Just hours after performing in Philadelphia, singer/actor Jesse McCartney was back on stage on Sunday evening, but a few things had changed. He traded the City of Brotherly Love for Atlantic City and an intimate concert venue for The Pool at Harrah’s Resort and Casino, arguably the city’s hottest nightclub.
But a rabid crowd full of JM fans? That’s something that stayed exactly the same.
McCartney’s concert at The Pool was part of his residency at the nightclub in addition to his latest tour for In Technicolor, his fourth album released July 22. Clad in black pants and a color-blocked geometric jacket, McCartney hit the stage in front of (mostly female) fans with outstretched arms holding inflatable nightsticks. His set was all about In Technicolor, as he performed his latest hits including “Superbad” and “Back Together” while partygoers danced the night away under the club’s translucent dome.
The Source was on the scene at Harrah’s and had a chance to speak with McCartney before he took the stage.
Things have certainly changed since McCartney released Beautiful Soul back in 2004. He worked on In Technicolor for two years and has never been prouder, primarily because he released it himself through his own record label Eight0Eight Records.
“There was a lot of political stuff that went on before that, with record companies and all that, but I’m finally free of any major label,” McCartney says. “It’s very exciting and liberating to put out an album on your own without anybody telling you what to say or how to sound.”
There’s little doubt that McCartney’s latest effort feels very different from his debut album a decade ago. But that was a different time and it’s clear McCartney is finally able to come into his own. Pop-beats have been replaced by a retro-vibe, a nod to the music of the ’70s and ’80s that he grew up listening to.
“I wanted to make an album that was reflection of what I grew up listening to as a kid,” he says. “Kool and the Gang, Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, Prince — they all made such a big impact on my life growing up and this was always the kind of music I wanted to make. This album is finally the chance where I got to express that.”
McCartney says “In Technicolor” was a natural fit when it came to the album’s name.
“My theory is that we’re all in a black and white world until you meet that somebody that brings the color into your world,” he says. “We’re only here for a short amount of time and you’re always looking for somebody that is going to see you for what your worth and accept you.”
Collaboration with other artists has always been important to McCartney, and that shows yet again on In Technicolor. He wrote “Back Together” with pop-punk band Hot Chelle Rae. “That would become the template song for the rest of the album,” he says. “It was the moment I realized wow, this is what the album should sound like.”
On the list of artists he’d like to collaborate with in the future? “I’d love to work with Drake at some point down the line,” McCartney says. “He’s one of my favorite rap artists out there.”
He’d also love to get back in the studio with T-Pain, who he worked with on “Body Language” back in 2009. “I think T-pain is one of those underrated talents that everyone thinks is a cheap shot for some reason, but he’s an amazing singer and I think he’s so talented,” McCartney says.
As far as what’s next, McCartney wants to keep touring. “I think traveling around the country and really hammering the album home is what will make an album successful,” he says.
McCartney also reveals something exciting for the end of the year — he’s headed back to the small screen. Since he’s still in the middle of signing contracts, he won’t release much but hints that “it’s more comedic-based.”
No matter what it is, 2014 is shaping up to be McCartney’s year.
