I’d probably take Lauryn Hill. I’d feel like Amy Winehouse would do a line of coke off my back and Britney…I just can’t go there right now.
VIBE: For those who may already have a perception of you, describe the change in this album.
Jesse McCartney: I would say this is an R&B influence record with a very contemporary melody and somewhat of an 80s throwback sound. There was so much personal growth that I knew I had to change it up for me to just be comfortable. There’s a lot of shock value to this album, but in a cool way. When you listen to the previous records I’ve done, I feel like the impression hasn’t been made till now, which is the fact that I grew up listening to a lot of older, classic artists.
VIBE: Like who?
Aretha, Ray Charles, James Brown. Michael Jackson was the reason I started singing. I knew I wanted to do a more R&B record because that was my foundation and what I was best at, but it’s tough to get your point across…it takes awhile.
How was it working with Sean Garrett and The-Dream?
On paper it looks great and then when you meet them it’s like, “Oh man I’m really doing this.” Sean’s like a big brother to me now. I just talked to him a few days ago, he’s a mentor. “Rock You” was the first track we did together and I’m like “Wow! This is pretty extreme, but amazing”. Then he wrote this rap and I said “Sean, you know I’m not rapping.” So he did it and now it’s the two of us on the track.
On the first album you also had the remix to “She’s No You” with the Neptunes and [Fabolous]. What’s your take on hip hop fusing with pop so much these days? Is it something you want to continue with?
I think anything that moves you in any way whether it’s pop, R&B, urban, whatever, is good. When I heard Tim McGraw and Nelly do a song together first I said “What the fuck is this”, but then it was the biggest song of the year. It was groundbreaking and kind of opened the doors to have that happen again and again.
You said you listened to a lot soul, but were you ever a hip hop head?
Absolutely. When you grow up in white suburbia, every white kid listened to some rap record. I grew up listening to Tupac and Biggie records which are all classics.
How do you feel about making a 106 & Park transition?
I’m so comfortable in my skin. Nothing fazes me. I’ll say it, it’s true, it’s hard for any other white dude besides Justin Timberlake to pull off an R&B record, but I think this record is tasteful. The reaction has been incredibly positive and I think once you hear the album, you’re going to feel it.
If the fate of humanity rested on you and one of these women who would it be – Britney Spears, Lauryn Hill or Amy Winehouse?
I’d probably take Lauryn Hill. I’d feel like Amy Winehouse would do a line of coke off my back and Britney…I just can’t go there right now.
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