Carly Rae Jepsen Biography

Carly Rae Jepsen (born November 21, 1985) is a Canadian recording artist and singer-songwriter from Mission, British Columbia. In 2007, she placed third in Canadian Idol season five's competition and was a part of the Canadian Idol Top 3 concert tour. Shortly after competing on Canadian Idol, she independently released her debut album, Tug of War, through MapleMusic Recordings on September 30, 2008. Three years later, she released a new single, titled "Call Me Maybe", on Canadian label 604 Records, which was followed by the release of an EP titled Curiosity on February 14, 2012. In February 2012, pop singer Justin Bieber referred her to his manager, Scooter Braun, who subsequently signed Jepsen to his Schoolboy Records label while obtaining an American deal with global distribution on affiliate Interscope Records, after "Call Me Maybe" gained popularity on YouTube by reaching 400 million views. The single reached the number one spot on both the US Billboard and Canadian Hot 100, while also topping the charts in 19 other countries. Jepsen's musical influences include James Taylor, Bruce Springsteen and Van Morrison.

Jepsen has received multiple awards and nominations, including three Juno Awards and two Grammy Award nominations. She was also named by Billboard as 2012's Rising Star and introduced in Canada's Walk of Fame's Slaight Allan Awards.

Life and career

Jepsen was born in Mission, British Columbia, the daughter of Alexandra and Larry Jepsen; her stepfather is Ron Lanzarotta. She attended Heritage Park Secondary School in Mission, and has since performed there post-graduation. She has Danish roots. She later attended the Canadian College of Performing Arts in Victoria, British Columbia before auditioning for Canadian Idol. After completing the Canadian Idol tour, Jepsen went back to British Columbia to focus on writing, recording and completing her band. Her demos attracted attention and she was eventually signed a joint management deal with Simkin Artist Management and Dexter Entertainment, which led Jepsen into the studio with producer Ryan Stewart. Founder Jonathan Simkin of Simkin Artist Management, who is also co-founder of the Vancouver-based record label 604 Records, was initially reluctant to also sign her to the 604 label right away, instead opting to jointly take on her management as a first step. Jepsen struck an independent signing with MapleMusic Recordings and distribution via Fontana North.

2008-2010: Tug of War

On June 16, 2008, Jepsen released her debut single and another single, a cover of John Denver's song "Sunshine on My Shoulders". On July 21, 2008, Jepsen added two new songs from the album to her MySpace page: "Bucket" and "Heavy Lifting". In August 2008, Jepsen's MySpace page announced that the album's title would be Tug of War, and it was interdependently released on September 30, 2008 through MapleCore/Fontana North. The page also mentioned two more songs that were included on the album: "Tug of War" and "Sweet Talker". The former was released as a single on iTunes on September 16, 2008, and has been receiving radio airplay on various stations across Canada. She performed the latter as her Canadian Idol audition. A music video for "Tug of War" was released in January 2009. "Bucket", her second single, was released in May 2009. A video for "Sour Candy", a duet with Josh Ramsay of Marianas Trench, who would also go on to produce "Call Me Maybe", was also released. All of Jepsen's music videos have been directed by Ben Knechtel. In spring 2009, she toured western Canada with Marianas Trench and Shiloh. She then went on a cross-Canada tour with Marianas Trench, The New Cities and Mission District.

2011-present: Curiosity and Kiss

Following the steady appeal since her debut album, Canadian label 604 Records, co-founded by Jepsen's ongoing manager Jonathan Simkin, signed Jepsen to the label. Jepsen also began recording material for her sophomore album in 2011 with previous collaborators Josh Ramsay and Ryan Stewart. One of those songs, "Call Me Maybe", was chosen as the first single and released in Canada on September 21, 2011. In January 2012, dating pop singers Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez were in Canada for the holidays and heard the track on the mainstream radio. After they tweeted about it on their personal profiles, Jepsen instantly gained international attention. Soon after in February, Jepsen visited Bieber and his manager Scooter Braun in Los Angeles where she subsequently obtained an American deal with Braun's label School Boy Records and Interscope Records, enabling her access to global distribution. At the same time, 604 Records was gearing up for the release of her second studio album. Having obtained a new deal of global calibre, it was mutually decided to postpone plans for a release of a second studio album, as her new deal called for Jepsen to work with a host of in demand producers in recording additional all new material. Therefore, at the last minute, 604 Records decided to only release six of her completed tracks with producers Ramsay and Stewart as an EP, including the hit single "Call Me Maybe". The EP, titled Curiosity, was released on February 14, 2012 in Canada, coinciding with her rising popularity on YouTube and social media sites.

