Canadian pop star Carly Rae Jepsen, 26, became a popular name among teens when her song “Call Me Maybe” made it to the #1 spot on both the Billboard and Canadian Hot 100 last spring.
Jepsen’s career began in 2007 when she was a contestant on season five of Canadian Idol. While on the show, she made it to third place and performed on the Canadian Idol Top Three concert tour.
Shortly after, Jepsen signed with Fontana and Maple Music. While working with them she released her first album, Tug of War, on Sept. 30, 2008. Since then, the artist has been consistently producing and performing music while steadily increasing her fan base.
Jepsen’s latest project is the release of her album Kiss. This album came out on Sept. 18, 2012. Throughout this album, Jepsen continues to use traditional upbeat, electronic dance music as the foundation for her songs. “Call Me Maybe” appears on this album as well as a combination of new songs. “Good Time” has already claimed recognition on iTunes’s Top Singles list. She collaborated with Owl City on this song.
Justin Bieber, who had a large part in discovering her as an artist, accompanies her in “Beautiful.”
Not only do her songs have the ability to be stuck in your head for days on end, but Jepsen’s lyrics are also relatable to many of her teen listeners. She sticks with light-hearted themes like relationships and having fun.
Although, her lyrics are quite simple and repetitive. This is a smart marketing move, because it makes it easy for her songs to be memorable for even those individuals that are just flipping through the radio stations and aren’t necessarily a fan.
Her songs leave you tapping your foot and humming along, even if you refuse to admit that you find it catchy. Jepsen stayed consistent with the song stylings of her past hits, and she fell into a niche that is bound to do nothing but become pop music gold.
Critic’s Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Alexandra Townsend can be reached at staddancer@gmail.com