Dream Street may have been short-lived, but the bond between the boy banders lives on.
More than a year after singer Chris Trousdale's death, fellow member Jesse McCartney spoke with E! News about the incredible loss and the nostalgia he feels about the group.
"With Chris' passing, it was a terrible thing," he shares.
Following Chris' death in June 2020, The Masked Singer alum penned an Instagram post to explain that Chris, who will be remembered for his "explosively charming personality" and "boundless amounts of talent," passed away at age 34 due to complications from COVID-19.
Soon after, Jesse reunited with Matt Ballinger, Frankie Galasso and Greg Raposo for a virtual tribute performance of their 20-year-old song "It Happens Every Time."
"I wish it was under better circumstances that we were able to come together," Jesse, 34, now tells E! News of the reunion last June. "That was really nice and sort of brought me back and made me feel very nostalgic. And I think a lot of people felt that way."
He continues, "It was such a great part of my youth, even though we were very short-lived. So, it was tragic and sad, but also had this, like, silver lining."
As for any upcoming plans with Dream Street, Jesse says, "I don't know if we're going to tour. We definitely promised each other we're going keep in touch more and see each other."
Dream Street was disbanded in 2002 and Jesse launched his solo career with his debut album, Beautiful Soul, in 2004.
Though it's been seven years since his last album, Jesse just dropped his new single "Kiss the World Goodbye" on July 21. Fans will finally get to hear the rest of New Stage this fall. The album has been waiting in the wings for over a year, because he finished it in January 2020 but held off on releasing it due to the pandemic.
"Most of this album is quite introspective and reflective and kind of subtle and very organic sounding," the artist explains. "It has this very sort of Bonnie and Clyde, us-against-the-world kind of feel."
He points to "Internet trolls" as some of his inspiration for "Kiss the World Goodbye," saying, "We wrote this song about people who go on the Internet and just pontificate anything that pops into their brain about you and your relationship, or you and the girl that you're dating."
Jesse goes on, "You hear it in the first verse. It doesn't matter what anybody says. At the end of the day, we're happy. You're my person and I'm your person."
He and his person—Katie Peterson—are actually in the midst of preparing for their dream wedding this fall. He says they are planning to tie the knot in the upscale coastal town of Carmel, Calif., sometime in October with about 150 guests.
"I'm jumping in the car and we're driving to go look at suits," he says. "I don't know that many things. I've been working on my music and Katie has been in charge of everything."
Most of it will be a surprise to the groom: "I haven't seen her dress. The first time I'm going to see it is when she walks down the aisle. We're not doing any photos before... I'm just excited to try the cake. I get to be in charge of that and the music—of course, the music."
Together, he and Katie starred in "The Quarantined Couple" comedy skits during the pandemic, as they spent time trying to do "stuff that made us happy." In reality, that meant, "We also spent a lot of time in the kitchen eating grilled cheese."
Listen to his latest single here.