"Call Me Maybe" became the first song by a Canadian artist to reach the top of the digital chart since Justin Bieber's "Baby" in January 2010. It is also only the eleventh song by a Canadian artist to reach number one on the Digital Songs chart since Nielsen SoundScan began tracking digital download sales in 2005. The song also peaked at number one on the Canadian Hot 100, making Jepsen the fourth Canadian artist to do so. Jepsen was also the first Canadian Idol contestant to enter the UK charts, when "Call Me Maybe" debuted at number one. On June 26, 2012 Jepsen's duet with Owl City, "Good Time", was released as a digital download and appears on both artists' albums. The song debuted at number 18 on the Billboard Hot 100 and later peaked at number 8. In early August 2012, Jepsen announced that her second album, Kiss, would be released on September 18, 2012. She premiered her song "This Kiss" on Tuesday, September 18, 2012, on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. Additionally, Jepsen appeared on the fifth season premiere episode of The CW primetime soap opera, 90210. The episode premiered on October 8, 2012. On October 25, 2012, Jepsen was named Billboard's Rising Star of 2012.

In October 2012, Jepsen was sued in Federal Court in Los Angeles for copyright infringement. Jepsen and Owl City's Adam Young were named in a lawsuit for the song "Good Time." Allyson Nichole Burnett, a singer-songwriter from Huntsville, Ala., is suing Carly Rae Jepsen and Owl City, along with Universal Music Group, Songs Music Publishing and Schoolboy Records, ACAP and SESAC. Burnett claims "Good Time" features many similarities to her 2010 song "AH, It's a Love Song." Matt Thiessen and Brian Lee, the songwriters of "Good Time", were also mentioned in the suit. In a second lawsuit filed on November 8, 2012, Ukrainian pop star Aza filed a lawsuit against Jepsen in US District Court in Los Angeles in which Aza accuses Carly Rae Jepsen of sampling lyrics from Aza's song "Hunky Santa" without approval or consent. Aza claims her tune "Hunky Santa" also features a "call me" call out, which Aza claims was used to create Jepsen's "Call Me Maybe." Scooter Braun " Justin Bieber's manager " is also named in the suit. A representative for Jepsen has denied the allegations.

As part of ABC"s 2012 Dick Clark"s New Year"s Rockin" Eve, Jepsen performed her songs "This Kiss" and "Call Me Maybe" in Times Square.

Candie's announced in 2013 that Jepsen will be the new spokesperson for their clothing/footwear brand.

Jepsen was scheduled to perform at the Boy Scouts of America upcoming 2013 National Scout Jamboree, along with the band Train. In March 2013, both cited the controversy over the BSA policy on gays as barrier to their performance. Train released a statement saying they "strongly opposes any kind of policy that questions the equality of any American citizen ... We look forward to participating in the Jamboree this summer, as long as they make the right decision before then." Similarly, Jepsen released a statement saying "As an artist who believes in equality for all people, I will not be participating in the Boy Scouts of America Jamboree this summer".

In March, Jepsen has begun writing and recording sessions in preparation of her follow-up record to Kiss. She has been back into Studio at Barcelona, Spain, and has written a new song with producer BHarv and co-writer Tavish Crowe. In June 2013, Kiss: The Remix, a compilation album containing remixes and instrumentals of singles from Kiss was released exclusively in Japan, and peaked at number 157 on the Oricon albums chart.

Personal life

She is currently in a relationship with singer Matthew Koma since August 2012.

Canadian Idol performances

Episode	Song choice	Original artist	Order #	Result
Audition	"Sweet Talker"	Carly Rae Jepsen	N/A	Advanced
Top 80	"I Try"	Macy Gray	Duets	Advanced
Top 40	"Breathe (2 AM)"	Anna Nalick	N/A	Advanced
Top 22	"Put Your Records On"	Corinne Bailey Rae	11	Advanced
Top 18	"Sweet Ones"	Sarah Slean	4	Advanced
Top 14	"Waiting in Vain"	Bob Marley & The Wailers	3	Advanced
Top 10	"Inside and Out"	Bee Gees	3	Bottom 3
Top 9	"Georgia on My Mind"	Hoagy Carmichael	5	Safe
Top 8	"Torn"	Natalie Imbruglia	7	Safe
Top 7	"Killer Queen"	Queen	3	Bottom 3
Top 6	"Come to My Window"	Melissa Etheridge	4	Bottom 3
Top 5	"Chuck E's in Love"	Rickie Lee Jones	4	Safe
Top 4	"My Heart Belongs to Daddy"	Mary Martin	1	Safe
	"I Got It Bad (and That Ain't Good)"	Ivie Anderson	5
Top 3	"At Seventeen"	Janis Ian	3	Eliminated
	"White Flag"	Dido	6

Discography

Studio albums

• Tug of War (2008)
• Kiss (2012)

Extended plays

• Curiosity (2012)

Tours

Headlining

• Kiss Summer Tour (2013)

Promotional

• Curiosity Promo Tour (2011)
• Kiss Promo Tour (2012)

Co-headlining

• Marianas Trench, The New Cities and The Mission District - Beside You Tour (2009)

Opening act

• Justin Bieber - Believe Tour (North America, France and UK dates) (2012/13)

Filmography

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2007	Canadian Idol	Herself (contestant)	Season 5/eliminated 3rd place
2012	90210	Herself	Episode: "Til Death Do Us Part"
2013	Shake It Up	Herself	Episode: "My Fair Librarian It Up"

