Jepsen evades one- hit wonder title
It’s been almost exactly three years since you first heard those hypnotic strings that kicked off Carly Rae Jepsen’s incredible earworm hit Call Me Maybe, the dance tune that took over music and YouTube videos for months. Now Jepsen is back.
The Mission, B. C.- born singer has been off the grid for the past couple of years after her smash hit — which sold 12.5 million copies worldwide, more than any song in 2012 — went through the typical viral song life cycle: “Have you heard this?” “Love it!” “Dance party!” “Eh, it’s getting old.” “This song again?” “TURN IT OFF.”
In the immediate aftermath, Jepsen had another No. 1 hit with Good Time, a duet with Adam Young of Owl City. But after her album, Kiss, failed to produce any other singles, she disappeared from the spotlight.
It took awhile to return but the wait has paid off: Jepsen came out of the woodwork this month to release her next ridiculously infectious new single, I Really Like You. Slate already deemed it “a song that is somehow more catchy than Call Me Maybe.” The tune debuted at No. 48 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart last week.
“I Really Like You might be destined to break big this summer, but the positive response the song has already garnered might move up its timetable as a hit,” Billboard wrote.
She has been excitedly welcomed back, which means that she’s effectively escaped the dreaded “one- hit wonder” status. How did it happen? We can think of three reasons.
1 ) She st ayed humble and grounded in the wake of massive, sudden fame.
Jepsen didn’t take celebrity be- havioural cues from Justin Bieber, even though the troubled teen pop star was technically the one who discovered her online — she’s still repped by Scooter Braun, Bieber’s longtime manager. Instead of a Bieber- like meltdown, Jepsen handled her new- found fame gracefully. She also seemed very much in on the joke when it came to Call Me Maybe’s massive popularity, gamely singing along with Jimmy Fallon and the Roots.
Of course, it helped that she was 26 when Call Me Maybe debuted ( she turns 30 this year), so she was already light- years ahead, maturitywise.
2) She didn’t rush out with gimmicks trying to top Call Me Maybe.
After it was clear that album Kiss didn’t have any other magical singles, ( This Kiss and Tonight I’m Getting Over You pretty much flopped), Jepsen didn’t frantically return with more music right away. Instead, she took a break.
3) She came back in the spotlight with a splash.
It’s hard to find a buzzier co- star in a music video than Tom Hanks — turns out he’s a friend of Braun’s, and was all- in when the manager asked if he would star in Jepsen’s new music video, lip- synching every word to I Really Like You.