Jesse McCartney's Reinvention

You probably remember music artist/actor/songwriter Jesse McCartney as a young cutie with shaggy blonde locks and a "Boy Band" vibe. Well, get ready for a whole new man! Jesse is 21 now and has totally overhauled his sound. In our recent chat, he let us know that he's now more comfortable musically, than ever. His new disc, aptly named "Departure", promotes an edgier, pop-urban sound and the steamin' hot music video for his single "Leavin" leaves no doubt that we're dealing with a whole, new, very grown up artist.

After having relationships go sour (Katie Cassidy) and being rumored to be dating a bevy of Hollywood beauties, Jesse has plenty of personal experiences to fuel the meaty relationship songs that pack the album (there are some very upbeat club-ish tracks as well). He also co-wrote Leona Lewis' hot "Bleeding Love" chart-topper and has a new confidence in himself as a song-writer.

Our conversation covers everything from Jesse's new look (shorter, dark hair), his love of cooking to exactly what he is looking for in someone to date and how excited he was to buy his mom a Mother's Day present at a mall and not be recognized for a change!

TeenMusic: I saw the video on your site of you traveling with a totally destroyed suitcase that was all taped together. Did you finally get good suitcases?

Jesse: [laughs] I finally found a bag that works but there's not any that are that durable that can carry the amount of things that I need to carry. I'm traveling with two or three suitcases at a time.

TeenMusic: You turned 21 in April. What did you do for your 21st birthday?

Jesse: On the actual day, I hung out here in L.A. with friends and family. We went to [an Italian] restaurant, tried different kinds of wines and had some Italian food. Then, a couple of weeks later, me and the boys went to Vegas for a weekend. It was fun.

TeenMusic: I'll bet. Your "Leavin'" video is hot. Who is the girl and did you get to pick her?

Jesse: Her name is Nicky Huey. I did get to pick who the girl was. We saw probably over a hundred girls but she just had a way of pulling you into the camera. I wanted someone who could be ethnically ambiguous. She's offbeat but she's beautiful and she connected with the camera really well and [the director] really fell in love with her. I knew how intimate the video was going to be so we had some time to hang out before the shoot date. We had lunch and got to know each other a little bit so it was more comfortable on set.

TeenMusic: In real life, have you talked a girl into leaving her guy for you before?

Jesse: [laughs] I don't know. I don't think I've ever done that but I will say there've been situations where I wish I could have done that.

TeenMusic: You are doing voices for movies..,Horton, The Chipmunks, Tinkerbell. When will we see you again on TV in a series or on the big screen?

Jesse: I definitely plan on doing more live-action film work after this record. This music career and album has definitely taken up my time and I've had to make a lot of sacrifices in the last year or so on the film side of things. But, into 2009, I definitely plan on doing more films. I've got my team on it.

TeenMusic: Do you have any pre-performance rituals and is there anything you really need waiting for you at a venue to make you comfortable?

Jesse: I'm pretty low-maintenance but there are certain things that you need on the road just to be comfortable and maintain. Certainly good, healthy food is important at the venue. Usually the band and I will say a prayer before we go out there, kinda give each other a high five and get pumped up. Sometimes, the background singers and I will drop down and try to pump out thirty or forty pushups.

TeenMusic: Who have you not yet collaborated with that you would like to?

Jesse: I'd love to do something with Mariah Carey. I think my new direction is definitely in the same vein. I feel like I could write some good stuff for her or we could do something really cool together.

TeenMusic: What artist or group was a big influence in pushing you toward a new sound?

Jesse: Basically, for the template, I listened to old Prince records, Michael Jackson, Madonna. I have some of those sort of vintage synth sounds that were pretty prevalent in the later '80's, just a little bit throwback, a little retro. Those were the people who were the best at pop at that time.

TeenMusic: You co-wrote "Bleeding Love" for Leona Lewis. Is the fact that it's a huge hit gratifying to you as a songwriter?

Jesse: Definitely. You never expect a song to do that. You never expect anything. It took us all by surprise and I'm very excited and humbled by the whole thing. I think that it definitely opened a lot of doors as a writer which is great.

TeenMusic: So you do want to write more for other artists as well?

Jesse: Yeah, one hundred percent!

TeenMusic: This album is full of relationship songs. How have your personal relationships affected the songs on this album? Which one is the most personal for you?

Jesse: The songs are all pretty personal. When you work on a record for so long, you have a catalogue of fifty or sixty songs and you pick 12, you have to imagine that all of them are pretty personal and all mean something. They become like your little babies that you need to tend to and take care of. I love them all. They're all based on real-life experience or what I've been through. Whatever you hear on the record, I'm definitely familiar with all of those feelings.

TeenMusic: Clear this up. Are you going on dating websites or is that not true?

Jesse: My buddy and I were watching Sunday night football and we were loungin' and this couple came over and I asked them where they met and he said "J-Date" and I'd never heard of it but it was a dating website. I was in a slap-happy mood and my buddy and I went on J-Date and created a profile, because it definitely shows your true colors. I decided that I don't look that good on paper! I wanted to get through it and fill out a whole profile based on myself and it ended up kind of corny and cheesy and we put it up as a joke and it became this media frenzy. I don't plan on finding the love of my life online. I'm already too awkward.

