Call Her Simply Carly

It seems to be the heyday (again!) of Canadian artists on the world stage, a throwback to the ‘50s when Paul Anka swept music lovers off their feet with his adolescent fascination with love and loving (Puppy Love, Diana, You Are My Destiny and all those Anka songs that Baby Boomers love to play again and again).

And then there’s Celine Dion, Michael Bublé, the recently dear departed Glee star Cory Monteith and, of course, Justin Bieber who is credited for bringing to the awareness of music lovers around the world his fellow Canadian — Carly Rae Jepsen who is coming for her first concert here on Wednesday, Aug. 7, 8 p.m. at the Smart Araneta Coliseum where she’s expected to sing her smash hits Good Time, This Kiss, Tonight I’m Getting Over You and her huge hit Call Me Maybe, and many more.

Carly Rae Jepsen, as if her fans didn’t know, was born on Nov. 21, 1985, in Mission, British Columbia. In 2007, she placed third in Canadian Idol Season 5 and shortly after she released her debut album Tug of War. Three years later, she released a new single, Call Me Maybe, then an extended play called Curiosity in February last year at about the same time Bieber heard Call Me Maybe and referred Carly to his manager Scooter Braun who promptly signed up Carly to his record label.

Incidentally, are you one of her thousands of fans waiting for the chance in a lifetime to watch her concert? You don’t need to call her maybe with your exclusive chance to see her up close and personal for free, made possible by Globe Telecom and Huawei. Get free concert tickets to Carly Rae Jepsen Live in Manila when you avail of a Huawei Ascend Mate or Huawei Ascend P6 under Globe Best-Ever MySuperPlan. You can also score free tickets when you purchase a prepaid phonekit for both handsets.

For plan subscriptions at Plan 999 and up, get two free VIP or Patron seats at the concert. Meanwhile, subscriptions at Plan 499 and All-Unli Plan give you two free Lower or Upper Box seats. A prepaid phonekit also comes with a free Upper Box ticket.

“We are very excited to be part of a musical extravaganza that’s set to make another concert history that Filipinos will surely remember for years. Co-presented by Globe and Huawei, the Carly Rae Jepsen Live in Manila will definitely break concert records once again with thousands of Filipinos eagerly waiting for her and her music,” said Raul Macatangay, head of Globe Postpaid.

Last Thursday, Conversations did an exclusive phone interview with Carly. She talks very fast so you have to be all ears to catch every word that she’s saying. Excerpts:

Hi Carly. It’s good morning here in Manila, 11 a.m.

“Oh, it’s good evening here in New York, 11 p.m.”

Call Me Maybe is a big hit in Manila. Could you tell us the little story behind that song?

“Well, it’s the best way of introducing oneself to a guy you’re meeting for the first time — you know, just call me Maybe. It’s about a girl having the guts to finally get to the point when she can say ‘Hi!’ to the guy.”

Were you surprised that the song became a huge hit around the world?

“Oh, to be honest with you, I was shocked. In June last year, I was a guest on Justin’s show in Mexico City and I was going to sing Call Me Maybe. When I came onstage, I was stunned to see so many people in the audience, I guess more than 300,000 of them. I began singing but after I hit a few lines, I kinda caught my breath for a bit and that’s when I heard all those in the audience start singing and, believe it or not, they knew the song by heart, every word in it. That’s when I realized that the song was indeed a huge hit.”

Like Justin Bieber, you were discovered via the YouTube. In fact, some Filipino artists including Charice and Arnel Pineda (now the lead vocalist of Journey) were discovered the same way. You must be well-versed in this new technology.

“I really love it that artists are discovered on the YouTube through their music video and on Twitter as well.”

How do you deal with bashers?

“Oh, they just make my day. To me, bashing is the most bothersome thing on earth.”

Speaking of Justin Bieber, it was he who paved the way to where you are now, wasn’t he?

“Yes, yes, it was Justin! I was just so lucky that while he was washing the dishes at his mom’s place in Ontario, he caught my song Call Me Maybe on the radio and wasn’t it nice for him to have tweeted about it to his millions of fans? He even made a video of my song (with his girlfriend Selena Gomez) and I was simply blown over watching him lip-synching to the crazy lyrics! Funny, isn’t it? Before I knew it, he was introducing me to Ellen DeGeneres (who also discovered Charice. — RFL). And that’s how I got into this business. I am eternally indebted to Justin.”

Of course, I suppose you had a most memorable experience on Canadian Idol. Were you disappointed that you didn’t finish No. 1?

“Uhm, to be honest, I wasn’t really expecting to, quote-unquote, ‘make it.’ On my part, it was really a random decision to join Canadian Idol. I wanted to see what would happen. That I wasn’t eliminated was already a big surprise to me. When I made it to the Top 10, I think I began to be somewhat optimistic. I looked forward to how far I could get. Ending up the third was so amazing to me. That really helped my career in Canada. That paved the way for me to meet my producer.”

You have a happy disposition. I’m sure you grew up in a happy family…a musical family?

“Yes, ours is a very musical family. I grew up listening to my parents playing their favorite songs by Joni Mitchell and Shania Twain and many other singers. I was very much into music very early in life. Then I began to sway to pop music and writing my own music. Do you know who my favorite pop artists are? There’s Dragonette, La Roux, Kimbra and who else? There are just so many of them! Those artists don’t limit themselves to just pop music, they do a lot of other things. Yes, that’s what I want to do.”

At what point in your life did you realize that you could and you wanted to be a singer?

“Uhm, it was Sinead O’Connor who I think got me into singing and afterwards, Cat Stevens. They were two of my role models when I was growing up. I used to sing along with them all the time. I was seven years old when I joined my first talent show in Canada and that was when I realized that I didn’t only love singing but I loved performing as well. I remember how I felt so at home on that stage and I knew from then on that that’s where I wanted to be — onstage.”

Would you remember the first song that you ever learned?

“The first song that I ever learned? I don’t know if I still remember what it was. But the first songs that I ever performed in that talent show were Eternal Flame and Beauty and The Beast from the Disney show.”

Who are your musical influences?

“Growing up, I would say that James Taylor was the biggest influence in my life. I was just awed by his songs.”

What songs appeal to you most?

“Any song, whether about sadness or happiness, that makes you feel something…whether it makes you wanna cry or wanna dance or whatever. That my favorite kind of music.”

Do you put so much of your personal experience into the songs that you write?

“Yes, I do. I guess any songwriter can’t help it. Sometimes, if it’s not about your own experience, it could be about the experience of somebody close to you.”

Any message to your fans who are looking forward to your visit to the Philippines?

“Hi there! See you soon, all of you!”

(Note: The Philippine STAR is among the sponsors of Carly Rae Jepsen Live in Manila, produced by Wilbros. For tickets, call Ticketnet at 911-5555.)

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