Carly Rae Jepsen

Carly Rae Jepsen was born on November 21, 1985, in Mission, British Columbia, Canada, to Alexandra and Larry Jepsen, the second of three children. She has an older brother, Colin, and a younger sister, Katie, and is of Danish, English, and Scottish descent. Both her parents and stepparents worked as teachers. Jepsen attended Heritage Park Secondary School, where she developed a passion for musical theatre and appeared in student productions of Annie as Annie, Grease as Sandy Olsson, and The Wiz as Dorothy Gale. On the advice of her high school drama teacher, she auditioned for the Canadian College of Performing Arts in Victoria, British Columbia, and was among 25 female students admitted to its year-long program in 2004. After graduating, she relocated to Vancouver's west side, working as a barista, assistant pastry chef, and bartender while writing songs in her spare time.

In 2007, Jepsen's drama teacher again encouraged her, this time to audition for Canadian Idol, where she performed her original song "Sweet Talker." She finished third on the fifth season of the competition, a result she later considered the best possible outcome. That same year, her demo recordings attracted music manager Jonathan Simkin, who signed her to 604 Records. Her debut studio album, Tug of War, followed in September 2008, selling 10,000 copies in Canada. The singles "Tug of War" and "Bucket" each reached the top 40 of the Canadian Hot 100 and earned Gold certifications, while a duet with Josh Ramsay of Marianas Trench, "Sour Candy," served as the album's final single. In 2009, Jepsen toured western Canada alongside Marianas Trench and Shiloh.

Jepsen's career shifted dramatically in 2011 when she co-wrote and recorded "Call Me Maybe" with Josh Ramsay and Tavish Crowe. A promotion from Canadian pop singer Justin Bieber brought the track to international attention, and Bieber's manager Scooter Braun signed Jepsen to a joint worldwide recording contract with Schoolboy Records and Interscope Records. The single spent nine weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and topped charts in 19 countries, becoming the best-selling single of 2012 worldwide. At the 2012 Billboard Music Awards, Jepsen became the first Canadian recipient of the Rising Star Award, and "Call Me Maybe" received Grammy nominations for Song of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance at the 55th Annual Grammy Awards. Her second studio album, Kiss, released in September 2012, reached the top ten in Australia, the United Kingdom, Canada, and the United States, and included the singles "This Kiss" and "Tonight I'm Getting Over You," as well as the top-ten duet "Good Time," recorded with Owl City. At the Juno Awards of 2013, Kiss won Album of the Year and Pop Album of the Year, while "Call Me Maybe" won Single of the Year.

In the spring of 2014, Jepsen made her Broadway debut, playing the titular role in Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella for 12 weeks. That same year, she won the International Achievement Award at the SOCAN Awards alongside co-writers Josh Ramsay and Tavish Crowe.

In March 2015, Jepsen released "I Really Like You," the lead single from her third studio album, Emotion, which peaked at number 14 in Canada and in the top five in the United Kingdom. The album, released in June 2015, peaked at number eight in Canada and number 16 on the US Billboard 200, and featured collaborations with Rostam Batmanglij, Sia, Dev Hynes, Greg Kurstin, and Ariel Rechtshaid. A second single, "Run Away with Me," followed in July 2015, and Jepsen supported the album with the Gimmie Love Tour in November 2015. In 2016, she appeared in the television special Grease: Live and provided a voice in the animated film Ballerina.

In 2019, Jepsen released the Dance Club Songs number-one single "OMG" alongside Gryffin, as well as her fourth studio album, Dedicated, which included the singles "Party for One," "Now That I Found You," and "No Drug Like Me." A companion release, Dedicated Side B, followed a year later. Her sixth studio album, The Loneliest Time, featuring the singles "Western Wind," "Beach House," and a title-track collaboration with Rufus Wainwright, was released in October 2022. Its companion album, The Loveliest Time, arrived in July 2023.

Throughout her career, Jepsen has received three Juno Awards, three Billboard Music Awards, and an Allan Slaight Award. She has also received nominations for Grammy Awards, MTV Video Music Awards, the Polaris Music Prize, and People's Choice Awards. In March 2025, Billboard ranked her number 75 on its Top Women Artists of the 21st Century chart.