Canada’s Walk of Fame in partnership with National Premier Partner RBC announced today that pop star Carly Rae Jepsen is this year’s Allan Slaight Award recipient. A bonafide worldwide success, Jepsen has won three JUNO Awards and three MuchMusic Video Awards, and captured the attention of the world with the release of her irresistible tune “Call Me Maybe.” Since its release, the single has been certified 8x platinum at home in Canada and has crossed our nation’s borders to become an international phenomenon, reaching No. 1 in 37 countries and selling more than nine million copies worldwide.
[quote]“I am proud to be Canadian and excited to be receiving this award,” said Jepsen. “Thank you to the Slaight Family Foundation, Canada’s Walk of Fame, and especially my fans for all their continued support.” – Carly Rae Jepsen[/quote]In its fourth year, the Allan Slaight Award is presented to a young Canadian making a positive impact in the fields of music, film, literature, visual or performing arts, sports, innovation or philanthropy. The award is accompanied by a $10,000 honourarium and will be presented during the Canada’s Walk of Fame Awards on Saturday, September 21 at Toronto’s Elgin Theatre. The televised awards show will be broadcast nationally in the fall on Global and Slice™ (date and time TBC).
“Carly Rae Jepsen is a talented young Canadian who worked hard to achieve her dream,” said Randy Lennox, Talent Chair, Board of Directors, Canada’s Walk of Fame/President and CEO of Universal Music Canada. “She is an international ambassador for this country, and we are proud to recognize her with this well-deserved award.”
“As a broadcaster my father Allan Slaight helped give a voice to a great many Canadian artists who went on to achieve success at home and internationally. This award honours Allan’s legacy, and no one deserves the recognition more than Carly Rae Jepsen. She has taken the world by storm with her music, and has become an inspiration to all emerging artists by showing how perseverance and dedication can lead to success. Our three previous recipients, Melanie Fiona, Drake, and Nikki Yanofsky, are international successes, and Carly Rae is no exception. We are excited to see the great things that still lie ahead for Carly,” said Gary Slaight, President and CEO, Slaight Communications.
For her second album Kiss, Jepsen wrote or co-wrote nearly every song featured, collaborating with songwriters and producers Max Martin, Dallas Austin, LMFAO’s Redfoo, Toby Gad, Marianas Trench singer Josh Ramsay, and Cherrytree/Interscope artist Matthew Koma.
Justin Bieber is of course the catalyst for Jepsen’s new life in the spotlight, having jumpstarted her career when he began Tweeting about a song he had heard on the radio: “Call Me Maybe.” He and his manager Scooter Braun signed Jepsen to Braun’s Schoolboy Records/ Interscope Records and watched “Call Me Maybe” race up the charts.
Jepsen’s story begins in Mission, British Columbia, where she grew up the daughter of educators and music lovers. Jepsen performed in many musical theatre shows in high school before moving on to performances in pubs until 2007. It was her high school drama teacher who encouraged her to try out for Canadian Idol, where she eventually placed third and released her first album Tug of War independently through Fontana/Maple Music in August 2008.
The album spawned two gold singles, “Tug of War” and “Bucket,” and earned her a Canadian Radio Music Award for Song of the Year. Carly was also nominated for JUNO Awards for New Artist of the Year and Songwriter of the Year (with her producer Ryan Stewart) and a MuchMusic Video Award for UR FAVE New Artist.
In early 2012, Jepsen released Curiosity, a six-song EP that showcased a poppier sound than she had delivered on the folk-flavored Tug of War.
Following her instincts has paid off for Jepsen. Kiss is a killer dance-pop set that is poised to launch her even further into the musical stratosphere.
