
Jesse McCartney (part of Blackbox)
For some, it might come as a shock that earlier this year pop musician Jesse McCartney celebrated a decade in show business. Achieving his first break at the of age 12 in the short-lived tween boy band, Dream Street, the star capitalized on his all-American good looks and undeniable charisma. But it only took a short while for the precocious entertainer to leave the group, setting out to carve a credible career solo. Readers from a certain decade of growing-pains should readily recall the memorable 2004 smash “Beautiful Soul,” the consummate pop record in which the pre-pubescent teen crooned his way into the hearts of hormonal teens across America. Four years later, 2008 welcomed even more success for McCartney with the release of his solid hit, “Leavin’,” as well as co-writing the international best selling song of the year, “Bleeding Love” with uber-producer Ryan Tedder for British songstress Leona Lewis. Today McCartney describes his career trajectory so far as “a slow climb, almost like painting a picture instead of throwing the paint at the wall all at once.”