Teen idol Jesse McCartney is no longer a teenager. The lanky
22-year-old swaggers groggily onto the mezzanine level of New York
City’s W Hotel. To wake him up, I tell him that when I first heard his
platinum-selling single “Leavin’,” I thought I was listening to a sexy
black female singer. “Do you have the soul of a black woman?” I ask.
McCartney’s
sleepy eyes widen with amusement. “I’ve never thought of myself that
way, but I think having the soul of a black girl would be a compliment.
I’ll take it,” he says, laughing.
See photos of teen stars who broke out bigThe
singer has recently been working with T-Pain, a Grammy-winning rapper
with street cred, to scruff up his squeaky-clean image a bit. It’s an
image that started when McCartney became involved in musical theater at
age 7. Four years later, he landed the part of Adam Chandler Jr. on the
soap opera
All My Children, which earned him two Daytime Emmy
nominations. Around the same time, he was also in the boy band Dream
Street. (He left in 2002 to pursue a solo career.) Back then, was
McCartney ever bullied by kids who thought him a nerd for finding corny
outlets for his creativity?
“It wasn’t celebrated,” he recalls. “Kids are pretty brutal. I did catch a lot of heat back then.”
Those
bullies must be feeling pretty sorry now. Even though McCartney is
barely old enough to rent a car, he has already released three
top-selling albums and starred on the TV series
Summerland. He currently has a recurring role on the ABC Family series
Greek.
McCartney
was strongly influenced by his parents, Scott and Ginger, whom he calls
“theater rats.” His mother is now his co-manager. So doesn’t that make
McCartney a mama’s boy? “My mom’s a badass,” he says, defending her.
“She’s a cool chick.” He tells me that he “grew up in a Christian
household. We went to church every Sunday. I do think it’s my duty to
give back. That’s why I’m involved with St. Jude’s Children’s Research
Hospital and the Make-a-Wish Foundation. Bono is my inspiration—not
only as a rock star but as a humanitarian. We aren’t just put on this
earth to sell records. Maybe it’s because of my upbringing, but I do
consider myself a moral guy.”
Now he’s sounding like an older version of the Jonas Brothers.
“I
never wore a promise ring like them,” he quickly replies. “It’s a big
step for them to be open about their virginity. I’ve seen them take a
lot of heat. But I respect them, if that’s what they want to do. It’s
cool.”
See photos of the coolest couples in musicWould
he like to proclaim his own virginity? “No, no, no,” he says. “I don’t
think you have to talk about sex at all if you don’t want to. Just say
that I’m living the single life. I’m being 22 and seeing what’s out
there.”
McCartney is too busy to consider settling down. He’s on
tour at the moment, and he’s about to launch a women’s fragrance,
Wanted. And thanks to “Bleeding Love,” last year’s breakout hit single
by pop diva Leona Lewis, which he co-wrote, he’s now known for his
songwriting. The song reached No. 1 in more than 30 countries.
See photos of Jesse and find out what other artists he's written forCooking
is his latest creative passion. “All I watch is the Food Network,”
McCartney says. “I took a cheesemaking class a few weeks ago, and I
told my family and friends to only get me kitchen stuff on my birthday.
I’m into every kind of cookbook and anything by Anthony Bourdain. I’d
love to own a restaurant if I could find the right chef.”
What about finding the right girl first?
“She’ll
have to be someone who likes to eat my cooking,” McCartney says,
smiling the cleanest of scruffy smiles. “Or, at least, she’ll have to
pretend.”
fonte: http://www.parade.com/celebrity/2009/07/jesse-mccartney-moral-guy-090705.html
