Jesse McCartney

EXTRA EXTRA… Web Only Special Feature

McCartney Mania Rules Pop Music Again With Fab New Mop-Topped Teen Idol

by Ernie Thomas

As part of a celebrated group whose way around pop songs made them a teen favorite, this McCartney guy has had shown a real knack for songwriting, along with causing girls to swoon with his boyish good looks, mischievous grin and shaggy mop top of hair.

Nope! This is not that Liverpool lad who had your grandmothers shrieking in the aisles during the height of Beatlemania, but rather a McCartney for and of the 21st Century, who is inciting a “mania” of his own making.

This is –– Jesse McCartney — singer, actor, and heart-throb for a new generation of music fans who have no clue, nor care that Sir Paul is himself hitting the road again this summer.

Platinum-selling teen idol, McCartney returned last week from a successful run across Europe with his band and officially began his first headline tour of America last Monday in Sacramento, California.

Sporting a falsetto singing voice that wraps around a ballad in a way that makes girls around the world melt, McCartney’s live shows are pre-selling very well as he kicks off what will be a two month-long U.S. jaunt, supporting his red hot Beautiful Soul CD released by Hollywood Records.

The album is the pop singer’s first solo release, since he was part of the hit recording group, Dream Street.

Please as punch that his first solo outing has already sold over one million copies and landed a Top 5 single with it’s title track, thanks in no small part to his strong showing on MTV’s “TRL”, where the song’s video made it into the show’s prestigious “retirement home” after being voted into the TRL Top 10 fifty times.

McCartney is a native New Yorker, whose start in show biz career began at the age of seven in a local theatre production of “Oliver!”, the same musical that launched the career of another ‘60s teen idol –– Davy Jones of The Monkees.

Like these members of both the Fab Four and the Pre-Fab Four which his own early fame parallels, Jesse McCartney is determined to take control of his career and be more than just a flash-in-the-pan pin-up boy.

A third ‘60s pop icon can be name dropped as well, when it comes to McCartney. That being The Who’s Roger Daltrey, with whom McCartney starred opposite of on Broadway at the tender age of 10, in a critically acclaimed stage production of “A Christmas Carol.”

Growing up in the limelight and before the public eye has had a very maturing affect on McCartney, who comes off very well grounded and rather humble in his interviews.

Unlike many of his peers, who’s too much too soon experiences cause ego inflation, the omni-gifted McCartney maintains a very down to earth, easy-going persona. He is acutely aware that the fans are ultimately who sway the future of all entertainers, and determine who stays on top and who fades away. He has a healthy outlook on things, a realization that he has had considerable help getting to where he is at, and a deep respect for his fans and their support.

Acting has been a constant for McCartney since those post-toddler years spent shuffling across the floorboards of Big Apple playhouses. He received an Emmy-nomination for his stint on the long-running daytime drama, “All My Children,” and currently stars as “Bradin Westerly” in the hugely successful WB series, “Summerland.”

“I am constantly asked in interviews whether I like acting or singing better,” noted McCartney. “And the honest answer is definitely both. I honestly could not between the two and I hope to do both for a long time to come.”

Aside from his television roles, McCartney has appeared in a few indie films, including one that showcased at Sundance co-starring Matthew Broderick. He knows that putting too much on his creative plate at once can be stressful, but notes that he has been able to balance things pretty well thus far.

He gives credit for that, to those he works for and with in front of the cameras. “I’m very fortunate that the WB and Hollywood work really well together to have my both my careers in sync,” he said of being able to juggling things accordingly.

“I have so much support all around me,” continued the mature young star. “Between my family, my management, my record label and The WB, and now on top of that, my fans. It makes me want to work that much harder to make them all proud.”

McCartney loves the way “Summerland” is progressing. He feels the show’s second season has been much stronger than the last one. “There’s definitely a lot more drama on the show and with my character in particular,” he said.

It was after wrapping up the series’ second season that McCartney took to rehearsing for his live musical tour that kicked off overseas and now hits his home shores. “[I’ve been] looking forward to letting people hear my music and meeting the fans,” he said.

Following his start in musical theatre, McCartney joined the New York kids group, Sugar Beats, which eventually set him on the road to eventual pop stardom when it later earned him a place in the pioneering boy band, Dream Street.

That group’s self-titled album went to hold the number one spot on Billboard magazine’s Independent Album chart, giving him a crash course in dealing with fame and teaching him fundamentals which he has brought to his solo adventure.

“Being in a group (like Dream Street) was an awesome experience,” commented McCartney, “because I learned the basics of being on-stage, how to get in front of a mic, how to record and how to work with others. It was a great stepping-stone for me.”

However, his time with that cookie-cutter pop machine also taught him other things. “That situation showed me how much I wanted to have creative input and go the solo artist route,” he added.

“It took us took years to make this album,” he said of Beautiful Soul, for which McCartney co-write four of the dozen songs that made the final cut. Some of the famous folks who collaborated with McCartney on his ambitious first release, include: Matthew Gerard (Hilary Duff/Kelly Clarkson), Desmond Child (Ricky Martin/Kiss/Aerosmith), Robbie Nevil (Destiny’s Child) and Andreas Carlson (Britney Spears).

While it is certainly pop music, McCartney notes that it has a strong R&B feel and blue-eyed soul sound on some cuts like the disc’s sophomore single, “She’s No You” and a likely future single titled, “Get Your Shine On”.

McCartney explained that part of the two year process in making his slick solo foray, was spent making decisions. “I focused on where I wanted to go musically,” he noted. “In the process, I discovered my voice and the sound I wanted. We recorded more than 20 songs and then cut it down to 12; the ones that I felt were really me.”

Once the touring is done... McCartney will step back in front of the cameras for another season of “Summerland” and look into more film work. His thoughts will also turn to writing more songs for a second album.

Though already successful at both acting and singing, McCartney hopes to grow into a true renaissance man, but eventually pursuing other aspects of the show biz world.

“Eventually,” he concluded. “I would like to tap into other areas like directing, producing and writing. My ultimate dream is to go back to college to study film and filmmaking.”

Back To Top

Web Design By:
Hungry Mind Design