Carly Rae Jepsen: ‘I Like the Hunger of Not Knowing if Things Will Work Out’

A year ago, most Americans had no idea who Canadian crooner Carly Rae Jepsen was. Today, of course, it seems the 27-year-old is everywhere.

Though the pop singer had released some tracks in her native Canada and appeared on our northern neighbor’s version of “The X Factor,” it wasn’t until Justin Bieber and then-girlfriend Selena Gomez tweeted out Jepsen’s now-famous tune “Call Me Maybe” last year after hearing it on Canadian radio that the brunette cutie truly shot to fame.

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But in the March issue of Seventeen, Jepsen admits she wasn’t always confident she’d make it.

In college there was a time I felt lost and had the blues. I wanted to write songs, but I didn’t know how to make it a career. But I also knew I’d be happy working eight minimum-wage jobs to try to pull it off,” the Grammy nominee says in the interview. “So I was doing every job imaginable to pay rent while I was pursuing this career. I guess I like the hunger of not knowing if things will work out.”

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Lucky for Jepsen, her band members were so loyal that they stuck by her … even when she turned to an, er, unusual form of payment.

"I'm still with the same crew and band as when I would say, 'Listen, I can't really pay too much for rehearsal today, so I made some spaghetti if you want to eat it,'” Jepsen recounts. “We're still on the road together now."

And along with her dream career, she’s found her dream man, musician boyfriend Matthew Koma.

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"When you meet the right person, you’re just like, Wow! I’m having the busiest year of my life and somehow I’ve met an amazing person who has been a grounding force,” she gushes. “I don’t think anything can get in the way if you both really want it badly.”

But there’s another important man in her life. That would Justin Bieber, the guy who gave the songstress her start, hooking her up with manager, Scooter Braun, who eventually signed her to his label.

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“Justin leads by example. I love that he works hard and has fun,” says Jespen, who sounds like she often wonders WWJD (What would Justin do?) when it comes to living life to the fullest.

“I was in Paris promoting my new album, Kiss, for three days with no time off. So I went out at four in the morning to go explore the entire city. I try to make moments happen that feel very special and memorable because that’s exactly how Justin does it.”

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