pop stardom

After the runaway success of "Call Me Maybe," Jepsen could have taken a number of career paths, using her newfound status as a viral pop sensation as a springboard to superstardom.

Instead, she did something unexpected: She stepped away from the limelight to craft a brilliant, underrated synth-pop album, 2015's "Emotion."

"Emotion" was a radical departure from Jepsen's earlier, bubblegum-pop sound. Enlisting the help of a variety of collaborators, including Sia, Dev Hynes (known for his solo work as Blood Orange), and Rostam Batmanglij from Vampire Weekend, "Emotion" saw Jepsen abandon the sugary-sweet pop music that made her famous, and turn instead to synths and saxophone solos straight out of the 1980s.

With "Run Away With Me" (which would go on to spawn thousands of memes) and "Boy Problems" especially,Jepsen let her versatility take center stage, effortlessly pivoting from dramatic proclamations of devotion to Cyndy Lauper-esque celebrations of single-dom and girl power.

With the album, Jepsen proved that she couldn't be pigeonholed in her music. She's as comfortable writing and singing moody songs about clandestine trysts in a nightclub as she is describing the overwhelming and saccharine giddiness of love at first sight.

Carly Rae Jepsen debuted a new look for her "Boy Problems" music video. 604/Schoolboy/Interscope Records via YouTube

Critics loved it. "Emotion" was included on numerous year end lists, and Jepsen's departure from her "Call Me Maybe" days was definitely noted.

More importantly, Jepsen had proved that she was no one-hit wonder after all — instead, she was a complex, creative musician who wasn't afraid to take risks or