2023 POP ALBUM OF THE YEAR I Carly Rae Jepsen | | The JUNO Awards

In her exuberant pop anthems, Grammy nominated and JUNO award winner Carly Rae Jepsen seeks out the thrilling new emotions that surface in love and amplifies them into musical adrenaline rushes. By distilling pure feeling into soaring

hooks and full-hearted declarations, the Canadian singer/songwriter, who broke out with her 2012 global hit “Call Me Maybe,” has been recognized as a modern master of pop songwriting by critics and fans alike. Now she emerges from a period of isolation with new album The Loneliest Time, which sees her pushing her craft in more introspective and playful directions. “I’ve created a world of escapism in music,” Jepsen says. “But what I wanted to offer with this album is permission to actually connect to whatever it is you need to feel.”

The Loneliest Time sees Jepsen reflecting a range of moods through disco, folky ballads, and heart-pumping funk-pop. She captures deep nostalgia on “Western Wind,” a pop track produced by longtime collaborator Rostam. On the wistful “Far Away,” produced by Bullion (who also helmed the glowing electro-pop of “Bends”), she veers into an off-kilter ’80s sound for a song that captures “the humility of realizing that you’re the one who fucked up in a relationship.” Without Canadian Streaming Providers Canadian Digital/Physical Retailer compromising her infectious dance sensibilities, she emerges a more astute and compassionate songwriter, marking a progression from the lovesick anthems on 2019’s Dedicated and the buoyant ’80s-inspired synth-pop on  E·MO·TION, the 2014 LP that launched her into cult pop star status.