Awards and nominations

Year	Association	Category	Nominated work	Result
2010	Canadian Radio Music Awards	Song of the Year	"Tug of War"
	Western Canadian Music Awards	Song of the Year	"Tug of War"
	Juno Awards	New Artist of the Year	Carly Rae Jepsen
		Songwriter of the Year	"Tug of War", "Bucket", "Money And The Ego"*
	MuchMusic Video Awards	UR FAVE New Artist	"Bucket"
2012	MuchMusic Video Awards	UR Fave Artist	Carly Rae Jepsen
		Pop Video of the Year	"Call Me Maybe"
		Most Streamed Video of the Year	"Call Me Maybe"
		Video of the Year	"Call Me Maybe"
		UR Fave Video	"Call Me Maybe"
	Teen Choice Awards	Choice: Summer Song	"Call Me Maybe"
		Choice: Breakout Artist	Carly Rae Jepsen
		Choice: Music Star Female	Carly Rae Jepsen
	MTV Video Music Awards	Best New Artist	"Call Me Maybe"
		Most Share-Worthy Video	"Call Me Maybe"
	Western Canadian Music Awards	Pop Recording of the Year	"Curiosity"
	VEVOCertified Awards	100.000.000 Views	"Call Me Maybe"
	Irresistible Fanta Awards	Most Irresistible Dance Song	"Call Me Maybe"
	Billboard Music Awards	Rising Star	Carly Rae Jepsen
	MTV Europe Music Awards	Best Song	"Call Me Maybe"
		Best Push Act	Carly Rae Jepsen
		Best New Act	Carly Rae Jepsen
		Best North American Act	Carly Rae Jepsen
	American Music Awards	Old Navy New Artist of the Year	Carly Rae Jepsen
	Capricho Awards	Hit Internacional	"Call Me Maybe"
		Melhor Instagram (Best Instagram)	@Carlyraejepsen
		Revelação Internacional (Breakthrough Internacional)	Carly Rae Jepsen
	Billboard Japan Music Awards	Hot Top Airplay of the Year	"Good Time"**
		Digital & Airplay Overseas of the Year	"Good Time"**
	Premios 40 Principales	Best International Song	"Call Me Maybe"
		Best International New Artist	Carly Rae Jepsen
	Premios 40 Principales America	Best International Song	"Call Me Maybe"
		Best International New Artist	Carly Rae Jepsen
2013	People's Choice Awards	Favorite Song of the Year	"Call Me Maybe"
		Favorite Music Video	"Call Me Maybe"
		Favorite Breakout Artist	Carly Rae Jepsen
	Grammy Awards	Song of the Year	"Call Me Maybe"
		Best Pop Solo Performance	"Call Me Maybe"
	Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards	Favorite Song	"Call Me Maybe"
	NRJ Music Awards	International Song of the Year	"Call Me Maybe"
		International Group/Duo of the Year	"Good Time"**
		International Breakthrough of the Year	Carly Rae Jepsen
	VEVOCertified Awards	100.000.000 Views	"Good Time"**
	SiriusXM Indies Awards	Single of the Year	"Call Me Maybe"
		Artist of the Year	Carly Rae Jepsen
		Most Played Independent Artist or Group of the Year	Carly Rae Jepsen
		Video of the Year	"Call Me Maybe"
		Best-Selling Independent Release of the Year	Kiss
		Female Artist of the Year	Carly Rae Jepsen
		Pop Artist or Group of the Year	Carly Rae Jepsen
		Most Follow Artist of the Year	Carly Rae Jepsen
	Shorty Awards	Singer	Carly Rae Jepsen
		Celebrity	Carly Rae Jepsen
		Music	Carly Rae Jepsen
		Canada	Carly Rae Jepsen
	World Music Awards	World's Best Song	"Call Me Maybe"
		World's Best Video	"Call Me Maybe"
		World's Best Female Artist	Carly Rae Jepsen
	Juno Award	Single of the Year	"Call Me Maybe"
		Album of the Year	Kiss
		Pop Album of the Year	Kiss
		Artist of the Year	Carly Rae Jepsen
		Fan Choice Award	Carly Rae Jepsen
	MTV Video Music Awards Japan	Best New Artist	"Call Me Maybe"
		Album of the Year	Kiss
	MuchMusic Video Awards	International Video of the Year By A Canadian	"This Kiss"
		Your Fave Artist/Group	Carly Rae Jepsen
	Billboard Music Awards	Top Pop Song of the Year	"Call Me Maybe"
		Top Digital Songs Artist	Carly Rae Jepsen
		Top Digital Song	"Call Me Maybe"
		Hot 100 Song	"Call Me Maybe"
		Top Radio Song	"Call Me Maybe"
		Top Streaming Song	"Call Me Maybe"
		Top New Artist	Carly Rae Jepsen
		Top Female Artist	Carly Rae Jepsen
	Canada's Walk of Fame	Slaight Allan Awards	Carly Rae Jepsen

Note: * Shared with Ryan Stewart / **Shared with Owl City