Carly Rae Jepsen is back with a twinkling pop song that reminds us of the one that put her on the map many years ago. In “Shy Boy,” Jepsen sings about finding a lover on the dance floor and teaching him to be more forthcoming about his feelings. “Shy Boy” sounds like a more modest version of Kylie Minogue’s “Padam Padam,” and it’s not just because they’re both upbeat dance-pop songs that got released in 2023.
In the song, Jepsen meets a guy that’s all by himself at the club and decides to have a conversation with him and know him better. After talking to him for a while she realizes he’s her type and invites him to come over to her place. She also promises to ignore whatever anyone says about her shy boy, “So sick of everybody tellin’ me what to do.”
Released on June 23, it’s unclear whether the song is part of a new project or for the long-awaited side b of The Loneliest Time, her sixth studio album released back in 2022. Jepsen is known for going back to her previous records that don’t make the album cut, and in this case, she used snippets from her 2019 outtake “It’s Like This,” originally intended for her fourth studio album, Dedicated but was later left off from the record.
After teasing and performing it several times, including at the Glastonbury festival, Jepsen officially announced the song a week before its release. “Shy Boy” also samples “Midas Touch” by Midnight Star.
Supported by a tour, The Loneliest Time, released in October, scaled to the top 20 on the US Billboard 200, spawning a viral hit with its title track, which features singer Rufus Wainwright.
“Shy Boy” is arriving on the heels of Jepsen announcing a string of summer shows across New York and Los Angeles. On August 7 and 8, she will perform at NYC’s Pier 17 before heading west for three concerts at the Los Angeles venue The Bellwether.
The disco-influenced track is accompanied by a visualizer that sees Jepsen and her lover having the loveliest of times and making beautiful memories. The songwriting credits include Jepsen, Ethan Gruska, Kyle Shearer, Nate Campany, Ben Romans, Bo Watson, and June Watson Williams. It is produced by James Ellis Ford, who plays guitar, bass, synthesizer, and keyboard on the track.
She also teased a picture that seems to be her and a male model on set of a shoot, with the caption, “don’t rule out the quiet ones.” This is probably a slight hint that the single will be followed by a music video.
