery, the biggest shift has happened away from the music industry altogether.
Becoming a father changed his perspective.
These days, taking his daughter to school, picking her up and hearing about her day can provide a greater sense of satisfaction than anything he achieved onstage.
“I could have a billion dollars, and it still wouldn’t make me feel how that does.”
It’s a long way from the teenagers who spent years travelling the world, meeting fans and chasing the next milestone.
And perhaps that’s why performing together again feels different now. They’re returning with years of experiences that have changed what they want from their careers and from life.
Back To Australia, With Some Unfinished Business
Despite the heavier conversations, there’s still plenty of humour between the three.
Herron remembers Australia as the place where he first tried gambling, an experience that apparently ended with him losing a considerable amount of money.
Avery proudly names Australia and Singapore as his two favourite countries he’s visited.
Marais is simply excited to return somewhere he associates with some of the band’s best performances.
And when the conversation turns to surprising facts their fans might not know, things get considerably less serious.
Marais reveals his current obsession with pickles. Herron insists he doesn’t burp. Avery explains that he recently discovered he’s actually five-foot-six, despite spending years believing he was five-foot-seven.
It’s the sort of conversation that makes it easy to see why the three remain comfortable together.
The upcoming shows will feature Marais’s solo material alongside Why Don’t We favourites, with the promoter advertising songs including 8 Letters, Fallin’, What Am I, Trust Fund Baby and Hooked.
For Herron, who hasn’t been on the road in some time, the opportunity to perform again is particularly welcome.
Avery is already counting down.
“I’m ready to go down under. I’m ready.”
As for Marais, the tour brings together a few things he’s wanted for a long time: a return to Australia, the chance to play his own music and another opportunity to share a stage with two people who were there for some of the biggest moments of his life.
Whether those conversations about further shows lead anywhere remains to be seen.
For now, they have five Australian dates ahead of them and a chance to enjoy something that ended far sooner than any of them wanted.
Jonah Marais – The Dreamer Tour Australia 2026
With special guests Jack Avery and Zach Herron
Wednesday, November 11th – Melbourne, Northcote Theatre
Thursday, November 12th – Sydney, Enmore Theatre
Friday, November 13th – Brisbane, The Tivoli
Sunday, November 15th – Adelaide, The Gov
Monday, November 16th – Perth, Astor Theatre
Tickets: ThePhoenix.au
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