Carly Rae Jepsen is Underrated but it's Fine

Surely, the general public can recall who sang "Call Me Maybe" and "I Really Like You". Two songs that basically got us earworms for AGES.

   Photo credit: Carly Rae Jepsen's Instagram

To some, it has become the basis of why they "stan" Carly Rae Jepsen. But for an unlucky few, it has become annoying to be reminded of the songs, which were heavily overplayed on radio stations. It has become a joke that whenever Carly Rae announces a concert, there's going to be someone who will post "I bet she just has Call Me Maybe on loop, if not countless versions of the song for 2 hours". Unfortunately, there are a lot of things this unlucky few are missing out when it comes to the Canadian singer who deserves more attention but is currently beautifully underrated.

Photo credit: Google Images

Call Me Maybe x I Really Like You

In addition, these two songs are sure-fire hits from Carly. Call Me Maybe alone was certified Diamond in the US; which means it reached the 10 million mark in terms of units sold. It was even nominated for TWO Grammys. On another note, "I Really Like You" sounds very reminiscent to "Call Me Maybe". According to Mike Nied of Idolator, Carly's label was hungry for another hit, hence they used the same formula. Justin Bieber even did the same move of lip-syncing to the song in a YouTube video to further promote it featuring friends, Ariana Grande, CL of 2NE1, and more.  

Failing to reach the same success of the previous hit, the GP simply saw Carly as a pop star who "attempts" to create just catchy songs. Hence making them less interested in who she is as an artist. But this whole experience contributed to something bigger for Carly Rae.

     Photo credit: Carly Rae Jepsen Instagram

From Chart-topping pop star to indie pop icon

Indeed, her 2nd album E•MO•TION has been considered as holy as a bible by critics and fans. It now belongs to that set of albums you listen to which are of quality but not commercially successful. Could it be because of the lead single "I Really Like You"? Sam Murphy of Junkee believes people would rather hear "Runaway With Me" than "Call Me Maybe", and possibly its follow-up "I Really Like You". Emotion explores Carly Rae's ability to write better songs with 80s infused sounds. If you listen to the album, you will see how different the rest of the songs are compared to its lead single (when lead singles are supposed to give listeners an overview of one's sound in a certain album/era). If only "Run Away With Me" was chosen as the lead single, and if it received the same amount of promo the lead single got, the general public might have seen her more seriously. And maybe they could've embraced her better. However, there seems to be nothing wrong with Carly's underrated success. She may not be charting as well as before BUT she has achieved this cult success and it solidified her being an icon in indie pop.

Photo credit: Carly Rae Jepsen Instagram

Dedicated is Carly at her genuine sound

After two albums, Carly finally found her real sound without having to force any certain sound to sell music. We believe she learned from her past singles that people would appreciate her music this way. We really cannot see "Call Me Maybe" and "I Really Like You" the same way now after realizing that without those songs, Carly will not reach this certain concrete sound featured on Dedicated; so we're not completely negative towards those moments in Carly's career. Simply put, Dedicated shows who Carly Rae truly is without having to create another chart-topping pop song. She can save pop music just by doing what she does best- which is transporting us to discos with her music.

Photo credit: Carly Rae Jepsen Instagram

With all that said, Carly's cult success is something interesting. The music industry today isn't all about chart success and a huge fan base. In the case of Carly Rae, she has successfully escaped being called a "flop". Instead, her loyal fanbase and listeners embraced her music. At least we know now that what we hear from Carly is her in solid form. She simply deserves more listeners without having to force something in their ears because people will come to her no matter what; especially if they need pop music. She is here to deliver quality music no matter how underrated she is. Most of the time people would say "she deserves to be more famous!" or "she needs to be more successful!". For Carly Rae Jepsen, being underrated is beautiful and better enjoyed.

See her perform her hits at The Dedicated Tour in Manila on October 23rd at the New Frontier Theater. Limited VIP Standing tickets are available at ticketnet.com.ph. Presented by Wilbros Live.