To some, Carly Rae Jepsen may be nothing more than a one-hit wonder. “Call Me Maybe” was the reigning song of 2012. Even today, college students still unironically jam out to it in their cars with their friends (yes, I just called me and my squad out). The song’s success didn’t stop Jepsen from pushing forward with her career though.
Others have seen Carly Rae Jepsen as a driving force behind pop music for nearly the past decade. She has an onslaught of awards under her belt including three Juno Awards (which are basically Canada’s version of the Grammys) and a Billboard Award. Not to mention that her first two albums Kiss and Emotion feature full ensembles of bangers including “Curiosity,” “Tonight I’m Getting Over You,” “Run Away With Me” and “Making the Most of the Night.” Now she’s back with her third album, Dedicated.
Jepsen began promoting “Dedicated” back in November when she dropped the first single “Party For One” along with its music video. She then released two more tracks in February, “Now That I Found You” (also with a music video) and “No Drug Like Me.” Finally, on April 1 she not only announced that her album would be available on May 17, but that she’d be hitting the road this summer for the Dedicated Tour.
All of Jepsen’s music thus far has been nothing short of bubblegum pop and it seems as if Dedicated is heading in the same direction. Still, Jepsen describes her new project to Genius as one that promotes self-love over anything else. “Party For One” exemplifies this as an anthem to the people who are undeserving of our love. Jepsen dug deeper into the message of self-love itself: “Deciding to love yourself means like being romantic when no one is around. Like, all the little extra things that make you feel happy and make you feel worthy.”
However, the best part about this era so far has been the visuals—specifically the music videos. Besides the fact that Jepsen has been spectacularly sporting a fresh blonde cut, it’s easy to see that she’s been having the time of her life with the record. I mean, come on, she made a music video about her finding and caring for an orange tabby cat for “Now That I Found You.” She knows what the people want.
Now more than ever the world needs a dose of happiness, and Carly Rae Jepsen is here to provide. She’s proven herself to be far more than just the “Call Me Maybe” girl, and if you don’t believe it, ask any of us Jepsies—we’ll prove you wrong.
Dedicated is available for pre-order on Carly Rae Jepsen’s official website and iTunes and for pre-save on Spotify. Make sure to catch her on tour during her two Florida stops: The Fillmore at Miami Beach on Friday, July 26 and the House of Blues at Lake Buena Vista on Saturday, July 27!