RedZone Entertainment is an Atlanta-based, music-production entity. Redzone's discography includes collaborations with many artists, producers, and composers of note, and is responsible for over 25 million records sold.^[1] RedZone Entertainment has produced acts such as P!nk, Britney Spears, Celine Dion, Mary J. Blige, Usher, Ciara, Sting, Rihanna, and Justin Bieber.^[3]

Founded in 1995 by music producer Christopher “Tricky” Stewart and artist manager Mark E. Stewart, RedZone Entertainment serves as both the parent company and production arm of the Stewart brothers’ music business. This includes two publishing companies, an Atlanta recording studio, and an artist management company.^[4]

Origins and History[link]

Family beginnings[link]

The Stewart brothers grew up in a family heavily involved in the business of making music. Their mother and her two sisters were background singers for such artists as Aretha Franklin and Curtis Mayfield, and the trio were also jingle singers featured on many national ad campaigns. Their father and his brother operated a jingle company in Chicago whose clients included Ford Motor Company, McDonalds, Coca-Cola, Bud Light, and many others.^[5]

In 1989, Big brother Laney Stewart opened his own jingle company, Minute Men Music. This was the company that gave Mark, Tricky and Judi (Tricky's sister-in-law) their start as professionals in the music business, Tricky in the area of recording and music production, Mark and Judi in the area of business. In 1989 when Laney Stewart signed an exclusive publishing agreement with Famous Music, and the family left jingles and began writing and producing records full time for major artists.

Record Production[link]

In 1990, at the age of 16, Tricky got his first major label placement when he produced a song entitled "Hold Me Tight" for MCA recording artist, Troy Hinton. In the next two years Tricky went on to produce records for Aaron Hall, Damion Hall, Immature and others.

Company Moves[link]

In the fall of 1992 Mark and Tricky moved the RedZone base of operations from Chicago to Los Angeles.

In 1994, the Stewarts met record producer and songwriter L.A. Reid of LaFace records. Reid offered them a deal to move their production company to Atlanta, and the brothers accepted.

RedZone Established in Atlanta[link]

In 1995, with the support of Reid, his brother Mark Stewart, and his sister-in-law Judi Stewart, Tricky established RedZone Entertainment and Triangle Sound studios in West Buckhead, Atlanta, GA.

Early Years 1998-2003[link]

Early years[link]

1998 was a pivotal year for RedZone Entertainment. Christopher "Tricky" Stewart wrote and produced JT Money's single "Who Dat", which featured female rapper Solé. "Who Dat" reached #1 on the Billboard Rap chart and #5 on Billboards "Hot 100" in 1999. In 1998 Stewart and his writers penned Mýa's "Case of the Ex". The single debuted at #12 on the Hot Singles Sales and peaked at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100. It remains Mýa's highest-charting solo single on the Hot 100 to date.^[6]

Solé went on to sign with RedZone, who produced her album "Skin Deep" released in September 1999. "Skin Deep" peaked at #127 on the Billboard 200, and #27 on the top hip-hop albums chart.^[7] The single off the album "4,5,6" was Ascap's "Female Rap Song of the Year."^[8] 1998 was also the year RedZone discovered producer Kevin "She'kspere" Briggs, who produced TLC’s “No Scrubs” & Destiny’s Child’s “Bills, Bills, Bills”. During this time, Redzone signed R&B singer Sam Salter, and R&B singer/songwriter Blu Cantrell.

Blu Cantrell[link]

Blu Cantrell

In 2000, Tricky Stewart and producer/writer Tab started working with Blu Cantrell on a demo recording and helped her break into the business singing back up for such artists as Diddy, Gerald Levert, Aaron Hall, and Faith Evans.^[9] Once the demo was complete L.A. Reid was invited to hear Cantrell, and he signed her immiediately to Arista Records.^[9] Reid was quoted as saying:

Cantrell's debut album, So Blu, was released on July 31, 2001, debuting at number eight on the Billboard 200.^[9] In 2001, Cantrell received nominations for Best New Artist from both the Grammy Awards and the American Music Awards as well as a Grammy nomination for Best R&B Vocal Performance for the song "Hit 'Em Up Style (Oops!)". The song was written and produced by Dallas Austin, and spent weeks on the Billboard Hot 100.^[10] In 2002, Cantrell was nominated for a Grammy Award and an American Music Award. She collaborated with RedZone on her follow-up album Bittersweet.^[9]

A Creative Community[link]

In 2003, RedZone expanded from just a producer driven company to a creative community, fostering and collaborating with many writers and producers. The list over the years includes, but is not limited too, The-Dream, P. Magnet, Traci Hale, Tab, B. Cox, Kuk Harrell, Jazze Pha, Dallas Austin, Battery Five, Jermaine Dupri, Dean, J "Q" of The Clutch, Dru Castro,Todd Herfindel, J.B. of "the Movement", Zeke and Ciara. RedZone has served as the springboard for many influential writers, artists, producers, and music industry professionals.

