Jesse McCartney Talks Young Stardom, Self Discovery and Possible Country Career

Jesse McCartney has been in the spotlight since he was around 10 years old. His music career took off in 2004 with the release of his debut album, Beautiful Soul, and shot him into a teen idol space reminiscent of an early Justin Bieber, before the reign of the internet took over. Now, McCartney is 31 and feels more confident than ever in his ability to create: and it's paying off.

"Every night I ask how many fans have never been to a show, and I would say about half of them haven't," McCartney told Newsweek. "It's really interesting to see that the fan base is even growing. It's been unbelievable."

McCartney is finishing up his second tour in two years. He embarked on the Better With You tour in summer 2018, and returned to the stage for The Resolution tour in 2019. With just a handful of shows left, McCartney is looking to the future. He's spending the rest of this year finishing up his next album. But before he decided another album was in the cards, McCartney took a break.

McCartney's career was born in the age of rebellious teen celebrities, expected to have a Britney Spears-level breakdown or a Miley Cyrus-esque slip. McCartney acknowledged the possibility, and said he felt like going off the rails a handful of times.

"The most important thing is people who will tell you no—to have people around that say 'Look, if you do that, people are gonna think you're an asshole,'" McCartney said. "They're my guardrails. Growing up as an adolescent in the industry, I've totally had moments where I felt I was gonna spin out of control. I just love music and my career so much. For anyone to get this far, when I was younger, when I'd weigh the options like 'In this moment am I going to regret this?' I've always chosen the music."

It was only when he grew up, McCartney realized how important it would be for him to have a moment to breathe. He took a four-year hiatus after releasing In Technicolor, and went on a journey of self discovery.

"Often, you travel around the world as a musician and you never get to see the world," McCartney said. "You're always inside of a venue or a hotel. I wanted to travel, soak up some culture and learn a little bit more about myself—learn what my interests were outside of music, figure out what it is I like to read, what it is I like to learn about, what my hobbies are."

In his off time, McCartney rediscovered something he already knew. He loves writing, comedy and acting. McCartney has been acting for years in shows like Young and Hungry, but is now hoping to turn his attention to behind the scenes work. He's working on screenplays and wants to find new directing opportunities.

McCartney's music career seems poised to change, too. Though it's not a set decision, McCartney has written a collection of country songs after attending a country writing group in Nashville. When asked if he'd release them, McCartney told Newsweek he'd never say never.

"My team seems to think it's pretty good stuff," he said. "So I said 'Let's see if any real country artists want to record it first.' If not, maybe I will. It's definitely a big departure from the pop stuff that I'm doing now, but in this day in age in music, there aren't really rules any more. I'd be down to release some of it."