Jesse McCartney

Had anyone ever done less to earn the title “pop star” than Jesse McCartney did? For years the singer coasted on his boyish good looks and considerable financial backing from Disney, scoring only the most disposable of Radio Disney hits, but 2008 may be remembered as the year that McCartney finally earned his keep. Not only did he manage to distance himself from his embarrassing kiddie-pop roots and reinvent himself as a grown-up lothario a la Justin Timberlake and Ne-Yo, but he actually co-wrote one of the biggest hits of the year, Leona Lewis’ awesome, inescapable “Bleeding Love,” suggesting he’s a far bigger talent than his feeble voice lets on. He plays tonight as part of 103.7’s Kissmas Bash, with the third-tier synth pop band Metro Station, whose claim to fame issighsinger Trace Cyrus’ familial relationship to half-sister Miley. The Kissmas Bash begins tonight at 6:30 p.m. in the Eagles Ballroom.