Britney Spears[link]

Britney Spears

In 2003 RedZone produced Britney Spears' "Me Against the Music" which featured Madonna. The song went on to become the first single off her record "In The Zone" and won the Billboard Music Award for Best-Selling Dance Single of the Year. This led to the enlistment of RedZone founder Tricky Stewart and one of his production partners P. Magnet to work on several more songs for the album. They wrote the lyrics for the Moby produced "Early Morning", recorded vocals for the R. Kelly-produced "Outrageous" and wrote and produced "The Hook Up", which had a reggae feel.^[11]

Tricky described the Britney Spears project as "the tip of the iceberg" of RedZone's new style.^[11]

2004-Present[link]

Kuk Harrell, Vocal Producer, Songwriter, and Engineer[link]

In 2004 vocal producer, songwriter and engineer Kuk Harrell joined and became a key player on the RedZone team. He would go on to co-write RedZone's production Rihanna's "Umbrella", as well as produce the now iconic vocal. He is considered on of the most sought after Vocal Producers in the industry,^[12] with a client list that includes Chris Brown, Mary J. Blige, Lionel Richie, Karina, Usher, Sting, and Celine Dion.

Rihanna "Umbrella"[link]

Rihanna

In 2007, the release of the RedZone production "Umbrella" sung by pop star Rihanna on the Def Jam release Good Girl Gone Bad, was to have a great impact on the careers of all involved with the project. The song, co-written by Terius "The-Dream" Nash, Kuk Harrell, and Tricky Stewart, was produced by Tricky Stewart, with vocal production provided by Kuk Harrell. The song, which featured a rap intro by renowned rapper Jay-Z, would go on to win many music industry awards and to break industry records. Released in late March 2007, the song broke the iTunes record for biggest debut ever. The song climbed 40 spots to reach number one on the Billboard charts, and stayed there for 7 weeks. The video for the song received five nominations for MTV's 2007 Video Music Awards, including the win for Smash Single Of The Year. The song had an impressive chart run around the world and a received and over-all positive reception from music critics.

Entertainment Weekly magazine placed "Umbrella" at the top of their list of the Ten Best Singles of 2007,^[13] and Rolling Stone magazine declared it number three of the 100 Best Songs of the year;^[14] it was also named Song of the Year in Blender magazine's Readers' Poll 2007.^[15] In 2008 "Umbrella" won a Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration in addition to receiving nominations for Record of the Year and Song of the Year.

The RedZone team suddenly found themselves in great demand. Stewart, Nash, and Harrell finished out the year working with such notable artists as Janet Jackson ("Greatest X" off Discipline), Jesse McCartney ("Leavin'" off the record Departure), Celine Dion ("Skies of L.A." off her new album Taking Chances), and Usher ("Moving Mountains" and "This Ain't Sex" of his new album Here I Stand).

J. Holiday "Bed"[link]

2007 saw another successful release for RedZone with the single "Bed (song)". The song was released June 19, 2007, it written by Terius Nash ("The-Dream) and sung/performed by J. Holiday on his debut album "Back of My Lac'".^[16] "Bed" debuted on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in the issue week of July 4, 2007 at number 89 and peaked at number 5.^[16] It was number 1 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs for five weeks in a row. On Tuesday July 31, 2007 the song/single debuted on BET's 106 & Park countdown at number 9. On Wednesday, August 15, 2007,--its 11th day on the countdown-- "Bed" hit number one! The song was #70 on Rolling Stone's list of the 100 Best Songs of 2007.^[17] The video for "Bed" was ranked the #11 video of 2007 on BET's notorized.

Tricky Stewart co-wrote and produced the follow-up single "Suffocate", released on October 2, 2007.^[18] The song peaked at #2 on Billboards "Hot R&B/Hip Hop Songs", #5 on U.S. Billboards Rhythmic Top 40, and #55 on the U.S. Billboard Pop 100. J. Holiday was subsequently nominated for BET's "Best Male R&B Singer 2008".

Chris Brown, "Exclusive"[link]

The RedZone team contributed to two songs off Chris Brown's album "Exclusive" which was released on Oct 30, 2007. Terius "The-Dream" Nash wrote on "You" and "Gimme Watcha Got" featuring Lil' Wayne.

