Carly Rae Jepsen

Carly Jepsen attended Heritage Park Secondary School in Mission, British Columbia where she pursued her passion for musical theatre by appearing in student productions of Annie, Grease, and The Wiz.

Jepsen applied for and got into the Canadian College of Performing Arts in Victoria, British Columbia. "The minute I started there I knew it was the place for me. I'd never worked so hard in my life! Tap dancing, acting, vocal lessons, trips to New York, where we'd see 11 Broadway shows and meet people who'd been to the school who were now singing and dancing in New York," she recalled to The Toronto Star. "That was the most exciting part to me."

After graduating, there were no jobs in musical theater waiting for her and Jepsen struggled to pay the bills. She took a succession of jobs which included being a pastry shop assistant, a barista, and a bartender at the Media Club in Vancouver.