Carly Rae Jepsen's New Album Is '80s-Inspired

Pop music fans, start your engines: On Thursday, Carly Rae Jepsen told MTV that her new album is inspired by the '80s, and I'm so happy, I might spontaneously combust. The "Call Me Maybe" singer's fantastic (and seriously underrated) sophomore album, Kiss, was also inspired by the decade that brought us Madonna, Paula Abdul, and Hungry Hungry Hippos — but don't worry, she's not just rehashing her previous work. Jepsen revealed to MTV's Christina Garibaldi that she's taking things "up a notch" from what we've heard her do in the past. Whoa. I’m seeing a lot of living room dance parties and in-car sing-along sessions in my future!

The 29-year-old artist explained that she had a major epiphany regarding the sonic direction of her new album while watching legendary '80s pop icon Cyndi Lauper perform at a music festival in Japan in 2013:

I was listening to the songs and something kind of hit me where I was just like, you know, this is where pop was at its finest. ... I would put out "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" today and I wouldn't change a bloody thing. So, I think that's sort of where it all began for me...

I need a moment. I was just imagining how amazing a Jepsen cover of "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" would be and I almost fainted. Whew. In addition to talking about her upcoming album's sound, Jepsen also shared some cool info about one of her favorite new songs (which may or may not make the final track list):

One of my favorite writing sessions was a song called "The One," and it was so empowering to take on the point of like, "If you want to, you can stay the night, but I don't wanna be 'the one.'" And I think from a girl's perspective, that's rarely sung about, where it's like... girls feel that way too sometimes!

Jepsen brought up a really good point here: we're totally used to hearing men sing about no-strings-attached hook-ups on the radio, but not women. Why is that? I think it's pretty simple: today, men are often celebrated for having casual sex, while women are often shamed. This frustrating double-standard affects all aspects of our lives — even our popular music. It'll be interesting to find out if Jepsen explores any other unique, feminist themes on her new album. I'm really looking forward to it.

Jepsen's infectious new single, "I Really Like You," is available on iTunes now.

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