On Friday, July 12, I went to see Carly Rae Jepsen in concert with a couple friends in my hometown, Cincinnati. The venue, Bogart's, is a medium-sized location consisting of standing room only on the same floor as the stage with two other levels for viewing the concert as well. According to Bogart's website, the venue holds approximately 1,500 people. What's exciting is that the Carly Rae Jepsen concert was sold out, showing that there are still many fans wanting to see her perform live.
Jepsen exploded in popularity in 2012, when her single "Call Me Maybe" dominated radio stations and the Billboard Hot 100, spending nine weeks as the number one song and 50 weeks on the chart overall. Many people only know about her from this song, and may see her as just a one hit wonder. There's so much more underneath the surface of her main hit song, proving she's more than just a briefly famous artist.
Although "Call Me Maybe" was her breakout hit, it was actually on her second album, "Kiss". In 2008, Jepsen released her first album, "Tug Of War", after she finished third on "Canadian Idol". Her second album, "Kiss", also featured three other songs that landed on the Billboard Hot 100, with two of those also peaking in the Top 10. Jepsen has also released two other albums since then, "Emotion" in 2015 and "Dedicated" in 2019.
I started becoming a fan of Jepsen's music after listening to "Emotion". I liked "Call Me Maybe" and "Good Time" (the song she was featured in with Owl City), but didn't know any other songs by her. Listening to the "Emotion" album, I loved the 1980s vibes from most of the songs and I started to play the album repeatedly. Fans of pop music, especially if you like 80s music, should definitely take a listen to this album.
Earlier this year, I excitedly awaited the release of her fourth album, "Dedicated". I couldn't wait to discover more music by her and have new songs to play on repeat this summer. Her album does not disappoint, with every song on the new album being great and fun to listen to. When I heard Jepsen was coming to Cincinnati as part of her "Dedicated" Tour, I had to look up prices to find tickets. Luckily, I was able to buy tickets and find a friend who also into Jepsen's music!
It was a little difficult finding a friend who also listened to Jepsen's current music, since she's mostly fallen off the radar of mainstream media in recent years. I was so glad that I did, though, and found that I knew someone else who enjoys these hidden gems of music. The concert was so much fun as well, being around fans of Jepsen's music, dancing and singing along to all of her songs, and being able to see her in person. If you're wanting to listen to something new and like pop music, definitely take a listen to Carly Rae Jepsen's music and hopefully you'll find the many hidden gems of her songs and that there's so much more than a one hit wonder.
