The very definition of a new millennium pop star, Carly Rae Jepsen needed just one, multi-platinum, multi-media smash hit in “Call Me Maybe” to become a household name, but whether she can hold on to that stardom remains to be seen. Canadian Carly Rae Jepsen was born on November 20, 1985, in the town of Mission, British Columbia, and studied musical theater at the Canadian College of Performing Arts. Jepsen’s first taste of fame came in 2007 as a contestant in the fifth season of Canadian Idol, where she placed third overall, and participated the ensuing concert tour. The following year, Jepsen released her Canada-only debut album, Tug of War, to only moderate success, giving every indication that her career prospects were perhaps already fizzling out. But Jepsen carried on working on new material with fellow songwriters and, in September of 2011, released the aforementioned breakthrough single that would change everything. Within weeks, the flirty, irresistible “Call Me Maybe” had drawn the attention of teen superstar Justin Bieber and his manager Scooter Braun, who helped fast-track Carly Rae’s career to major label priority on a global scale. As a result, “Call Me Maybe” became the hit of the summer of 2012, reaching number one in numerous countries and selling nearly 20 million digital and physical units worldwide. Jepsen’s accompanying sophomore album, Kiss, also became one of the year’s biggest success stories, but neither its follow-up singles, nor Jepsen’s third studio album, Emotion, have matched her biggest achievement. Nevertheless, Jepsen continues to write, record and tour, while taking on roles in her first love, musical theater, and secure in the fact that those who counted her out have already been proven wrong once.
Selected Discography: Tug Of War (2008), Kiss (2012), E•MO•TION (2015)
Related Artists: Owl City, Katy Perry, Sky Ferreira
Further Reading: Carly Rae Jepsen Runs Away With Album of the Year in E•MO•TION, Carly Reveals Her Favorite Song On Her New Album, Carly Rae Jepsen Sings of Unrequited Love on ‘Your Type’