Jesse McCartney (born April 9, 1987) is an American actor, singer, and songwriter. He first gained public attention in the late 1990s for his role as JR Chandler on the daytime drama All My Children. He later became a member of the boy band Dream Street before pursuing a solo music career. He has also appeared in television series including Law & Order: SVU, Summerland, and Greek. In voice acting, McCartney has performed roles such as Theodore in the Alvin and the Chipmunks film series, JoJo McDodd in Horton Hears a Who!, Terence in the Tinker Bell series, Dick Grayson in Young Justice, and Roxas and Ventus in the Kingdom Hearts video game series.
McCartney began his solo recording career in 2004 with the album Beautiful Soul. The single "Leavin'" from his third album Departure reached the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 and is his highest-charting single. His most recent album, New Stage, was released in 2021. He is also credited as a co-writer of "Bleeding Love", which became an international hit for Leona Lewis in 2007.
McCartney was born in Ardsley, Westchester County, New York, to Virginia “Ginger” Sarber and Scott McCartney. He has a younger sister, Lea (born 1991), and a younger brother, Timothy (born 1996). He began performing in local community musicals at age seven, including a role in Oliver!, and later joined a national tour of The King and I at age ten. In 1998, he performed with the group Sugar Beats and appeared on several of their releases from 1998 to 2000.
In 1999, McCartney joined the pop group Dream Street, remaining with the group until 2002. The group’s debut album achieved gold certification. After leaving the group, he began developing a solo career, working with a backing band and management that included his mother, Ginger McCartney, and Sherry Goffin Kondor.
He released his first solo EP in 2003, which included the songs "Beautiful Soul", "Don't You", and "Why Don't You Kiss Her". In 2004, he recorded a duet with Anne Hathaway, "Don't Go Breaking My Heart", included on the Ella Enchanted soundtrack for the film Ella Enchanted.
His debut studio album Beautiful Soul was released in 2004 and reached number 15 on the Billboard 200. It included the title track "Beautiful Soul", which reached number 16 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album was certified platinum in the United States. McCartney toured extensively in support of the album, including headlining shows in North America, touring Australia, and opening for the Backstreet Boys in Europe. A live recording from the tour was released as Live: The Beautiful Soul Tour in 2005.
His second studio album, Right Where You Want Me, was released in 2006. The album marked a shift toward a more mature pop sound and reached number 14 on the Billboard 200.
In 2007, McCartney co-wrote "Bleeding Love" with Ryan Tedder. Although intended for his own project, the song was recorded and released by Leona Lewis on her debut album Spirit and became a global hit, earning a Grammy nomination for Record of the Year. McCartney also recorded his own version, which appeared on selected editions of his third album Departure.
Departure was released in 2008 and continued his transition toward more mature pop and R&B influences. The single "Leavin'" reached number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 and became his highest-charting song. Other singles from the album included "It's Over" and later releases from the reissued edition Departure: Recharged, which added tracks such as "Body Language", "Oxygen", "Crash & Burn", and "In My Veins". The reissue also included remixes such as "How Do You Sleep?" featuring Ludacris and a version of "Body Language" featuring T-Pain.
Between 2010 and 2014, McCartney worked on his fourth studio album Have It All, which was repeatedly delayed and ultimately not officially released. During this period, he released the single "Shake" and continued touring and collaboration work, including participation in the Backstreet Boys’ In a World Like This Tour. He later released the EP In Technicolor, Part 1 in 2013 and the album In Technicolor in 2014, which included songs such as "Back Together", "Superbad", and "Punch Drunk Recreation".
In 2018, McCartney released the singles "Better With You" and "Wasted", followed by the live album The Resolution Tour Live. In 2020, he competed on The Masked Singer as “Turtle” and finished as runner-up. That year he also released the singles "Yours" and "Friends". In 2020, his former Dream Street bandmate Chris Trousdale died at age 34; McCartney later reunited with surviving members for a virtual performance in his memory.
McCartney released the album New Stage in 2021, preceded by the singles "Kiss The World Goodbye" and "Party for Two", and supported it with a North American tour.
In 2024, he released the EP All's Well, which included the singles "Faux Fur" and "Make a Baby" featuring Yung Gravy, followed by a promotional tour. He briefly reunited with Dream Street members during this period for a live performance.
In 2025, McCartney released the EP Weightless and began the Weightless Tour. He also appeared as a special guest on Matt Rife’s Stay Golden Tour at Madison Square Garden and was scheduled to open for the Jonas Brothers on their Jonas20: Greetings from Your Hometown Tour later that year.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesse_McCartney
Studio albums
Beautiful Soul (2004)
Right Where You Want Me (2006)
Departure (2008)
In Technicolor (2014)
New Stage (2021)
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…shrink me down again