Jesse McCartney is not related to the other McCartney, but you couldn't be blamed for thinking he is related to Sir Paul.

That's because Jesse McCartney is the co-writer of one of the biggest songs on the planet, "Bleeding Love," by Leona Lewis.

Not bad for a 21-year-old known mostly for being a teenage heartthrob on shows such as "Summerland," "All My Children" and "Hannah Montana." "You never know what will be huge and what will never be heard," said McCartney, who will co-headline an Aug. 11 show at Abravanel Hall with "American Idol" winner Jordin Sparks.

McCartney wrote the song with another hot songwriter, Ryan Tedder, who fronts OneRepublic. Tedder has a long history of penning songs for other artists before his own band hit it big with "Apologize" - currently being performed by David Archuleta on the "American Idols LIVE Tour" - and "Stop and Stare."

It was the first song the pair wrote together, during a session writing for McCartney's album. First legendary music industy exec Clive Davis heard it, then Simon Cowell, the influential "Americal Idol" judge, passed it along to his mentee, young British singer Leona Lewis. "We thought Leona was a good choice," McCartney understated.

McCartney doesn't sing the song on his latest album, "Departure," but it's included as a bonus track on international editions of the album.

This will be the first co-headlining tour for McCartney, who broke out musically with his R&B-flavored pop hit "Beautiful Soul" in 2004. He said he is excited to tour with Sparks, who not only won "American Idol" but has become an established pop singer with recent hits like "Tattoo" and "No Air."

"She's an incredible performer," McCartney said. "She knows how to entertain the crowd."

While music has taken a front seat, McCartney still acts, and just signed a deal to reprise the voice of Theodore in the film "Alvin and the Chipmunks 2." He said appearing on "Hannah Montana" gained him new fans. "I see 4-year-olds jumping out of their car seats [now]," he said.

David Burger writes about popular music. Contact him at dburger@sltrib.com or 801-257-8620.

Jesse McCartney and Jordin Sparks

When » Aug. 11 at 7:30 p.m.

Where » Abravanel Hall, 123 W. South Temple, Salt Lake City

Tickets » $29.50 to $39.50 at Arttix.org or by calling 801-355-ARTS