Like a phoenix risen from the ashes of her own bubblegum earworm, Carly Rae Jepsen is back. It’s been over three years and over 650 million YouTube plays since “Call Me Maybe” revived the scorched earth of pop radio, and inspired millions of novelty t-shirts in the process. Jepsen’s anthem for puerile pining not only gave us a pop juggernaut with one of the most instantly memorable choruses of the past decade, it gave us the confidence to flail wildly on the dancefloor, raising our hands to our ears as if we were answering an invisible phone. Carly Rae Jepsen gave us these gifts, and we still called her a one-hit-wonder before she even had a chance to release another record.
Jepsen would have moderate success with “Call Me Maybe” followups—the Owl City collab ”Good Time” shot to number one in Canada (and #8 in the US), and “This Kiss” cracked the top 40. Whether valid or not, Carly Rae has a mountain to climb if she wants her legacy to transcend such a pop monolith.
If it seems like it’s been awhile since you’ve heard Carly Rae Jepsen’s name mentioned, that’s because it has. Jepsen has been quiet, but the Mission, BC native hasn’t been sleeping for the past three years, if that’s what you’re thinking. In an interview with Billboard, CRJ revealed that she’s written over 200 songs for her new album, one of which that might have enough firepower to go toe-to-toe with “Call Me Maybe.” Jepsen unleashed “I Really Like You” over the weekend, a colossal '80s-inspired pop jam with an ultra-repetitive hook that seeks to cement Carly Rae as the Queen of crush-pop.
It’s unlikely that Jepsen could eclipse a once-in-a-lifetime song like “Call Me Maybe,” but having another hit at this pivotal stage in her career could save her from the same fate that swallowed the likes of Blu Cantrell, Eiffel 65, and crush-pop magnate Jennifer Paige. As the race to secure the unofficial Song Of The Summer kicks off, there are several factors present on “I Really Like You” that could make Carly Rae Jepsen one of the only artists to have two chart-topping summer smashes in the last decade. (The would put her in the same company as Katy Perry, who scored big with “I Kissed A Girl” in 2008, and then in 2010 with “California Girls).
Don’t call it a comeback—Carly Rae Jepsen just got here. Here are ten reasons “I Really Like You” is destined to become the song of summer 2015.
Peter Svensson
Repetition
The Hanks Factor
It might not mean quite as much as it meant a couple of years ago, but Justin Bieber is throwing his promotional weight behind CRJ, who he’s quick to take ownership over. Maybe Biebs is counting on Carly Rae as a safeguard, just in case his career continues to spiral. Chalk up another one for the Jepster.