Jesse McCartney joined The Hollywood Reporter in studio to chat all about the 20th anniversary of his debut single "Beautiful Soul," which was released in August 2004. He spoke to THR's Tiffany Taylor about how the song has stood the test of time, as well as reflected on the early days of his career, including his stints guest starring on Disney Channel shows like 'The Suite Life of Zack & Cody' and 'Hannah Montana.' Plus, he opened up about his upcoming tour dates, new 'All's Well' EP and what he still hopes to accomplish in his career. Tickets for the upcoming second leg of McCartney's All's Well Tour are on sale now.
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00:00I have this new sense, found sense of gratitude after 20 years of doing this that I can continue
00:06to do it and that they're still going to show up and as long as I keep turning out music,
00:11they'll be there and that's like anything, that's everything an artist could ask for.
00:15Hey, what's going on? It's Jesse McCartney and I am in studio with The Hollywood Reporter.
00:19Jesse, thank you so much for joining us in studio today. It's so great to have you here.
00:30Thanks for having me, Tiffany.
00:31You just announced that you're extending your All's Well tour.
00:34How excited are you to head back out on the road?
00:36I'm so excited. I think, you know, the reason that we extended it was just simply because
00:42the fans have been showing up in record numbers and it's just been incredible to see and,
00:47you know, I think with the 20-year anniversary of Beautiful Soul and then,
00:51of course, the new EP that just came out, just seems like they're really excited and
00:54I think halfway through the tour, we decided, like, we don't have enough dates.
00:57Let's do more in the fall.
00:58I was at the LA show on the tour, the closing night of The First Leg.
01:03Nice.
01:03And what struck me is that when you asked the crowd how many people, you know,
01:07it was their first Jesse McCartney show, you got an overwhelming response.
01:10For most people, it was their first show.
01:12How does it feel that at this stage in your career, you're still playing for new audiences?
01:17Yeah, I mean, it's pretty wild and now when I play, you know,
01:21after 20 years of doing this live on stage, I see a lot of younger people coming to the show.
01:25I think overall, this was the youngest audience overall that we've had over the last 10 years for
01:31sure and, you know, I think a lot of that is just, like, people, you know, people in their 30s now
01:37bringing their young kids, which is great, you know, seeing, like, little eight-year-old kids
01:42now sing Beautiful Soul. It's come full circle and that song has certainly reached a new generation
01:47of fans. Yeah, it's pretty cool. It's rare in pop music to have a song like that that
01:52stands the test of time and, yeah, I'm just so grateful that I get to do what I love and
01:57do it as often as I do.
01:59You performed quite a few songs off the All's Well EP on the tour.
02:03What can you tell me about the new All's Well EP and how you landed on this sound?
02:07I had been listening to a lot of, like, Hall & Oates and a lot of singer-songwriters from,
02:11like, the 70s on vinyl. Just got a brand new vinyl player in the house and was listening to,
02:17like, DeBarge and Stevie Wonder and I just fell in love with, you know, just the live musicianship and
02:23how amazing those guys were and you don't hear, I think, a lot of live playing in pop music
02:31anymore. Everything is digitally reported or done and it's great, but there was something about just
02:38getting back to the basics and going into the studio with really great musicians who played on
02:43numerous classic albums in the last 15-20 years. It's tough to, like, make things feel new in pop,
02:49especially for myself. I've been doing it so long that things can start to get a little stale,
02:54so it's just fun to change it up and write these songs and they definitely have this throwback
03:0070s feel. So, yeah, we did three or four songs, one of which was a remix with Young Gravy,
03:06which was kind of this goofy song called Make a Baby, and hopefully when I'm done with the
03:10second leg of this tour, I can get back in and try to sort of complete the album.
03:15You definitely tricked me with your Make a Baby song. I, for sure, thought I was like,
03:19oh, his wife's pregnant, she's going to have a baby soon, and then I was looking at your
03:22Instagram and I was like, oh wait, no, it was all just for the song.
