Ahead of the release of her September double album Day and Night, Carly Rae Jepsen has essentially kept fans busy by releasing a string of singles. This is the reason that we now have the shimmering synth-pop song “Motivation,” and as her latest one, it details how family members can lift each other with the beautiful and unshakeable bond that they share.
Even though September 18 is still some time off and it’s very possible we could receive more tastes from the album before then, I’d like to say that “Motivation” feels like her strongest offering yet. If not the boldest, then it’s certainly the catchiest, leaning into that early Jepsen sound that long-time fans would no doubt know so well. Even though Jepsen wants this new era to highlight her momentous step into marriage and motherhood, some of the tracks we’ve heard so far were feeling pretty uninspired. However, “Motivation” strongly portrayed the beauty of family and the lingering effects they have on you even when they’re not immediately present.
In it, she sings, “We go hard in this family / We love hard in this family / I’m in love with my family / We’ve got room for insanity / I was born at the end of it / But I’m here for the start.” The chorus has a sort of anthemic vibe that just really suited the inspirational message the song is passing on. She penned the track with Cole M.G.N., who worked with Kyle Shearer to produce.
“Motivation started when I was back in my hometown in the fall, and the crunch of the leaves under my feet started creating this rhythm,” Jepsen said of the song via a press release. “I was thinking about my family and how passionate we all are, how we have such high expectations of each other. ‘Motivation’ became my way of making peace with all of that-it’s our little family anthem that recognizes all the complicated parts, but I hope it can be an anthem for chosen families as well.”
The 40-year-old singer-songwriter also opted to release a music video with this one – a clear sign that she’s leaning into visuals this era. In the video, Jepsen shows us the many different kinds of lovers there are, alongside impressive choreography that did a lot to elevate the music. For the video, Jepsen brought back “On Wires” director Caio Viera to direct the dynamic Paris-shot visuals. She also gave fans a glimpse of her little one, whom she welcomed this March.