The Dream-"Love Hate"[link]

After the success of "Umbrella", and J. Holiday's "Bed", RedZone writer/producer "The-Dream" went on to artistic success with his own certified gold record "Love Hate". The album, executive produced by Tricky Stewart, was released on December 11, 2007 on the Def Jam label. "Love Hate" spawned three singles, "Shawty Is a 10", "Falsetto", and "I Luv Your Girl". The singles peaked on the Billboard hot R&B/Hip Hop song charts at #6,^[19] #3,^[20] and #3^[21] respectively. "The-Dream" is currently featured on Plies single "Please Excuse My Hands", which also features Jamie Foxx, as well as L.L. Cool J's "Baby", and Gym Class Heroes "Cookie Jar".

Mary J. Blige, "Growing Pains"[link]

Mary J. Blige.

The RedZone team was nominated in 2007 for a Grammy for "Best Female R&B Vocal Performance" on Mary J. Blige's "Just Fine". "Just Fine", released October 16, 2007, was the leading single off Mary J.'s most recent album "Growing Pains", and was written by Tricky Stewart and Terius "The-Dream" Nash. It was produced by Tricky Stewart, and Kuk Harrell produced the vocals. Stewart also co-wrote and produced many of the tracks on the album "Growing Pains", Terius "The-Dream" Nash wrote on 6 of the album's tracks, and the vocals on all of the tracks but one were produced by Kuk Harrell.

The album, released on Dec 17, 2007, debuted at number two on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart^[22] and number one on the R&B chart. In its second week the album climbed to number one on the Billboard 200 with 204,000 copies sold.^[22] In the UK, the album entered the charts at Number 6, making it her highest charting album there since "No More Drama" in 2001 with first week sales of 21,755.

Mariah Carey, "Touch My Body"[link]

Released February 4, 2008, "Touch My Body" is a song co-written by American singer Mariah Carey, Christopher "Tricky" Stewart, Crystal "Cri$tyle" Johnson and Terius "The-Dream" Nash for Carey's eleventh studio album, E=MC². Produced by Carey, Stewart and Nash, it was released as the lead single off the album. The song is Carey's eighteenth number one single on the Billboard Hot 100^[23] and nominated for a 2008 MTV Video Music Awards.

A review in Billboard Magazine stated that "this sensual jam is 100% Mariah, packed with satisfying harmonic layers and hooky background 'oh's,' supersonic verses and a chorus as catchy as a winter sniffle",^[24] and Blender stated that it was a "pop genius making genius pop".^[25] Bill Lamb from About.com also gave "Touch My Body" a positive review, giving it 4 out of 5 stars, stating that the single "is simple, sexy elegance from one of the most enduring of pop stars".^[26] Newsday also named it as the "Song of the Week", commenting that it was "the best opening single she's had since "Heartbreaker".^[27] Digital Spy was also positive, saying "its cooing, sensual charms soon take hold, suggesting the wind's still very much behind the Carey comeback bandwagon".^[28]

Jesse McCartney, "Leavin'"[link]

On March 10, 2008, Tricky Stewart, Terius "The-Dream" Nash, and Kuk Harrell co-created the single entitled "Leavin'" for Jesse McCartney's album "Departure" which was subsequently released on May 20, 2008. "Leavin'" peaked at #10 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart,^[29] #2 on the Billboard Pop 100 chart,^[29] #1 on Billboard Hot Dance Club Play,^[29] and #1 on Billboard Mainstream Top 40 singles chart.^[29]

Leavin' stayed in the top 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 for 20 weeks.^[30]

Justin Bieber, "One Time" and "Baby"[link]

Tricky Stewart, Terius "The-Dream" Nash, and Kuk Harrell wrote and produced the hit single "One Time" for Canadian singer Justin Bieber's debut album, My World. The single was released on July 7, 2009. It peaked at #12 in Canada, and #17 in the U.S. and also did well internationally. They also produced "Baby for his My World (Part II) which charted at #3 in Canada and #5 in the U.S.

Ciara, "Fantasy Ride" (2009) and "Basic Instinct" (2010)[link]

In early 2009, Tricky Stewart and Terius "The-Dream" Nash wrote and produced numerous songs on Ciara's third studio album, "Fantasy Ride", which was released on May 5, 2009. They both co-wrote and produced five songs titled "High Price", "Like a Surgeon", "Ciara to the Stage", "Lover's Thing", and "Keep Dancin' On Me" on the album.