03:25Just the marketing tool. No, I ran that by Katie, my wife, and was like, so look,
03:30we have this idea. I think it was Gravy's idea or his manager's idea to have two pregnant women
03:37on the cover, but we called our family the day before we posted this video of me standing next
03:43to this pregnant woman because we're like, just want you to know, we're not pregnant
03:46and we don't want you to find out this way, but we're doing this thing. And I still have people
03:52text me like, hey, what do you guys do? I'm like, it was a joke. It was to promote a song,
03:57but it worked.
03:59Like you were saying earlier, this year marks the 20th anniversary of Beautiful Soul.
04:04When you hear that and think about that, what goes through your mind?
04:06It's pretty wild. In many ways, it feels like the song just came out last month,
04:12but here we are, 20 years later, and it's incredible. I was telling you earlier, I think
04:18that it's rare to have a song in pop that stands the test of time and crosses over into a new
04:23generation. And I think Beautiful Soul is one of those songs that really marks the early 2000s,
04:30and it was such an important record for me, but also for a lot of young people. And I'm just so
04:35grateful to be able to still play that song and play my new music and have fans show up to the
04:40shows year after year. And yeah, I think without that song, we wouldn't be here today. So I'm very
04:47aware of that and grateful for it.
04:49During that Beautiful Soul era, you were everywhere in teen pop culture on the cover
04:53of teen magazines and guest-starring on Disney Channel shows, also starring on your own television
04:58show, Summerland at the time. When you think back to that time, what's the highlight of the
05:02Beautiful Soul era for you?
05:04I mean, those were definitely it. I mean, so often fans come up to me, and I think
05:10Suite Life of Zack & Cody and Hannah Montana were just these cultural phenomenons and these
05:17huge chapters in millennial, early 2000s millennial lives. Those shows were so huge.
05:25And I was really only a part of one or two episodes on each show, but it's still, I think,
05:31what sticks out in so many people's heads. And so I guess that has become something that I remember
05:38most about that time or those two shows. I think playing Beautiful Soul probably on Suite Life
05:43was definitely a big moment.
05:45I mean, I remember the scene with Brenda Song, Ashley Tisdale dressed up in the
05:50Usher uniform.
05:51The bellhop outfits, yeah.
05:53Fans still show up in bellhop outfits sometimes, and it's just amazing. It's pretty wild. And
06:02they're in their 30s, wearing bellhop costumes. It's something that I think people just,
06:07it's a part of their childhood.
06:10An iconic pop culture moment.
06:11Yep, yep.
06:12Right as you're celebrating this major milestone,
06:14it also feels like you're entering this career renaissance.
06:17How would you describe this moment in your career?
06:20It's just really nice. I feel like I'm more relaxed about my career than I've ever been.
06:25I feel like knowing that I have the fan base that I have, this loyal group of people,
06:31even when I do something that's kind of silly or just not probably that funny,
06:36they're just always so supportive and kind.
06:40And like, I don't know, it's just, it's a really good feeling knowing that I have people
06:45like that showing up to the shows and I can just kind of be me and they've accepted me
06:50for that.
06:50I have this new sense, found sense of gratitude after 20 years of doing this that I can continue
06:57to do it and that they're still going to show up. And as long as I keep turning out music,
07:02they'll be there. And that's like anything, that's everything an artist could ask for.
07:07You've done so much over the past 20 years and even before that, from acting to music
07:11to voiceover work, but what's one thing you still want to accomplish that you haven't done yet?
07:15I think I'd like to produce and direct at some point. I mean,
07:18I've been saying this for a long time. My wife and I have started writing a pilot,
07:22a TV show, and I'd like to be behind the camera and start helping maybe younger actors and
07:28performers from behind the camera, you know, and I feel like I have an eye for it.
07:34And a passion for it. And I'm a huge cinephile. I love old movies. I love watching documentaries.
07:42I just love the way the sausage is made, so to speak. And I'd love to have a hand in that
07:47at some point.
07:47Now, in honor of the 20th anniversary of Beautiful Soul, I want to play a little game
07:52called That Was Then, This Is Now.
07:54I like it.
07:55It's a reference to a song on the album, as fans know.
07:57The Beautiful Soul album.
07:58Yes, one that you co-wrote on the album.
