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Carly Rae Jepsen’s ‘Emotion’ Better Than Taylor Swift’s ‘1989’?

By Chanel Adams
Published on: 13:55 PST, Aug 21, 2015

Carly Rae Jepsen’s new album, EMOTION, is out, and it’s already getting rave reviews. The ’80s-inspired album has several media outlets comparing it to Taylor Swift’s highly successful 1989 album.

While Taylor Swift is receiving widespread media backlash for her ever-growing girl squad, strict business decisions, and the non-stop news about her 1989 World Tour, Jepsen is a breath of fresh air for pop music fans. The Canadian-born pop star is the perfect alternative to America’s sweetheart. Like Swift, Jepsen has bubbly and infectious pop anthems that she writes herself.

However, the two singers could not be any more different. Taylor Swift is known for her high-profiled relationships and her famous girl squad. Meanwhile, Carly Rae Jepsen is known for being a “one hit wonder.” You may have heard of the song “Call Me Maybe,” that took off in the summer of 2011 thanks to Selena Gomez and Justin Bieber, aka “Jelena.”

Just because Carly doesn’t strive to have the star status that Taylor has doesn’t mean she doesn’t want to continue making music. Her ’80s-inspired album, EMOTION, has finally been released on Friday, Aug. 21. Some fans are saying that it’s the actual 1989 album that Taylor wanted to write.

Let’s be real here. There’s nothing ’80s about Swift’s album other than the fact that it’s called 1989. However, there are some 80s-inspired tracks like “Style,” “Out of the Woods,” “I Wish You Would,” and “I Know Places,” “Wonderland,” and the fan favorite “New Romantics.” Most of the songs on the blockbuster album are inspired by Haim, Lana Del Rey, and Lorde, rather than actual artists from the ’80s era.

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Carly Rae Jepsen is the perfect Taylor Swift alternative since she doesn’t have staged paparazzi shots, Instagram photo shoots, or tons of famous friends. Carly just lets the music speak for itself, which is what Taylor should do instead of becoming a victim of social media oversaturation.

“In fact, Carly Rae Jepsen is barely playing the Olympic sport that pop music publicity has become in the last 30 years. She isn’t trying to make you want her life—be that through constant commentary and vulnerability like Taylor Swift does, or the extreme seclusion and catering that Beyoncé uses. She isn’t scandalous, and she did almost completely recede from the public eye during the three years she spent weeding through 200 potential tracks to pick the 10 tracks on E•MO•TION(plus the 5 Deluxe edition tracks).”

The Atlantic agrees that not causing controversy or making headlines is part of Jepsen’s persona. The pop tart simply promotes her music by making TV appearances and having guest stars in her music videos. Jepsen, unlike Swift, refuses to put her private life out there for the world to see. But like Swift, she provides that perfectly bubblegum pop without having the fake persona. It’s like Jepsen’s sugary sweetness is actually who she is inside.

“Some people take that to mean bland being bland—the 29-year-old Canadian Idol runner-up has nowhere near as distinctive/dramatic a media presence as Taylor Swift or Ariana Grande or any of the other pop titans at whose heels she theoretically nips. But that’s part of her appeal: providing a grown-up, cohesive, and gimmick-free take on bubblegum.”

Although Carly enlisted the help of indie artists for her second studio album, she did use producer Shellback, who produced most of Taylor Swift’s 1989 album. Carly captured the ’80s perfectly with her throwback track “Run Away With Me,” which combines ’80s synths with modern pop beats.

There’s something that Jepsen was able to do with EMOTION that Swift couldn’t do with 1989. The sweet and fun singer was able to take fans back to the ’80s with her album, according to Vulture writer Lindsay Zoldaz.

“Emotion shares its sleek, Miami Vice Instagram-filter vibe with Taylor Swift’s blockbuster 1989, and in some ways, it commits more fully to the aesthetic they both share. I would go so far as to say that Emotion is a better album than 1989.“

Carly Rae Jepsen even released a song that appears similar to Taylor Swift’s “Bad Blood.” The Canadian superstar released her track “Warm Blood” in late July. This song is not about a star-studded feud. Instead, it features Jepsen’s breathy and sexy vocals as she sings about love.

Some fans have even taken to Twitter to say that “Warm Blood” is even better than “Bad Blood.”

Will the EMOTIONS singer ever have the success that Taylor Swift currently has? It’s highly unlikely, unless she enlists her own star-studded girl squad. Carly already has Taylor’s BFF, Lorde, on her side, as noted in the tweet below. Now fans are hoping that the singers will become best friends.

Jepsen won’t ever fill stadiums like Swift does, but she does provide fun pop music that fans need during road trips or beach vacations. She also doesn’t take herself seriously like her contemporaries do. Instead of writing about her famous ex-boyfriends, Jepsen drops poppy love songs and fun club anthems.

What are your thoughts on Carly Rae Jepsen’s EMOTION album? Do you think it’s better than Swift’s 1989? Share your thoughts below in the comments section.

[Images: Cindy Ord/Getty Images and Shirlaine Forrest/Getty Images for TAS]

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