Carly Rae Jepsen
Canadian singer/songwriter Carly Rae Jepsen released the hit single ‘Call Me Maybe,’ which topped the charts in more than a dozen countries in 2012.
Synopsis
Singer/songwriter Carly Rae Jepsen was born on November 21, 1985, and grew up in Mission, British Columbia. She debuted on the pop music scene in 2008 with Tug of War. In February 2012, Jepsen released the EP Curiosity, which included the chart-topping hit "Call Me Maybe." Also in 2012, she was signed to School Boy Records, an American label partly run by Justin Bieber. Jepsen went on to star in Broadway's Cinderella, and released her third album, Emotion, in 2015.
Background and Early Career
Singer-songwriter Carly Rae Jepsen was born in Mission, British Columbia, Canada, on November 21, 1985. After graduating from the Heritage Park Secondary School, Jepsen began performing in the nearby city of Vancouver. A few years later, in 2007, she starred as a contestant on the reality television show Canadian Idol, becoming one of the season's final three contestants. Jepsen's musical inspirations include pop singer Natalie Imbruglia, whose acclaimed 1997 song "Torn" was covered by Jepsen on Canadian Idol.
No. 1 Single
Jepsen formally debuted on the music scene in 2008 with Tug of War, a pop album that includes the singles "Bucket" and the title track, as well as a rendition of John Denver's "Sunshine on My Shoulder." In February 2012, she released the EP Curiosity. The album features the single, "Call Me Maybe," which rapidly became a pop-culture sensation, topping the charts in more than a dozen countries. Jepsen performed "Call Me Maybe" on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon in June 2012. Following the show, she recorded a video performance of the song—along with Jimmy Fallon and his house band, The Roots—which was viewed by millions of fans on YouTube, to add to the hundreds of millions of views for the track's official music video.
Curiosity also includes Jepsen's rendition of the Joni Mitchell song "Both Sides Now." According to Jepsen, her musical style is folk-pop, calling herself the "flower child of pop."
Jepsen was eventually signed to Interscope-affiliated record label School Boy Records, which was founded by Scooter Braun in 2007, and is run in part by pop superstar Justin Bieber. She released the full-length album Kiss in September 2012, which featured her massive hit, as well as the single "Tonight I'm Getting Over You."
Broadway and 'Emotion'
For several months in 2014, Jepsen took on the lead role in the revamped version of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella. The following year saw the release of Jepsen's third album, Emotion, an exuberant ode to '80s synth pop that features production and songwriting from the likes of Sia Furler, Shellback, Tegan and Sara and Rostam Batmanglij of the band Vampire Weekend. Lead singles from the collection include "Run Away With Me" and the Top 40 hit "I Really Like You," with a dancing-in-the-streets music video featuring actor Tom Hanks.
