Most Stateside pop fans only know Carly Rae Jepsen from her inescapable single "Call Me Maybe," THE song of summer 2012, which has been in a constant loop on U.S. radio and in every American's brain for months now. But Canadian reality TV fans, and maybe a few U.S. reality fans with really strong-signaled satellite dishes, probably remember the Internet meme pop queen's run on Season 5 of the now-defunct "Canadian Idol," when she impressively made it all the way to third place.
Interestingly, on "CanIdol," the then-21-year-old (who barely looks recognizable in some of the vintage 2007 footage below, without her signature big bangs) came across as more of a coffeehouse singer-songstress, not the Bieber-endorsed tween-pop sensation she is now. She tended to cover songs by the likes of Anna Nalick, Corinne Bailey Rae, Melissa Etheridge, Rickie Lee Jones, Janis Ian, and Dido, and she even auditioned with an original acoustic composition, "Sweet Talker," that was a far cry from the slick and super-produced "Call Me Maybe."
Assuming you lived south of the Canadian border and didn't get CTV on your cable box about five years ago, Carly's "Canadian Idol" performances, and her old analog sound (which is more evident on her 2008 debut album, Tug Of War), are probably brand-new to you. Check out CRJ's full "CanIdol" season below, and marvel at the fact that this unassuming British Columbian cutie would one day actually have the president of the United States singing her smash song.
Audition: "Sweet Talker"
Top 40: "Breathe (2AM)" by Anna Nalick
Top 22: "Put Your Records On" by Corinne Bailey Rae
Top 18: "Sweet Ones" by Sarah Slean
Top 14: "Waiting In Vain" by Bob Marley
Top 10: "Inside & Out" by the Bee Gees
Top 9: "Georgia On My Mind" by Hoagy Carmichael
Top 8: "Torn" by Ednaswap/Natalie Imbruglia
Top 7: "Killer Queen" by Queen
Top 6: "Come To My Window" by Melissa Etheridge
Top 5: "Chuck E's In Love" by Rickie Lee Jones
Top 4: "My Heart Belongs To Daddy" by Mary Martin, "I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good)" by Ivie Anderson
Top 3: "At Seventeen" by Janis Ian, "White Flag" by Dido
What do you think of Carly Rae Jepsen's "Canadian Idol" performances? Would you have called in maybe and voted for her, if the CTV switchboard had accepted international calls back then? Let me know.
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