Kidsday interviews Carly Rae Jepsen

We met one of our favorite singers, Carly Rae Jepsen, at the KFest at Dutchess County Stadium recently. We love her song "Call Me Maybe," and even got to sing it with her!

How did you feel when you first heard your song on the radio?

Oh, I was very excited. I remember thinking it was sort of surreal, and my girlfriend and me were together and we timed it and we did a living dance party together.

Do you write your own songs?

I do. I love writing. That's actually my favorite part of all this and I also like writing with other people. "Call Me Maybe" was written by myself and my two very best friends, Tavish Crowe, my guitarist, and Josh Ramsay from Marianas Trench.

Now that you're famous, do you do you own hair and makeup all the time or does someone do that for you?

As you can see I get a lot of help with makeup, and it's a good thing because I'm terrible at it. On my days off, you can find me with just no makeup and pajama pants at the grocery store. It's a very bad sight.

What advice would you give girls our age?

Oh, I would say, know what it is that is different and special about you and just hone in on that . . . . That is the thing that's going to take you far.

What musical artist inspired you to sing?

There are a few different artists that inspired me. When I was little, my parents took me to a couple of concerts. I saw Melissa Etheridge, she's kind of like a rocker, Sinead O'Connor is amazing as well.

Were you a Girl Scout when you were younger?

No, I wasn't, but I wished I had been.

Do you come from a musical family?

I do and I don't. My parents don't do it as profession, but my dad used to always play guitar for us before we went to bed . . . my brother and sister and I. And a lot of our family get-togethers would end off with big jam sessions with my uncle on guitar and my mom singing along.

What is your favorite Girl Scout cookie?

Anything chocolate is fine by me.

What would you do as a career if you weren't a singer?

People have asked me this before, and if I don't come up with my joke answer being Super Girl, then I'll come up with my real one and that's I would like to be a novelist because the thing I like about music is telling stories. It would be fun to do that if not through music then through actual pen and paper.

Do you play sports?

I do. I'm very competitive in sports. I actually grew up next door to my cousins who were all professional hockey players. Three Swedish boys. When I play, I play dirty. I use my elbows and everything in soccer. It's not a good idea.

Where is your favorite place to perform?

I like outdoor venues. Like today is going to be really fun because the sun is shining and I get to just kind of be out in nature live performing and that's the best place.

Where did you grow up?

I grew up in British Columbia, which is in Canada, and it was quite a small town. We actually only had one main street, and it was actually called Main Street. Yeah, so it was a lot different from the cities I'm visiting lately.

How does it feel knowing that you're a model for young girls?

That's amazing to hear, but I think sometimes I take it on and I don't take it on because we're all imperfect, and I don't want to pretend I am.

How do you feel working with Justin Bieber?

He's a very nice guy and a very talented musician so I feel very fortunate to have been welcomed into his family. His musical family. It's very surreal every time that I see him. I can't believe it, to be honest.

If you could sing a duet with any artist, who would it be and why?

I always have a little bit of a crush on John Mayer.

What is it like being recognized on the street when you go out?

Sometimes it still makes me a little bit nervous, to be honest. But I think the first time it happened someone asked me, they said, 'You look like the Carly Jepsen girl.' It's so weird, and I ran. I'm getting more and more used to it.

How do you feel when you hear your fans singing your songs?

It's very exciting. I love hearing that.

Besides music, what was your favorite subject in school?

Actually I really liked gym class. I loved playing soccer. I think I was one of the only girls that wanted to get in there with the boys and play. Other than that I also liked drama class as well.

Do you drive, if so, what type and color is your car?

I do drive, but I'm a terrible driver. It's actually quite dangerous every time I get into a vehicle. I try not to do it too often. But if I do I drive, it's my boyfriend's car and it's a white car.

Would you ever want to star in a movie?

I don't know whether I want to star in a movie because that sounds like a lot of pressure. But it would be fun being in a movie one day. I'd just play like a side role. That would be fun.

Do you like to travel and what is your favorite place to visit?

I love to travel. I was recently in Paris and I was romanced by the city. We went to see the Eiffel Tower and believe it or not I saw a couple, a man proposed to a woman right in front of the Eiffel Tower.

How do you like touring around in a tour bus?

I do like it. I haven't traveled too much in the tour bus lately. We've actually been flying from place to place. The tour bus is relatively a new idea, but those buses can be kind of cozy. You can set up your little house. It can be quite nice.

Did you like to sing when you were little?

I love to sing. I was the type of little girl who was walking around with a tutu all the time and singing non-stop.

What do you do in your free time?

Well, right now because everything's so crazy when I'm the road, I like to have really relaxed free time. I love to cook, go for walks and just hang out with my family and my friends.