Jesse Abraham Arthur McCartney was born April 9, 1987 to Scot and Ginger McCartney. He has two younger siblings, Lea Joyce McCartney and Timothy (Timmy) Glover Mark McCartney. Jesse lived in Ardsley, New York where he attended the public school systems. He graduated from Ardsley High School on June 22, 2005.
Jesse realized his love for singing and acting from doing community plays. He was in Oliver (1994), The King and I (1995 and 1997), A Christmas Carol (1998) and Salute to Broadway (2002). At the same time he was also part of the singing group Sugar Beats. In 1998 Jesse got the part of Adam Chandler Jr. on the show All My Children. He stayed on the show from 1998-2001 when they decided to age Jr. By then he had auditioned for a boy band and he was one of the 5 to get picked out of 500 that showed up and became 1/5 of Dream Street, who was signed to Edel Entertainment. Their first album was released July 10, 2001. The band lasted May 1999 until August 2002. The album went gold, but in 2002 they split due to a lawsuit concerning the producers. Jesse then decided to go solo. Sugar Beats Producers Sherry Kondor and Bonnie Gallanter, along with Andrew Gold and Ginger McCartney then started JumpAhead Productions and signed him. Jesse then made an EP Called JMac which contained the songs “Beautiful Soul,” “Don’t You,” and “Why Don’t You Kiss Her.” The EP was released July 22, 2003. He toured for a while with his band, consisting of Dillon Konder (lead guitar), Pete Chema (bass guitar), Katie Spencer (keyboards and background vocals), Sharisse Francisco and Karina LaGravinesse (both on background vocals). After touring he then started his full album which was released September 28, 2004. His song, “Beautiful Soul”, was an instant hit. The album went Platinum on February 24, 2005. He then auditioned for the TV show “Summerland” (2004) and received the part of “Bradin Westerly”.
At 23, songwriter, singer, and actor, Jesse McCartney has emerged as a multifaceted artist who continues to expand and make his mark in the entertainment industry. A multi-platinum recording artist, McCartney is best known for chart-topping hit songs like “Beautiful Soul,” and “Leavin’.”
Hollywood Records released McCartney’s 3rd album Departure, an edgier pop/R&B album reflecting McCartney’s growth as a singer and songwriter. The album’s first hit single, “Leavin’,” (produced by Tricky and The-Dream) was an enormous success becoming the #1 most played Top 40 single released in 2008. “Leavin’ ” spent 5 weeks at #1 on the CHR Top 40 Chart going gold and platinum with over 2 million digital downloads on iTunes. McCartney collaborated with some of today’s biggest hit-making producers on the album including Sean Garrett, J.R. Rotem, The Clutch, Eric Hudson, and The-Dream and Tricky.
In 2009, Departure: Recharged was released as a bonus edition to Departure, his 2008 original album. Departure: Recharged features the Sean Garrett produced remix of “How Do You Sleep?” featuring Grammy® Award winning rapper and actor Ludacris. It also featured 4 brand new song co-written by McCartney.
McCartney’s platinum-selling status began in 2004 with his first album, Beautiful Soul which sold over 1.5 million copies. The first single, of the same name, attracted millions of listeners and topped the charts in the U.S and Internationally.
McCartney has also written songs for other artists such as the powerful ballad “Bleeding Love,” co-written with Ryan Tedder and recorded by Leona Lewis. The song earned McCartney songwriting honors as a recipient of the ASCAP Pop Music Award for Song of the Year (2008). McCartney has also gone on to write songs for Toni Braxton and Leighton Meester.
As an actor, McCartney recently completed production on Beware the Gonzo for writer/director Bryan Goluboff (Basketball Diaries). McCartney co-stars along side Zoe Kravitz, Amy Sedaris and Campbell Scott in this dark high school drama.
At Christmas in 2009 he reprised his role as ‘Theodore’ in Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel for 20th Century Fox. McCartney voiced the same character in 2007′s blockbuster hit Alvin & the Chipmunks. Additional credits include the independent film, Keith, a multi-episode arc role on ABC Family’s Greek as well as Summerland.
McCartney has received a number of awards and nominations including two Daytime Emmy nominates for Outstanding Younger Actor in a Drama Series for his work on All My Children, an American Music Award nomination for Best New Artist, an MTV Award nomination for Best Pop Video, multiple Teen Choice Awards nominations, including wins for Choice Male Artist, Breakout Artist and Crossover Artist, and a 2009 win at the Kids Choice Award for Best Male Singer.
As a young artist, McCartney knows the value of giving back to the community performing at various benefit concerts, becoming an official supporter of Little Kids Rock, a nonprofit that provides free musical instruments and lessons to children in need, as well as donating proceeds of his 2005 tour for the Asian Tsunami and Hurricane Katrina disaster relief, and becoming a spokesperson for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
Source: IMDB (edited)