In 2010, Tricky Stewart and The-Dream went in the studio at work on Ciara's fourth studio album titled "'Basic Instinct'", which is set for a release on December 14, 2010. The two executive-produced the entire album. The lead single from the album titled "Ride, was produced by the duo, the single was released on April 26, 2010. The single went on to become her twelfth top ten hit on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. Tricky, The-Dream and Ciara are currently putting the finishing touches on the highly anticipated album.^[31]

See also[link]

• Tricky Stewart
• Kuk Harrell
• Terius "The-Dream" Nash

References[link]

Tyrese Gibson
Gibson at the 2009 San Diego Comic Con for Image Comics
Background information
Birth name	Tyrese Darnell Gibson
Also known as	Black-Ty
Born	(1978-12-30) December 30, 1978 (age 33) Watts, Los Angeles, California, United States
Genres	Contemporary R&B, hip hop
Occupations	Author, singer, actor, VJ, screenwriter, film producer, television producer,
Years active	1996
Labels	RCA (1997–2001) J (2002–2006) Voltron (2011–Present)
Website	www.myspace.com/tyrese

Tyrese Darnell Gibson (born December 30, 1978) also known simply as Tyrese, is an American R&B singer, rapper, actor, author, former fashion model and MTV VJ. After releasing several albums, he transitioned into films, with lead roles in several Hollywood releases.

Early life[link]

Gibson was born in Los Angeles, California, growing up in the Watts neighborhood.^[1][2] His mother, Priscilla Murray Gibson (née Durham), raised him & his 3 older siblings as a single parent after Gibson's father, Lurk Gibson left.^[3][4] Gibson's career began when he was discovered on a bus. An appearance in a 1994 Coca-Cola advertisement, singing the phrase "Always Coca-Cola",^[5] led to bigger fame.

Acting[link]

This section is empty. You can help by adding to it.

Discography[link]

• Tyrese (1998)
• 2000 Watts (2001)
• I Wanna Go There (2002)
• Alter Ego (2006)
• Open Invitation (2011)

Filmography[link]

Gibson also featured in Lady Gaga's music video, "Telephone" ft. Beyonce and "Angel of Mine" by Monica.

Awards/nominations[link]

• American Music Awards
  • 2000, Favorite New R&B/Soul Artist: (Winner)^[6]

• Black Movie Awards
  • 2006, Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role: Waist Deep (Nominated) ^[6]

• Black Reel Awards
  • 2006, Best Ensemble: Four Brothers (Nominated)^[6]
  • 2002, Best Song: "Just a Baby Boy" from Baby Boy w/ Mr. Tan & Snoop Dogg (Nominated)^[6]
  • 2002, Best Actor: Baby Boy (Nominated)^[6]

• Grammy Awards
  • 2004, Best R&B Male Vocal Performance: "How U Gonna Act Like That" (Nominated) (released December 17, 2002)
  • 2000, Best R&B Male Vocal Performance: "Sweet Lady" (Nominated)

• Image Awards
  • 2002, Outstanding Hip-Hop Artist: 2000 Watts (Nominated)
  • 2002, Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture: Baby Boy (Nominated)^[6]
  • 2002, Outstanding Performance in a Variety Show: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (Nominated)^[6]

• Literary Awards
  • 2011, Best Writer, African-American Literary Award, Category: Self-Help, "How To Get Out of Your Own Way" (Nominated)

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Tyrese Gibson

• Tyrese Gibson at the Internet Movie Database
• Tyrese Gibson at AllRovi

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (April 2012)

Omar Epps
Epps at the L.A. Confidential/Belvedere/Water Club/Sapporo Emmy Party, September 20, 2008
Born	Omar Hashim Epps[1] (1973-07-20) July 20, 1973 (age 38)[1] Brooklyn, New York, U.S.[1]
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1989–present
Spouse	Keisha Epps (2006–present)

Omar Hashim Epps (born July 20, 1973) is an American actor, singer, songwriter, and record producer.^[1] His film roles include Major League II, Juice, Higher Learning, Scream 2, The Wood, In Too Deep, and Love and Basketball.^[2] Epps' television work includes the role of Dr. Dennis Gant on the US medical drama series ER, and since 2004 Dr. Eric Foreman on the Fox medical drama series House.

