Singer Jesse McCartney Engaged To Long-Time Girlfriend Katie Peterson
They've been together since 2012.
getty Remember a time when boy bands roamed the earth? Everywhere you went, posters of N*SYNC adorned the walls, you couldn’t go to the grocery store without hearing the Backstreet Boys, and anytime you got a whiff of cologne you wished you were with Nick Lachey from 98 Degrees. Even before these “modern day” boy bands, anyone who grew up in the 1980s was well aware of boy bands like New Edition and New Kids on the Block.
But perhaps one of the most forgotten boy bands was Dream Street. Most notably, it launched the solo career for singer Jesse McCartney. Aside from singing, he also landed acting roles on Law and Order: SVU, Summerland, Greek, All My Children, and provided voice work for Alvin and the Chipmunks and Young Justice.
And now, he can add 'future husband' to his list of accomplishments because last week, he proposed to his long-time girlfriend, Katie Peterson.
Who is Katie Peterson? Peterson is the creator the lifestyle blog, Rebel Blonde. According to her website, “Being the Rebel Blonde means doing things her way, and with her beach girl meets southern belle meets Hollywood hills makeup, she has a little something for everyone.” She’s also appeared in Step Up Revolution, Victorious, and Down With David.
The two have been dating for seven years and on Friday, September 13th, McCartney asked Peterson to marry him while having dinner at Wolfgang Puck‘s CUT Restaurant in Beverly Hills.
Says a source for People, “The couple was with a group of friends as McCartney got down on one knee. The whole restaurant fell silent as he asked her to marry him and went into a loud applause and cheered when she said yes! The couple celebrated with drinks as the night went on.” Chef Wolfgang Puck was also there!
The proposal also occurred on their relationship anniversary, and they spent the day together. They got mani/pedis, hand massages, and spent time at the spa.
It didn’t take long for both McCartney and Peterson to share the good news. “Locked it up” McCartney wrote on Instagram, while Peterson said, “SEVEN YEARS... and also forever.”
His new engagement comes on the tailend of his two recent tours, which Peterson accompanied him on. McCartney was on musical hiatus for four years, but released two singles in 2018, including “Better With You” and “Wasted.” At the beginning of 2019, he set off on The Better With You Tour and The Resolution Tour.
Earlier this year, Entertainment Tonight interviewed McCartney, where he opened up about his hiatus, making music again, and reconnecting with his loyal fans:
“This last year has been pretty unbelievable for me. It had been four years since I had put out any new music. I put out the song ‘Better With You’ and it really seemed to connect with my core audience and then some. That sort of triggered the demand for an essentially sold-out summer tour, and all of a sudden I was back in the gauntlet. I have been putting out new music, but I had no intention of making a whole album. I just wanted to make a collection of new songs that maybe people would like, with no sort of expectations or an end plan, and it seems like I am working towards a new album now... it’s been a whirlwind being able to reconnect with my audience and do it independently... It has been equally as rewarding...
The early fame thing shook my system. I got thrown into it and I wasn’t expecting it. I think I handled it relatively well. I owe that to the amazing team around me. That’s the thing, I’ve always had a solid group of people both in the industry and just family members and friends around me being my guardrails and keep me on the road. As I get older I do understand and realize what the important things are in life because trying to juggle a personal and professional life can be complicated. You do your best. This is the life I have and the life that I have been given. It’s a really great life. I am very grateful for all the things that I’ve been given, have, and the idea of being able to sing for a living is just unbelievable.
For me, the style hasn’t changed in that music strikes me in completely arbitrary places. Like, I will be in the back of a car, I’ll wake up out of a dream and I’ll think of something kinda cool and write it down. It’s the same process, I go into the studio to do the work and expand on an idea.
Production-wise, my sound has changed and it’s taken left and right turns. In the beginning, it was straight pop with ‘Beautiful Soul’ and early singer-songwriter pop sound in the early 2000s. Then I took a little detour in the middle, [added some R&B], and now I’m full circle. I think this ‘Better With You’ project definitely has this nostalgic sound to it and reminds people of the earlier stuff. I’m never afraid to take left and right turns and I do love contemporary sounds. At the heart of it, I think you can hear my personality in the stuff that I write...
I’m never afraid to take risks. I think right now, for me, I have never been more comfortable in my own skin. I think what audiences are getting now is the real, authentic me. I believe that when you’re 16 and 17 and putting out music, you don’t know yourself yet. You might be a good singer, but you don’t really feel that comfortability. You haven’t lived long enough, traveled, you haven’t met enough people, you haven’t been in enough relationships.”
Congratulations to the happy couple!
Samantha Maffucci is an editor for YourTango who focuses on writing trending news and entertainment pieces. In her free time, you can find her obsessing about cats, wine, and all things Vanderpump Rules.