Carly Rae Jepsen has spent much of her career urging us to just go for it. Her biggest hit, the sugary, effervescent “Call Me Maybe”, follows the moment she sees a guy she fancies and, what the hell: “Here’s my number, so call me, maybe!” A few years later, she gave us “I Really Like You”, a shot of pure adrenaline that perfectly captures the giddiness of blurting out your feelings to a crush: “I really, really, really, really, really, really like you/ And I want you, do you want me, do you want me, too?”
“I think there was a time – maybe it still exists – where everyone kept their cards close to their chest and were scared to jump first,” Jepsen suggests. “[In pop music] it was like, ‘If you like me, then maybe I like you, but if not… f*** you!’ And you’re like… Is this a love song?!” But for the Canadian artist, being the person to jump first is a fun prospect. “To know what you want, and you’re OK with the answer being yes or no but you’re just saying, confidently, ‘I want you’. That’s hot.”