Personal life[link]

Epps was born in Brooklyn, New York.^[1] His parents divorced during his childhood and he was raised by his mother, Bonnie Maria Epps, an elementary school principal.^[3][4] He lived in several neighborhoods while growing up (Bedford-Stuyvesant, East New York and Flatbush).^[5] Before he started acting, he belonged to a rap group called Wolfpack which he formed with his cousin in 1991. He began writing poetry, short stories and songs at the age of ten and attended the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts.^[1]

Epps has a daughter, Aiyanna, from a previous relationship. He married Keisha Spivey from the R&B group Total in 2006. They live in California with daughter K'mari Mae (born July 2004) and son Amir (born 25 December 2007).

Career[link]

Epps at the Paley Center for Media, Beverly Hills, California, on June 17, 2009

Early in Epps's career, he was most often cast in the roles of troubled teens and/or athletes. He made his feature film debut with rapper Tupac Shakur as the star of cinematographer Ernest Dickerson's directorial film debut Juice.^[6] The film is the violent and tragic story of four young men growing up in Harlem.

Epps followed up his performance in Juice as a running back in the college football drama The Program alongside James Caan.

Epps starred in the film "Deadly Voyage" produced by John Goldschmidt for HBO Pictures and BBC Films, and won the best actor award at the Monte Carlo Television Festival for portraying Kingsley Ofusu in this true story about African stowaways.

The following year, he switched to baseball as co-star of Major League II, taking over the role of Willie Mays Hayes from originator Wesley Snipes. His next athletic endeavor was playing a track and field star in John Singleton's Higher Learning, a look at the politics and racial tensions of college life.

Epps landed a role on the hit television drama ER for several episodes portraying Dr. Dennis Gant, a troubled surgical intern. After his television work on ER, Epps returned to the big screen in 1997 with a brief turn as a giddy moviegoer on a date with a woman played by Jada Pinkett, who ends up an early victim of a psycho slasher in the blockbuster sequel Scream 2. Also in 1997 Epps was the star of the fact-based HBO movie First Time Felon. Epps played a small-time criminal who goes through Chicago's boot camp reform system and undertakes a heroic flood rescue, only to then be faced with the adjustment of re-entering society with the mark of ex-con. In 1999 Epps was cast as Linc in The Mod Squad.

While The Mod Squad proved a critical and box office bust, Epps's later 1999 effort The Wood offered him a serious and multi-dimensional role. Following a group of middle-class African-Americans from youth to adulthood, The Wood, the debut effort from director-screenwriter Rick Famuyiwa, co-starred Richard T. Jones and Taye Diggs and received a push from co-producers MTV Films that ensured turnout of a sizable youth audience. Also in 1999, Epps was featured alongside Stanley Tucci and LL Cool J, playing an undercover detective who finds himself dangerously caught up in the illegal goings-on he is investigating in In Too Deep. 1999 also saw him lens the 1950s set murder mystery When Willows Touch, with James Earl Jones and Jada Pinkett Smith.

In 2000, Epps starred in Love & Basketball, featuring Alfre Woodard and Sanaa Lathan. He portrayed Quincy, the NBA hopeful who has a stormy relationship with an equally adept female basketball star Monica (Sanaa Lathan). The actor held supporting roles in a series of films including Dracula 2000, Big Trouble, and the telepic Conviction. In this year he also had a leading role as a gangster in Brother, a movie by acclaimed Japanese actor/director Takeshi Kitano.

In 2004, Epps landed the role of drug-dealer-turned-prizefighter Luther Shaw who falls under the tutelage of boxing promoter Jackie Kallen (Meg Ryan) in the biopic Against the Ropes.

Epps was a character in the video game Def Jam Fight for NY in 2004.

Also in 2004, Epps returned to television medical drama with his role as Dr. Eric Foreman on the US Fox television series House. The role earned him a NAACP Image Award in 2007 and 2008 for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series.

Filmography[link]

Discography[link]

2004: Omar Epps Presents...The Get Back.^[8]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Omar Epps

• Omar Epps at the Internet Movie Database
• Omar Epps on Twitter

Jesse McCartney
McCartney after performance on the "Regis & Kelly Live" show, April 7, 2009.
Background information
Born	(1987-04-09) April 9, 1987 (age 25) Ardsley, New York, United States
Genres	Pop, R&B, pop rock
Occupations	Singer-songwriter, actor, voice actor
Years active	1998–present
Labels	Hollywood
Associated acts	Dream Street, Tricky Stewart, The-Dream
Website	Official website

Jesse McCartney (born April 9, 1987) is an American singer-songwriter, actor, and voice actor. McCartney achieved fame in the late 1990s on the daytime drama All My Children as JR Chandler. He later joined boy band Dream Street, and eventually branched out into a solo musical career. Additionally, McCartney has appeared on shows such as Summerland and Greek. McCartney also is known for lending his voice as Theodore in Alvin and the Chipmunks and its sequels, as well as voicing the characters Roxas and Ventus in the video games series Kingdom Hearts developed by Square Enix.

