How many 25-year-old’s do you know who have starred on two hit television shows, voiced some of the most iconic characters in animation history, not to mention been involved in the making of one of the biggest Grammy-nominated hits of the past 15 years? You might be thinking about Selena Gomez or even wondering when it was that Shia LaBeouf started making music, but would it surprise you to know that we’re talking about Mr. Jesse McCartney?
Since first bursting onto the scene at age 9 as part of the ensemble of the beloved daytime soap, All My Children, this young man has been an indelible part of some of the most successful projects in Hollywood, while at the same time building a steady music career that has kept him busy since 2004. Well, the former tween heartthrob is all grown up, and he’s ready to reclaim the spotlight.
Yes, McCartney started on AMC, but most of the TRL generation came to know and love the young man on The WB’s 2004 series, Summerland. Playing Laurie Loughlin’s nephew/adopted son, Jesse easily exuded SoCal charm and quickly became one of the brightest spots on this sweetly underrated series. A gifted singer and songwriter even at the time, it wasn’t long before hits like Beautiful Soul and She’s No You helped him make his presence felt on the Billboard charts. It seemed as if the combination of his precocious talent with the guilty pleasure boy band pop craze of the early aughts would certainly carry him to superstardom.
Unfortunately, Jesse’s music broke at a time when a general backlash appeared to be forming against the Disneyfied produced pop of stars like Britney and Justin. Even the former Mouseketeers suddenly seemed desperate to shed their Orlando images in order to compete with the more urban, grown up sound of artists like Beyonce, Usher, and Alicia Keys. Though McCartney’s breezy pop and true songwriting skills set him apart from the bubblegum pack, because of his age, he was unfortunately grouped in with them and did not reach the stratosphere as some had predicted.
Luckily, the young man’s skill was put to great use collaborating with other artists including Ryan Tedder, with whom he co-wrote the classic mid-aughts ballad Bleeding Love, which made Leona Lewis a global star and was nominated for ‘Record of The Year’ at the 2009 Grammy’s. Of course, there was also the mature and sexy track, Leaving, in 2008 that ended up being the singer’s highest chart topper to date.
Through it all, Mr. McCartney has kept at the acting game with appearances on TV shows like CSI on CBS and now a multi-episode stint on Lifetime’s long running drama Army Wives. Simultaneously, he’s done fantastic voiceover work as everyone from Robin and Nightwing in Young Justice, to Theodore in all three theatrically released live action Chipmunk movies. But fans of his music, including Carole King, who recently handpicked the star to sing at her musical tribute and charity event “You’ve Got a Friend” are ready for some new tunes. It’s about time this talented triple threat takes center spotlight again. How can we say this in Twitterverse, #DearJesse, we are ready for ya’!
CLICK HERE for Jesse McCartney’s official website.
CLICK HERE for LIFETIME’s “Army Wives” official site.