Carly Rae Jepsen (born November 21st 1985) is a Canadian singer, songwriter, and actress, born and raised in Mission, British Columbia.
Jepsen began writing music when she was a teenager, and has so far released five studio albums and two extended-plays during her career.
Jepsen first got her start in 2007, after placing third on Canadian Idol, and has since gone onto become a multi-platinum Grammy nominated artist, boasting mass critical acclaim for her work and having a Diamond certified single, Call Me Maybe, which has sold over 20 million copies worldwide.
Early life
Childhood
Jepsen was born to Alexandra Lanzarotta and Larry Jepsen, being the second of their three children; the eldest, Colin Jepsen, and the youngest Katie Jepsen.
Her parents divorced at a young age, but remained in contact to raise her and her siblings. Jepsen says she would live between both households and considers herself fortunate for the position she was in. Both Jepsen's parents and stepparents had a passion for music and were teachers; Jepsen had considered a career in music education as a second option because of them.
Jepsen states her family was 'extremely musical' and had encouraged her interest in the subject since she was young. Jepsen says she would sing all around the house, 'to the point of annoyance', and had been entered into a local talent show with her father's guidance at age seven, coming first place. At age nine, she wrote her first song, titled Cutting Down the Big Tree, with her mother's encouragement. Later, at age 17, Jepsen would be taught how to play guitar by her father.
Education
Jepsen attended Heritage Park Secondary School during her youth, and since a young age pursued a passion of musical theatre and singing by appearing in student productions of Annie, Grease, and The Wiz, playing the respective lead roles.
She applied to music-related programs for her later education, including those at Capilano University and the University of British Columbia. Her high school drama teacher, Beverly Holmes, persuaded her to audition for the Canadian College of Performing Arts in Victoria, British Columbia. She was one of 25 female students to gain admission into its year-long program, though part-way through realized her desire of making a musical career rather than acting and dancing.
Post-education
After graduation, Jepsen relocated to Vancouver's west side to peruse a career as a musician. Working several jobs, Jepsen described herself as 'on the edge of poverty' but during 'the happiest time in her life'; she slept on a pull-out sofa, wrote songs in her downtime with a guitar her parents gave her, and performed multiple gigs around the city. Whilst bartending at the Media Club, Jepsen once requested an extra-late shift to see Sia perform, prior to their later collaboration on Boy Problems.
Career
2004-06: Early career
Jepsen independtley released her first musical project in 2004 as a teenager, a short promotional extended-play titled Dear You. Jepsen states Dear You was the first 'proper' song she had written, about a boy at her high school, and had been taught by her father how to play the guitar whilst writing it.
Around the same time, Jepsen would be apart of Vancouver-based swing band, The Blue Morris 6, singing lead vocals. The band would release their first and only album, Swing Me, Blues Me in 2006, prior to Jepsen's appearance on Canadian Idol the following year.
2007: Canadian Idol
Jepsen appeared on the fifth season of Canadian Idol in 2007, finishing as a finalist in third place. Jepsen considered this the best possible outcome in retrospect, 'it was like all the exposure without the devilish contract at the end'. Jepsen had been persuaded by her drama teacher to take part in the show, and had performed her original song Sweet Talker during her audition.
2008: Tug of War
In June 2008, Jepsen released her debut single, Sunshine On My Shoulders, a cover of John Denver's 1971 track. The song would appear on her debut album, Tug of War, released in September 2008 in a distribution deal with MapleMusic Recordings.
2011-14: Call Me Maybe
2015-17: Emotion
2018-20: Dedicated
2020-present: Sixth studio album
Discography
Studio albums
- Tug of War (2008)
- Kiss (2012)
- Emotion (2015)
- Dedicated (2019)
- Dedicated Side B (2020)
- Sixth studio album - Upcoming (TBA)
Extended-plays
- Curiosity (2012)
- EMOTION SIDE B (2016)