Carly Rae Jepsen is a Canadian singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Mission, British Columbia, Jepsen pursued a musical theatre program at the Canadian College of Performing Arts in Victoria, British Columbia. After completing her studies, she relocated to Vancouver and competed on the fifth season of Canadian Idol in 2007, placing third. In 2008, Jepsen released her folk-influenced debut studio album, Tug of War, in Canada.
Jepsen's breakthrough came in 2012, when her single "Call Me Maybe" achieved significant mainstream popularity; the song was the best-selling single of that year, reaching number one in 18 countries. As a result, she was signed to a joint worldwide record deal with School Boy Records and Interscope Records. Jepsen's second studio album, Kiss, was released later that year. It marked a greater shift into mainstream pop music and saw fair commercial success, reaching the top ten in Canada and the United States. In 2014, Jepsen made her Broadway stage debut as the titular character in Cinderella. The following year, she released her third studio album, Emotion. It is noted for its influence from 1980s music as well as blending dance-pop and synth-pop with indie sensibilities. While less commercially successful than Kiss, it saw the success of its lead single, "I Really Like You", and received wide critical acclaim. In 2016 Jepsen performed in the television special Grease: Live and lent her voice to the animated film Ballerina. Her fourth studio album, Dedicated, was released on May 17, 2019 and was similarly well-received by fans and critics. Jepsen released a follow-up album titled Dedicated Side B one year later.
Jepsen has received numerous awards and accolades, including three Juno Awards, a Billboard Music Award, and an Allan Slaight Award, as well as nominations for Grammy Awards, MTV Video Music Awards, Polaris Music Prize and People's Choice Awards. As of May 2015, Jepsen has sold over 25 million records worldwide.
