Jesse McCartney left his number for Katie on a napkin in 2012. This is his life now.

In 2004, posters of Jesse McCartney adorned the walls of teenage girls around the globe.

Somewhere between the time of NSYNC-era Justin Timberlake and the world’s collective obsession with Zac Efron in High School Musical, the American singer and songwriter burst onto the scene with his debut single, ‘Beautiful Soul’.

At the time, the then 16-year-old was so popular, he was mowed down by hordes of screaming fans during a mall meet-and-greet appearance.

"We got there, and they were like, 'We might have to shut the mall down. There are 8,000 people here and we don't really know how to get you in'," McCartney told Huffington Post in 2018.

"Immediately they started going down one by one – all the security guards… I'm helping them up," he added.

"It was like my first real experience with a sort of mania, but I wouldn't trade it for the world."

Seventeen years on from his rise to fame, there's still a lot of love for Jesse McCartney.

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Jesse McCartney's dating history.

With hoards of girls and women throwing themselves at him, it's safe to say that McCartney was not devoid of romance in his younger years.

One of his earliest relationships was with his Summerland co-star Sara Paxton from 2004 to 2005. He also briefly dated Miley Cyrus around this time, but the pair kept their romance largely under wraps.

He was linked to Arrow and Gossip Girl actress Katie Cassidy for nearly three years, ending in August 2007. He had brief romances with CSI: Crime Scene Investigation's Elisabeth Harnois, Danity Kane singer Aubrey O'Day, The Flash's Danielle Panabaker and Nashville's Hayden Panettiere.

He kept dating from 2010 to 2012, until he met his true 'beautiful soul', Katie Peterson.

Jesse McCartney's love story with wife Katie Peterson.

Peterson would go on to be McCartney's longest and most enduring love.

He encountered Peterson at a bar, and it was love at first sight. He left his number on a napkin for her, however crucially, forgot to include a major detail.

"I found her incredibly attractive and was just trying to charm her, but she wasn't having it," McCartney recalled of the pair's first meeting to People.

"I eventually left my number on a napkin and she said, 'You didn't write your name down on it!' And I was like, 'Oh, of course, she probably got a million of these tonight.' I had to write my name down on the napkin and then eventually the rest is history!"

After seven years together, the couple got engaged in September 2019. He proposed at Cut by Wolfgang Puck, at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Los Angeles.

The proposal was a romantic moment during dinner with friends, where McCartney got down on one knee and asked Peterson to marry him. The entire restaurant fell silent before erupting in applause when she said yes.

McCartney shared a photo of him and Peterson kissing on social media, writing, "Locked it up." She responded, "Seven years.. and also forever."

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A post shared by Jesse McCartney (@jessemccartney)

McCartney and Peterson planned to marry in 2020, but would not officially tie the knot until the following year, due to the coronavirus pandemic, which saw countries across the globe go into nationwide lockdowns.

They got married on October 23, 2021, seeing McCartney transition into the bliss of long-term commitment. They were wed in Carmel, California at the Santa Lucia Preserve, a week before Halloween.

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A post shared by Katie McCartney (@katie.laura.mccartney)

Their wedding was a fairytale-like celebration, complete with a string quartet, a 15-piece wedding band, and their dog Bailey walking down the aisle with a beautiful wreath collar.

It was a "floral-filled" ceremony and Peterson described the whole thing as "breathtaking".

"It's extremely whimsical and like a fairytale, truly," she said. "You're in the middle of the redwoods and these trees are like, 800 years old and they're massive. It's a very special place."

The pair had a floral theme. Image: Instagram

Interestingly enough, despite the hysteria that surrounded his global pop hit 'Beautiful Soul,' McCartney said he absolutely would not be performing it at his wedding.

"I think I'm going to get up and play. I don't know what, but it will not be 'Beautiful Soul.' It will probably be something that I've written or something that I've yet to write," he explained to Us Weekly.

"In the right setting, it's great. Don't get me wrong. I love playing 'Beautiful Soul' for the fans and on tour, but it might be a little cheesy at my wedding."

Sadly, McCartney stuck to his word and didn't give his bride a heartfelt rendition of 'Beautiful Soul', but he did perform his song 'Party of Two' - which he wrote and first sung for her the night they got engaged.

Their first dance together was to 'Lover' by Taylor Swift.

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Jesse McCartney is expanding his family.

McCartney and Peterson are the proud parents of their fur-child Bailey, but the couple recently had some big news to share: they are ready to embark on their biggest adventure yet—parenthood.

The pair produced a heartwarming Valentine's Day-themed photoshoot, posting a series of pictures on Instagram, including one where they formed a heart over Peterson's growing baby bump.