08:00I did, yeah. That was one of the first songs I wrote actually for that record, so yeah.
08:04So we're going to compare your life and career in 2004 versus now in 2024.
08:09Your pre-show routine then versus now.
08:12I would probably drink like a Red Bull and now maybe I have a shot of whiskey before the show.
08:20I was going to say, oh, now you're drinking tea, you're really hydrating,
08:23but you're like, no, I'm just getting ready to go.
08:25Well, I'll tell you now, you know, maybe there's whiskey, but I'll tell you I'm in bed by like
08:30right after the show.
08:31And you're just like, you know, sleeping, putting eye masks on and trying to take care of myself.
08:35There's a lot of tea, but I would, you know, back then I would like go out with the band
08:40and we'd go to a restaurant or we'd go to a bar or we'd like go have fun.
08:43Now it's like I'm in bed and I'm just, you know,
08:47there's a lot more maintenance involved touring now than then.
08:50The post-show routine then versus now has changed a lot.
08:53It's much different, yeah.
08:54Your personal style then versus now.
08:57Oh boy.
08:59I mean, I still have a lot of help.
09:01You know, I have a great team of stylists.
09:04I don't know.
09:04I see some pictures from red carpets back in 2006, 7, and I'm like, what were we thinking?
09:10There's like, I think it was like the Kids' Choice Awards or something.
09:12I wore these awful sunglasses that I just, every time I see a photo of it, I cringe.
09:17But it's the way it goes.
09:19It's forever cemented on the internet.
09:22Your relationship with your fans then versus now.
09:25I think we're closer now.
09:26And I think, you know, that has a lot to do with social media.
09:29You know, back then it was such a different paradigm.
09:32You would perform and then the curtain would close and that would be it.
09:35And now it's like you perform and that's like 25% of your job.
09:39And the rest is like showing them what you ate for lunch on Instagram.
09:44And I think they just know me a little bit better now.
09:45They have a better sense of who I am and my personality.
09:48So yeah, I speak with them literally on a daily basis via social media.
09:54And finally, your outlook on life then versus now.
09:58Oh man.
09:58I mean, then it was just, you know, I was just so excited and happy to be singing on stage.
10:04And everything was just like, oh, this is incredible.
10:06I think now I'm just more in tune with like how incredible this really is.
10:12And the longevity that I've had is just like so much more meaningful.
10:16And getting to perform now in front of sold out crowds is that much more important to me.
10:20And just, yeah, my sense of gratitude for all of it is just through the roof, you know,
10:26and just having the ability to do something I love for so long is just is never lost on me.
10:31Speaking of then versus now, I told you I saw you on tour in LA,
10:35but I also brought something I want to show you.
10:37Oh boy.
10:38I've kept all my concert tickets over the years.
10:40No way.
10:41And I have my concert ticket from the Beautiful Soul Tour.
10:44Come on.
10:44Wow, it's like in really good condition too.
10:47In Sioux City, Iowa.
10:48No way.
10:49Is this where you grew up?
10:50I grew up in Omaha, Nebraska.
10:51So we drove like an hour and a half, two hours.
10:54Look at that.
10:55To go to the concert.
10:55Friday, August 19th, 2005.
10:58Oh, wow.
10:59So nearly 19 years ago to the day.
11:02Look at that.
11:03Let's see.
11:05Can be, oh, $36.
11:07Let's see.
11:08Oh, wow.
11:09This is pretty cool.
11:10You've kept every one of your concert tickets?
11:13I have.
11:14I've been going to concerts for 19 years of Jess and McCartney.
11:17So it's so fun to get to talk to you today
11:18and talk all about the Beautiful Soul anniversary
11:21and just everything you have coming up.
11:22I appreciate it.
11:23Well, thanks, Tiffany.
11:24I'll see you at the show.
11:25I'm going to be performing in Pomona, I think,
11:27which is like nearby.
11:29It's like 30 minutes away.
11:30I can make it.
11:31I have to be there.
11:32Yeah, for sure.
11:32For sure.
11:33You got to come.
11:34Awesome.
11:34Thank you so much for stopping by, Jess.
11:35Thanks, Tiffany.
11:36Appreciate it.