AMA New Artist of the Year Carly Rae Jepsen: Top 10 Facts You Need to Know

It’s been a big year for Canadian singer Carly Rae Jepsen, who took the American Music Awards top prize for new artist of the year.

If you don’t recognize her name, she’s the girl behind the catchy “Call Me Maybe,” the song that spawned about a zillion take off videos on You Tube this past year, with even Olympic gymnasts making up their own version.

Yep, that girl. And now that you have a name to go with the song, here’s some facts you might not know about the girl behind the tune:

1. She Got Her Start on Canadian Idol

Jepsen has been around for a little while before “Call Me Maybe” pushed her to the top of the charts. In 2007, she placed third in the fifth season of Canadian Idol.

2. She Released Her Debut Album in 2008

Shortly after her Idol stint, Jepsen released her debut album, “Tug of War,” in 2008, but it wasn’t until three years later that she hit with “Call Me Maybe.”

3. She’s a Huge Hit on YouTube

“Call Me Maybe” got more than 300 million views on YouTube, and that’s not even counting all the parody videos that get hits off her name.

4. She’s Topped Charts Worldwide

Her hit reached the top spots on both the U.S. Billboard and Canadian Hot 100, and went to the top spot in 19 other countries.

5. She’s From British Columbia and Goes Home Often

Jepsen went to high school in British Columbia and has returned there to perform. She also attended the Canadian College of Performing Arts in British Columbia before auditioning for Canadian Idol. And after she finished her CI tour, she went home to focus on writing, recording and filling out her band.

6. She’s Tops in Digital Songs, Too

“Call Me Maybe” is the first song by a Canadian artist to hit the top of the digital charts since Justin Bieber hit with “Baby” in January 2010. It’s also the 11th song by a Canadian Artist to reach the top of the Digital Songs chart since Nielsen SoundScan began tracking digital downloads in 2005.

7. She’s the Fourth Canadian at the top of Billboard’s Canadian Hot 100

She joins fellow Canadians Avril Lavigne, Nikki Yanofsky, and the Young Artists for Haiti version of “Wavin’ Flag.”

8. She Made her First American Debut on the Ellen DeGeneres Show

Jepsen went on the Ellen show to sing “Call Me Maybe” on March 23, where she was later joined by Justin Bieber.

9. She’s Facing Legal Problems

Jepsen was sued in October of this year in Federal Court in Los Angeles for possible copyright infringement. Allyson Nichole Burnette, a singer-songwriter from Huntsville, Alabama sued Jepsen, saying her song “Good Time” sounds too much like her song, “Ah, I’s a Love Song.” And a Ukrainian pop star sued Jepsen in November, saying she sampled lyrics without approval or consent to create “Call Me Maybe.”

10. She Looks a Lot Younger Than She Really Is

Jepsen is very pretty, and said she gets accused of dressing “too young,” while she isn’t all that young – she’s 26 years old.