Early life[link]

McCartney was born on April 9th in Westchester, New York, the son of Ginger (née Sarber) and Scott McCartney.^[1] He began performing in local community musicals at the age of seven, before joining the national tour of The King and I at age ten along with Phil of the Future star Ricky Ullman. Here he played the character of Louis. In 1998, he sang with the group Sugar Beats and can be heard on their 1998, 1999, and 2000 CD releases.^[2]

Music career[link]

1999–2002: Dream Street[link]

In 1999, McCartney joined the American pop boy band Dream Street, and was a member until 2002. Jesse McCartney has described the experience as a good "stepping stone" for his solo career.^[3] The group earned a gold record with their debut CD. At fifteen, he began work on a solo career with a local band, featuring musicians Dillon Kondor (guitar), Peter Chema (bass), Katie Spencer (keyboards), Alex Russeku (drums), Karina LaGravinese (background vocals), Sharisse Francisco (background vocals), and under the management of Ginger McCartney and Sherry Goffin Kondor, who co-produced his first album, Beautiful Soul.

McCartney released his first solo EP in July 2003. The album featured three songs: "Beautiful Soul", "Don't You", "Why Don't You Kiss her". In 2004, he performed a duet with Anne Hathaway, "Don't Go Breaking My Heart", which is featured on the Ella Enchanted soundtrack.

[edit] 2004–2006: Beautiful Soul and Right Where You Want Me

McCartney at a Bryant Park performance, June 24, 2005

McCartney's debut solo album, Beautiful Soul, which was two years in the making, was released on September 28, 2004 in the United States and over a year later in Europe.^[4] He categorized it as a "pop record" with twists of urban.^[5] The album featured four songs that he co-wrote.^[6] Beautiful Soul reached number 15 on the Billboard 200.^[7] The album has been certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America, denoting over one million units of shipment to US retailers; it is his highest-certified album as of early 2009.^[8] As of mid-2006, the album had sold more than 1.5 million copies.^[6] The album's lead single of the same name reached number 16 on the Billboard Hot 100.^[9] McCartney was one of the artist with multiple awards at the 2005 Teen Choice Awards, winning Choice Crossover Artist, Choice Male Artist and Choice Breakout, Male.^[10] The following year, he won Favorite Male Singer at the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards.^[6]

His first headlining tour, also named Beautiful Soul, began on May 2, 2005 at the Crest Theatre in Sacramento, California.^[5] The United States portion of the tour spanned 56 stops, ending on September 10, 2005 at the Madera District County Fair in Madera, California. In the fall of 2005, McCartney toured Australia, and opened for the Backstreet Boys in Europe in the summer of 2005. His July 9 performance at California's Great America in Santa Clara, California was recorded, released as Live: The Beautiful Soul Tour in November 2005.^[4]

After the filming of Keith wrapped, McCartney began working on his second album, Right Where You Want Me, co-writing all but one of the songs featured in it.^[6][11] Right Where You Want Me is more mature than his debut, reflecting his musical and personal growth since he recorded his debut album at age 15.^[4] Released by Hollywood Records on September 19, 2006, the album reached number 14 on the Billboard 200.^[7] The lead single of the album, "Right Where You Want Me", began receiving airplay on July 11, 2006. Although he did not launch a full tour, he did various promotional shows in Italy and the United States.

Relationship with Disney[link]

He has contributed to numerous Disney soundtracks including Disneymania 2, Radio Disney Jingle Jams, A Cinderella Story, That's So Raven, Stuck in the Suburbs, Lizzie McGuire Total Party!, Disneymania 3, Sydney White, Radio Disney Jams, Vol. 7, Radio Disney Jams, Vol. 8, DisneyMania 4, Hannah Montana, Radio Disney: Party Jams, That's So Raven Too!, Radio Disney Jams, Vol. 9, Radio Disney Jams, Vol. 11, and The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement.

McCartney also appeared on the Disney Channel teen sitcoms The Suite Life of Zack and Cody and Hannah Montana. McCartney is also voice of Terrence in the Tinker Bell franchise.

[edit] 2007–2009: Songwriting and Departure

In the fall of 2007, McCartney co-wrote the hit song "Bleeding Love" with Ryan Tedder of OneRepublic, produced by McCartney and Tedder for McCartney's third album, but gave it away to English singer Leona Lewis for her debut album, Spirit. The song was nominated for Record of the Year at the 2009 Grammy Awards.^[12] McCartney recorded his own version, which was released on some editions of his Departure album.