TeenMusic: I like your new look. Gone is that shaggy blonde mop of hair. Was that a personal decision or a stylist or what?

Jesse: A personal, conscious decision. I decided that I wanted to cut out the excess and have a bare minimum and have a clean-looking visual for this record. It's a little bit more subtle.

TeenMusic: Do you feel more comfortable, like it's really "you"?

Jesse: Definitely.

TeenMusic: Now that you have a new look, some old fans might not recognize you.

Jesse: It definitely takes a bit longer these days for it to register. I think they can't place me at first. The other day I went shopping at the mall for Mother's Day and it was great.

TeenMusic: You launched your solo career when you were 16. What would you like to go back and do differently if you could?

Jesse: If anything, maybe just write for other artists. When you have a hit like "Bleeding Love" for another artist, it definitely gives you a little bit more confidence in your writing. So, if I had known then what I know now about my writing, I guess I would have written a little bit more. But there's really nothing I would have changed. I was just soaking it all in and loving every minute of it.

TeenMusic: What were you like when you were 16? Not the public image but the real Jesse?

Jesse: I was a kid out there that just really enjoyed music and enjoyed performing. I was not in it for anything but pleasure, the feeling that you get when somebody smiles or applauds or cries; for the feedback. That's all I cared about. It had nothing to do with money. When I was that age, I was so green to it still that I was kind of in a daze. But, you look like you know what you are doing. It definitely prepped me for this album and this being a very pivotal record, I'm going out with a whole new confidence.

TeenMusic: What was the first song you ever wrote, how old were you and what was it about?

Jesse: Oh man, I think the first song I ever attempted writing, I was about nine or ten years old. It changed keys. Modulating [to different keys] was a huge thing in those days. It was done a lot in the boy band world. It was called something like 'Into My Heart" or some crazy, corny thing.

TeenMusic: What do you write lyrics on when you have no paper or recording device handy?

Jesse: You've gotta find something! That's happened to me before and it's not a good feeling. You might want to just take a hit for the team and pull out the Sharpie and write it on your hand! The alternative is less fun, if you have a great idea and you forget it. That's the worst.

TeenMusic: Fun question. What in life do you do really well and what pretty badly?

Jesse: Hummm, I'm not a very good drawer.. artist and it's funny because I love it so much. I think why I love it so much is because I can't do it. I'm a big fan of modern art and graffiti art. It's something I really enjoy looking at and what am I good at? I love cooking. I'm a nerd. I sit in front of Top Chef and all the cooking channels on the food network and just watch when they use different ingredients so I can memorize. I'm pretty good with outdoor sports. I love to snow ski, love to water ski, love surfing. I'm kind of an outdoorsman.

TeenMusic: What qualities does a girl have to have if you are going to date her and what must she never do if she doesn't want to tick you off?

Jesse: One thing that drives me nuts is when someone is anxious to tell you how cool they are. People, especially in L.A., are anxious to tell you what they're doing or how much promise they have in whatever they are doing. It comes off so cheesy. I can't stand that. And a good quality? Just someone who is humble and is comfortable, has her own opinions and can disagree with me; so "A" someone willing to disagree with me and "B", someone who is not afraid to make fun of me. I appreciate when somebody is able to chop me down a little bit in a helpful way.

TeenMusic: What so far is your weirdest fan encounter and your most touching one?

Jesse: Uh, gotta think. Well, the strangest and kind of cool one, just to show how loyal my fans are, these four girls jumped in their car and decided they would follow my tour bus around our whole U.S. tour in 2005, forty different cities on a 60 day tour. Their entire summer and money was spent on gas around the U.S. It was kind of cool. Driving a Hybrid comes in handy for that.

TeenMusic: Speaking of touring, on tour, do you get out and see the town or hide in the bus?

Jesse: I get out. I love to travel and see the world. I don't coop myself up. I definitely try to get out and see what I can when I have a free moment.

TeenMusic: Who have you seen in concert recently that you liked?

Jesse: I went to see R. Kelly in Atlanta, Georgia. It was so funny. He's one of those people that you have to respect. You don't know or remember how many hits he's had until you go see his live show. It's like an hour straight of just his hits. He didn't even sing the whole song. He'd sing a verse and a chorus, a medley of hits. The show is so over the top. Keisha Cole performed, Ne-Yo performed. Great show.

TeenMusic: Who else are you listening to lately?

Jesse: I had to get Herbie Hancock's record when he won the Grammy for Album of the Year. I had to hear that. I love Lupe Fiasco's new record. He's awesome, Swayze's got a cool record.

TeenMusic: How important has your family been in getting you to this next level of your career?

Jesse: Very important. They've kept me grounded. I go to them if I need help, if I just need some words. They're the ones I can always rely on to be there and they have been there from the very beginning. They've made so many sacrifices as a family for me. I don't know how yet, but it's all going to come full-circle and my family are the first people I take care of.

TeenMusic: Do you have a message for your fans?

Jesse: I would say thanks so much for their support and being so loyal over the years, stickin' by me for the ups and downs and, overall, that I really hope they understand this is the most comfortable I've ever been musically and hopefully they'll hear and see that in the way I perform and treat this record. Hop onboard with me!

Jesse's new album "Departure" is out May 20th.

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Lynn Barker is a Hollywood-based entertainment journalist and produced screenwriter.