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A post shared by Jesse McCartney (@jessemccartney)

Surrounded by rose petals and sonograms labeled "Baby Mac", they revealed the due date as August 8, 2025.

The caption read, "Our lil Valentine… arriving 8/8 xo, JK," capturing the excitement and joy of this new chapter in their lives.

Just a month after announcing their pregnancy, Jesse McCartney and Katie Peterson shared another delightful moment with their fans by revealing the sex of their baby.

In a sweet video, they opened a wicker box containing a blue collar for their dog Bailey, indicating that they are expecting a boy. The video showed McCartney's surprise and happiness, while Peterson giggled and placed the collar on Bailey, ending with the couple embracing in happy tears.

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A post shared by Jesse McCartney (@jessemccartney)

Jesse McCartney from child pop star to movie star.

Although most people remember Jesse McCartney from his teenage years, the singer’s career actually began when he was just 10 years old.

After being introduced to a local community theatre production when he was seven, McCartney had his big break in theatre when he played the lead role in a Broadway play called The King and I.

Several years later, in 1999, McCartney became a part of short-lived American boy band Dream Street.

From 1999 to 2002, the band – complete with frosted tips, baggy pants and Britney Spears-esque headset mics – had an opening slot on Aaron Carter’s 2002 tour and even wrote a song for Pokemon: The Movie.

I need to know if anyone else distinctly remembers these two bands because 1999-2002 was lit as hell because of them. Also, you can’t call yourself a Jesse McCartney fan of you aren’t hip to Dream Street. pic.twitter.com/yCCW0ZqIMy

— Katieॐ (@K_rodd23) March 5, 2019

While the boy band didn't last longer than a few years, Jesse made lifelong friends in his bandmates - Matt Ballinger, Frankie Galasso, Greg Raposo and Chris Trousdale.

Dream Street, 2001. Image: Getty.

However, it wasn't until 2004 that McCartney shot to meteroric levels of fame, with his first solo album.

Titled Beautiful Soul and featuring a debut hit of the same title, the album soon reached number 15 on the Billboard 200 and landed the singer a number of awards including Choice Male Artist and Choice Breakout Male at the Teen Choice Awards in 2005.

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On September 28, 2004, I released an album called “Beautiful Soul” that changed my life forever. Here’s to you for listening, and to many more years of making music. All my love – J. #15years

A post shared by Jesse McCartney (@jessemccartney) on Sep 30, 2019 at 1:02pm PDT

Although McCartney’s debut is still considered his most successful album, he’s since released five more studio albums, two live albums and a number of EPs.

In 2007, McCartney also co-wrote Leona Lewis’ hit song ‘Bleeding Love’, which ended up hitting number one on the Billboard charts.

Alongside his career in music, McCartney has also had a strong career in television, appearing in Disney sitcoms The Suite Life of Zack & Cody and Hannah Montana as well as lending his voice as Theodore in Alvin and the Chipmunks and its sequels. He also appeared on Fear the Walking Dead and Major Crimes.

From 2004 to 2005, McCartney starred in American drama series Summerland. The series followed clothing designer Ava Gregory (Lori Loughlin) as she raised her niece and nephews after their parents passed away. The series, which ran for just two seasons, also starred Carmen Electra, Zac Efron and Sara Paxton.

Image: IMDB.

McCartney shared In Technicolor in 2014, and in 2021, he announced the release of his fifth album, New Stage.

"This album is such a big part of who I am at this very moment," he shared in a post to Instagram. "It‘s a musical journey that follows what it was like to be a young kid growing up in the industry all the way into his twenties. It also follows a hopeless romantic who finally finds himself in the relationship of his dreams.

"It has taken family, friends, and a whole lot of learning experiences to grow into the person I am today; someone who can look back, reflect, and feel the deepest sense of gratitude for the extremely fortunate life I have been given. I’m pulling back the curtain a little bit and giving you guys an idea of what it’s been like for me."

He continued: "I hope you enjoy listening to this project as much as I enjoyed writing it. There are an endless amount of people for whom I need to thank, as this was a collaborative effort, but for now, I just want to thank you, the listener, for giving that young kid an opportunity to share his talents, and the loyalty to stick by him after so many years."

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A post shared by Jesse McCartney (@jessemccartney)

Despite the hiatus, the 37-year-old's passion for music is still as vibrant as ever – and it's clear his fans are still keen to hear him.

In fact, 21 years later, the singer, who has 722,000 Instagram followers, is still selling out tours.

"I have the best job. I really do," he told The Huffington Post in 2017. "It's just the best gig ever."

This post was originally shared on December 3, 2019 and has been updated since.

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Feature Image: Instagram/katie.laura.mccartney.