McCartney performing in Metairie, Louisiana on February 15, 2009

McCartney released his third album, Departure, on May 20, 2008 in the United States and Canada. Musically, it is a departure from his early works, showcasing more mature themes.^[13] The album has reached number 14 on the Billboard 200.^[7]

The album's lead single, "Leavin'", was released in March 2008, and reached number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100, giving McCartney his highest-charting single to date.^[9] The single was certified platinum by the RIAA, selling over two million downloads on iTunes, becoming McCartney's highest-certified single as of early 2009.^[8] The second single, "It's Over", was released on August 26, 2008, and reached #62 on the Hot 100. McCartney promoted Departure on a co-headlining tour with Jordin Sparks, which began in August 2008 and ended in September. He also did solo shows at theaters and small venues to support the album while on tour with Sparks. McCartney's 2008 summer tourmate, American Idol season six winner Jordin Sparks, approached him to write some material for her.^[14]

McCartney re-released Departure on April 7, 2009. The re-release, Departure: Recharged, featured four new songs: "Body Language", "Oxygen", "Crash & Burn" and "In My Veins". The re-release also features a remix of "How Do You Sleep?" with rapper-actor Ludacris. The third single from the album was released from the re-release and was the remix of "How Do You Sleep?". It was much more successful than the second single, reaching #26 on the Hot 100, The fourth and final single from the album was also released from the re-release and was a new version of "Body Language" featuring T-Pain. The single reached #35 on the Hot 100.

[edit] 2010–present: Have It All

McCartney stated that his fourth album will have a similar sound to Departure but will be more R&B and urban-influenced than his third album. It was confirmed through McCartney's Twitter account that the album finished recording and production on August 13, 2010. He also confirmed August 16, 2010 that the first single is titled "Shake", which is playable on Tap Tap Revenge for iPhone & iPod Touch since September 6, 2010. The single was released through Digital Download on September 21, 2010 ^[15] and peaked at #54 on the Billboard Hot 100. 'Have It All' was set to be released on December 28, 2010 but McCartney announced through his Facebook account that he pushed back the release date for the album. In 2011, McCartney returned to the studio to work on new material for the album.

Other ventures[link]

Acting career[link]

McCartney appeared with The Who's Roger Daltrey in A Christmas Carol at Madison Square Garden. From 1998–2001, McCartney played Adam Chandler, Jr. in the ABC soap opera All My Children, a role for which he earned two Young Artist Awards and two Daytime Emmy Award nominations.^[16] He also later starred in the short-lived series Summerland, which aired on The WB for two seasons, playing orphaned teenager Bradin Westerly.

McCartney at the 2010 Tribeca Film Festival premiere of Beware the Gonzo.

In 2005, McCartney appeared as himself in the Disney Channel show, The Suite Life of Zack & Cody. In 2007, he starred as himself in the Disney Channel show, Hannah Montana. In 2008, McCartney was also featured as the voice of Horton Hears A Who!'s JoJo McDodd. McCartney also voiced Theodore in the 2007 film Alvin and the Chipmunks and the 2009 film Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel, in addition to voicing Terence in the 2008 film Tinker Bell. He also voices Robin in the Young Justice series.

In 2008, McCartney co-starred along with Elisabeth Harnois in an independent teenage drama feature film, Keith, directed by Todd Kessler. It is his movie debut, and features McCartney in the title role. Keith was released on September 19, 2008.

According to Entertainment Weekly in December 2008, McCartney was negotiating to play against type in the role of the Fire Nation's Prince Zuko in M. Night Shyamalan's feature film adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender.^[17] In February 2009, British actor Dev Patel replaced McCartney, whose tour dates conflicted with a boot camp scheduled for the cast to train in martial arts.^[18] McCartney has expressed an interest in directing and producing films and even considered enrolling in a film school.^[19]

McCartney appeared as a recurring character in the ABC Family series Greek for several episodes playing a star football talent who joins Kappa Tau. His character eventually decides to depledge the fraternity after citing pressures between football and Greek life combined with Rusty stealing his girlfriend Jordan.

McCartney also worked in several installments of the Square Enix video game series Kingdom Hearts. He was featured as Roxas in Kingdom Hearts II in 2006, and reprised the role in 2009 in Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days. He also provided the voice work for Ventus, a character in the video game of the same series Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep.

