The first single off Carly Rae Jepsen's Emotion, "I Really Like You," was underwhelming, a possible early warning sign that her infectious debut "Call Me Maybe," the unimpeachable song of summer in 2012, was in fact the tune of a one-hit wonder. (Keep in mind the album she rushed out to capitalize on "Call Me Maybe," Kiss, wasn't good either.) But then Emotion arrived, and what we got was a smart, sexy, synth-y, '80s wonderland. It was the best pop album of the year.

Emotion has sass and a sense of humor from the very start: The sax that kicks off the first track, "Run Away With Me," is reminiscent of the sax from the Saved by the Bell outros, and Carly never loses that wink. She's forward, flirty, and fun: "I didn't just come here to dance, if you know what I mean. Do you know what I mean?" Even when Carly's dark, she's cute as hell: In the opening lyrics of the title track, "Be tormented by me, babe," she sings "tormented" like she's blowing a kiss. There are no Alessia Cara outsider anthems to be found here, no Adele power ballads you'll cry to in your car (and hear everywhere you turn).

But what really makes Emotion refreshing isn't what it includes — it's what it leaves out. Think: Who is Carly Rae Jepsen dating? Who broke her heart? Who's in her squad? Who does she hate? Do you know? Do you care? Nope and nope. She is a rare, remarkable thing: a pop star we know almost nothing about.

The usual heavy-hitters — Justin Bieber, Demi Lovato, Miley Cyrus — are household names. It feels like they're everywhere because they are: documenting their every good hair day on social media, giving interviews with enough juicy quotes to flood your newsfeed for days, swinging by the Met Gala even when their long overdue new album isn't even out yet (ahem, Rihanna and Lorde). Their personas are familiar and, by extension, polarizing. Maybe you're annoyed by Ariana Grande's doughnut-licking antics or weary of Beyoncé's art-directed Instagrams or bored of Miley bragging about how much weed she smokes. If so, you might want negative-nothing to do with their music, at least for a little while. The star, not the hook, is what's stuck in your head.

Even if you go straight to the songs, the personal lives of these famouses intrude. Justin Bieber's album, Purpose, is not an album so much as the soundtrack to an apology tour that has lasted almost as long as the obnoxious behavior that preceded it. The songs on Selena Gomez's Revival answered Bieber's catchy question — "Is it too late now to say sorry?" — before that single even came out, with her pointed lyrics about being "so sick of that same old love."

Sure, there is an element of fun to these loaded pop songs, especially if you were once the type to sift through Taylor Swift's liner notes for strategically capitalized clues. But there is also something kind of heavy about listening to them, something a little annoying. The music is like the score to a massive reality show, one in which these celebs are never not starring on a channel it's impossible to change. The songs are crowded with characters, narratives already fleshed out, loves already lived. It feels like they are meant for an audience of one, as if the singers don't really need us to be listening at all. Whatever happened to the song that exists in that pop sweet spot: so specific it has to be about you, so vague it could really be about anyone?

That right there is the real magic of Emotion. It grasps that the beauty of pop — pure, unadulterated pop — is the way it takes you to that bubbly, blissed-out state. Straight feelings, no chaser. It is escapist by design, transcendent at its best. It's not about somebody else's narrative. It's not about his desperate plea to win back his ex-girlfriend or her triumphant return from rehab. It's about you and whomever you are secretly singing about every time you sing along.

Carly Rae Jepsen has done the impossible: She is brandless in an era of #brands #brands #brands, an enigma in a field of oversharers. Most people don't even know how old she is. (Like, 30. Really!) Carly Rae gets out of the way. She leaves room for the most important person in a pop song: you.

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Jessica M. Goldstein Jessica Goldstein is a writer covering all things culture.

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