Nick Jonas is trying to build more lean muscle.

The 22-year-old star has cut his calorie intake by more than half in a bid to carve out a ''more explosive'' physique for the upcoming season of 'Kingdom,' in which he plays a mixed martial arts fighter.

He explained: ''Last year, I tried to put on 15 pounds of muscle from where I was. But the storyline for the character this year is he goes down a weight class.

''I actually had to lean up--keep muscle, but keep it lean and more explosive, more athletic muscle than size. I'm not eating as much as I was. I was probably eating 5,600 calories a day. Now, it's probably closer to 2,000 calories a day.''

The 'Chains' hitmaker is also trying to get in better shape ahead of his upcoming US tour, as he is planning to dance a lot during the live shows.

He told E! News: ''As a performer, I've really been trying to push the dance side of things and grow in that way.''

Meanwhile, Nick is planning ''something really special'' for the debut performance of his new track, 'Levels,' at the MTV Video Music Awards pre-show next Sunday (30.08.15).

He added: ''I did some funny promos on the MTV Snapchat with the Moon Babes. So there may or may not be some Moon Babe situations incorporated into my performance.''