Ages: 16 & Over

ARTIST INFO
Jesse McCartney has cracked an untapped code for himself—a code for promoting joy andwellbeing. The pop star’s pursuit of radical defiance refuses to stick to anyone’s expectations. His followup to 2021’s New Stage, All’s Well (due March TK, 2024) is a fun, supple, and fascinating step on the multi-talented multi-hyphenate’s journey of expressing a true self beyond the expectations and demands—equal parts vintage Hall and Oates, postmodern swag, and honeymoon sincerity packaged in that undeniable McCartney charm.

McCartney has spent the last two and a half decades evolving in the public eye, from kicking off with boy band Dream Street, launching a solo career teeming with nostalgic hits, landing memorable TV and film roles, and even became an award-winning video game voice actor. As a solo artist, he rapidly established himself as a pop smash: His solo debut went platinum, he’s had Gold and Platinum singles both in the US and internationally, and even co-wrote a quadruple-platinum, Grammy-nominated single for Leona Lewis. Through it all, he’s worked to conjure a future he could really revel in, something truly his own rather than any trite, traditional pop career.

With All’s Well, McCartney continues that quest with a vengeance, four tracks that carry through that instantly recognizable voice but reach new soulful, swanky depths. McCartney teamed with producer Morgan Taylor Reid for three of the tracks, including lead single “Faux Fur”, taking the initial sketches and pushing them to their horn, string, and synth-laden glory via live band. Elsewhere, the EP’s second single, The Eleven-produced “Make a Baby”, is a pitch-perfect blend of ‘00s Timbaland beat-making and modern pop R&B flow, with pop rap sensation Yung Gravy offering a verse on an alternate version.

Throughout, All’s Well finds McCartney relishing the freedom he’s found as an independent artist over his last two records. “I’ve discovered that there’s no rules and I’m capable of doing everything,” he says. “I tend to care less about what people think now, because at the end of the day you have to be proud of what you’ve done, and the things you’ve made. Now I understand what authenticity means to me.”