McCartney confirmed in early February 2011 via twitter and on the website Perezhilton.com that he will have a major role on the new Fox pilot "Locke and Key". In May 2011, Fox announced that it would not be picked up to the series.

McCartney also starred in the horror film Chernobyl Diaries, released on May 25, 2012.

Fragrance[link]

In June 2011, McCartney introduced a new women's fragrance called Wanted By Jesse.^[20]

Philanthropy[link]

In 2005, McCartney participated in "Come Together Now", a charity single to benefit the victims of the 2004 Asian Tsunami and the 2005 Hurricane Katrina.

Later in 2005, McCartney signed on as an official supporter of Little Kids Rock,^[21] a nonprofit organization that provides free musical instruments and instruction to children in underserved public schools throughout the U.S.A. He sits on LKR's Honorary Board of Directors.

He has donated proceeds of his 2005 tour for disaster relief, recorded radio spots promoting the "Kids For A Drug-Free America" campaign, is a spokesperson for the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, and is involved in the charity SPACE, which was co-founded by a childhood friend of his mother's. McCartney performed at the Hope Rocks concert in 2005 to benefit the City of Hope Cancer Center.^[22] He appeared in the Concert for Hope October 25, 2009 with Miley Cyrus and Demi Lovato.^[23]

Filmography[link]

Films[link]

Television[link]

Video games[link]

Discography[link]

• Beautiful Soul (2004)
• Right Where You Want Me (2006)
• Departure (2008)
• Have It All (2012)

Tours[link]

• 2004/2005: Beautiful Soul Tour
• 2005: Backstreet Boys: Never Gone Tour
• 2006/2007: Right Where You Want Me Tour
• 2008: Departure Mini-Tour
• 2008: Jesse & Jordin LIVE Tour
• 2009: Headlining Tour
• 2009: New Kids on the Block: Full Service Summer Tour

Awards and nominations[link]

• 1998: Nomination: Grammy Award for Best Children's Album (for How Sweet It Is as part of the Sugar Beats)
• 2001: Nomination: Soap Opera Digest Award – Outstanding Child Actor
• 2001: Nomination: Daytime Emmy – Outstanding Younger Actor in a Drama Series
• 2002: Won: Young Artist Award – Best performance in a Daytime TV Series – Young Actor
• 2002: Nomination: Daytime Emmy – Outstanding Younger Actor in a Drama Series
• 2005: Won: Teen Choice Awards – Choice Male Artist^[10]
• 2005: Won: Teen Choice Awards – Choice Breakout Artist – Male^[10]
• 2005: Won: Teen Choice Awards – Choice Crossover Artist^[10]
• 2005: Nomination: MTV Video Music Awards – Best Pop Video for "Beautiful Soul"
• 2005: Won: Radio Disney Music Awards – Best Song to Put on Repeat
• 2005: Nomination: American Music Awards – Best New Artist
• 2005: Won: Radio Disney Music Awards – Best Karaoke Song
• 2005: Won: Radio Disney Music Awards – Best Male Singer
• 2006: Won: Kids Choice Awards Award – Favorite Male Singer^[6]
• 2006: Won: TRL Awards Italy – Best "Tear" Award
• 2007: Nomination: Kids Choice Awards Award Italy – Best International Artist
• 2007: Nomination: TRL Awards Italy – Best Male Singer
• 2007: Nomination: TRL Awards Italy – Best Video for "Just So You Know"
• 2007: Nomination: Kids Choice Awards Award – Favorite Male Singer
• 2007: Won: Radio Disney Music Awards – Best Male Singer
• 2008: Nomination: TRL Awards Italy – Man of the Year
• 2008: Nomination: Teen Choice Awards – Choice Male Artist
• 2008: Nomination: Teen Choice Awards – Choice Most Fanatic Fans
• 2008: Nomination: Teen Choice Awards – Choice Summer Song (Leavin')
• 2009: Won: Starshine Music Awards – Best Male Artist
• 2009: Won: Kids Choice Awards – Best Male Singer
• 2009: Nomination: Teen Choice Awards – Choice Love Song (How Do You Sleep?)
• 2009: Won: 26th Annual ASCAP Pop Music Award – Song of the Year (Songwriter for Leona Lewis' "Bleeding Love")
• 2010: Won: Kids Choice Awards – Best Movie (Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel)
• 2010: Won: Giffoni Award – Giffoni Film Festival
• 2012: Won: Kids Choice Awards – Favorite Movie (Alvin and the Chipmunks:CHIPWRECKED)

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Jesse McCartney

• Official website
• Jesse McCartney at the Internet Movie Database
• Jesse McCartney at Allmusic