Carly Rae Jepsen
Carly Rae Jepsen (born November 21, 1985)[2][3] is a Canadian singer, songwriter, and musician. After studying musical theatre for most of her school life and while in university, Jepsen garnered mainstream attention after placing third on the fifth season of Canadian Idol in 2007. In 2008, Jepsen released her folk-influenced debut studio album Tug of War in Canada before it was internationally released in 2011.
Carly Rae Jepsen
November 21, 1985
Mission, British Columbia, Canada
- Singer
- songwriter
- musician
- Vocals
- guitar
- keyboards
2007–present
544.7 thousand
6.9 million
Jepsen's breakthrough came in 2012 with her acclaimed single "Call Me Maybe", being declared the best-selling single of that year, selling over 18 million copies, reaching number one in more than 19 countries, and leading to major record deals with Schoolboy Records and Interscope Records. Jepsen's sophomore studio album, Kiss, released later that year and included the single "Good Time" with Owl City, charting in the top ten in Canada and the United States. In 2014, Jepsen made her Broadway theatre stage debut, playing the titular character in Cinderella for 12 weeks. The following year, she released her third studio album, Emotion, influenced by 1980s music, dance-pop and synth-pop, which included the singles, "I Really Like You", "Your Type" and "Run Away with Me". In 2016, Jepsen performed in the television special Grease: Live and voiced in the animated film Ballerina. In 2019, she released the Dance Club Songs number-one single "OMG" alongside Gryffin, and her fourth studio album, Dedicated, which included the singles "Party for One", "Now That I Found You", and "No Drug Like Me", along with a B-side follow-up titled Dedicated Side B a year later. Her sixth studio album, The Loneliest Time, which includes the singles "Western Wind", "Beach House" and the title track, a collaboration with Rufus Wainwright, was released in October 2022, and its companion album, The Loveliest Time, followed in July 2023.
Jepsen has received three Juno Awards, three Billboard Music Awards, and an Allan Slaight Award, in addition to nominations for the Grammy Awards, MTV Video Music Awards, Polaris Music Prize and People's Choice Awards.[4][5]
Biography
1985−2006: Early life and career beginnings
Jepsen was born on November 21, 1985, in Mission, British Columbia to Alexandra and Larry Jepsen, the second of their three children.[6] She is of Danish, English and Scottish descent.[7] Jepsen has an older brother, Colin, and a younger sister, Katie. She attended Heritage Park Secondary School and had a passion for musical theatre, appearing in student productions of Annie where she played Annie, Grease where she played Sandy Olsson, and The Wiz where she played Dorothy Gale.[8][9] Her parents and stepparents were teachers, so Jepsen considered a career in music instruction as a second option.[9][10] She applied to music-related programs, including those at Capilano University and the University of British Columbia, but on the advice of her high school drama teacher, she auditioned for the Canadian College of Performing Arts in Victoria, British Columbia and was one of 25 female students to gain admission into its year-long program in 2004.[10][11]
After graduation, Jepsen relocated to Vancouver's west side and held several jobs, including a barista, assistant pastry chef, and bartender. At this time, she slept on a pull-out sofa and wrote songs in her spare time.[12][13][14]
