Carly Rae Jepsen Talks Fame

If you don’t know who Carly Rae Jepsen is by now, you have your head in the sand. But even there, her infectious hit single “Call Me Maybe” would be stuck in your head if you’ve heard it even once.

The 26-year-old Canadian has hit it big, thanks to various superstars supporting her by posting viral videos of themselves singing “Call Me Maybe.” Justin Bieber, his girlfriend Selena Gomez, and their famous friend Ashley Tisdale kick-started it by posting a video of themselves bouncing around one of their houses, along with some friends, lip-synching Jepsen’s song. A few tweets later, a trend was born.

Within hours, Bieber and Gomez’s millions of Twitter fans had clicked on the link to their YouTube video, were looking up Jepsen to learn more about her (and in search of more catchy songs), and creating their own lip-synching videos.

Other celebrities, including Katy Perry, Miley Cyrus, a group of Abercromie and Fitch models, and some of the Miss America beauty pageant contestants, have posted their own lip-synching versions of “Call Me Maybe.” Although she appreciates flattery in imitation, Jepsen says the Bieber-Gomez-Tidsdale version is her favorite.

“I think the original viral video that sparked them was the one that Justin and Selena and Ashley Tisdale put together… so, I think that one will always hold a place in my heart because that was the game-changing moment…” Jepsen told a U.K. radio station.

Less than a year later, “Call Me Maybe” has become a #1 single in multiple countries, including the U.S. and Jepsen’s home country of Canada (outdoing fellow Canadian Bieber’s new song “Boyfriend”). Today, you can find Jepsen on the cover of Billboard magazine.

“Pretty much every day, there’s a moment where I’m having to pinch myself and think, ‘When did this happen to my life?’” Jepsen admits in her Billboard interview.

Although it may seem to many that Jepsen is an overnight success, the songbird has definitely put in her dues. 

Jepsen’s manager Scooter Braun (who is also Justin Bieber’s manager) explained to Billboard, "I sat down Carly in my backyard and said, ‘This is not going to be fun. You’re going to be so tired.’ And she looked at me and said, ‘Scooter, I don’t care how hard I have to work. I’m going to do it. This is what I’ve wanted my entire life.’”

Jepsen’s positive attitude flavors her work ethic and has gained her respect within the industry.

"It's the same mentality I had on Canadian Idol [Jepsen competed in the fifth season of Canadian Idol in 2007.]. I placed third on that show, and everyone was like, 'are you upset that you didn't win?' I was like, 'No, I'm so stoked that I came in third!' It's farther than I thought I would go."

Jepsen is indisputably the music industry’s “It” girl of 2012, so we’re looking forward to hearing more music from her and seeing where she can go from here.