Jesse McCartney
Right Where He Wants to Be
Jesse McCartney has done a lot of growing up since making his debut EP, J Mac, and 2004 full-length, Beautiful Soul. At 19, the New York-born singer/songwriter and *actor is perfectly poised with the release of his latest album, Right Where You Want Me.
Zeeks: You've made an album that can stand up to albums made by musicians who are older than you. What do find is the biggest drawback in trying to reach an older audience?
Jesse: "The hardest part is probably trying to do it in a way without alienating your younger fanbase. Obviously, a lot of them are pre-teens. It's a huge demographic for me. At the same time, I am 19 years old. I am an adult. We could've jumped the gun and gone for a whole other crowd, but for this album we just wanted to make a nice stepping-stone and have music that can be appreciated by an older and a younger crowd."
Zeeks: You co-wrote all but one song on Right Where You Want Me. How did you find that experience?
Jesse: "Dory (Lobel) — my guitar player and MD (musical director) — and I did a lot of writing on the road during the first tour. We had a lot of melody lines or lyric ideas or chord progressions and had over 300 MP3s of little bits and pieces of songs. Brought them back to L.A. and when it was time to start making my next album, we pulled a lot of them. A lot of them were really really good."
Zeeks: You then worked with established songwriters/producers. As a young guy, did they respect you enough to listen?
Jesse: "I hope so. I mean, it's my album (laughs). Of course they did. They were all so much fun to work with and we became friends. Instead of feeling uncomfortable, you look forward to getting into the studio the next day with that person. No one was afraid to brainstorm and try different ideas."
Zeeks: You started in musical theatre when you were seven. How can a kid broach their parents with the idea that they want to get into show business?
Jesse: "Any parent, in my opinion, if they want to do something for their kids that is going to make them happy, is going to help them find a passion. Just tell them, 'Listen, I'm really into it. I really enjoy…' whatever it is — rock 'n' roll, pop, R&B, show tunes, classical music — because it takes a while. You gotta start studying. When I was younger, I started in theatre. I watched all the classic musicals on VHS tape from
The King and I to Oliver to Oklahoma to West Side Story, and again my parents were also involved, so it was easier."
(Jesse had a role in "All My Children," "Summerland" and the upcoming movie, Keith, due in 2007.)
