Carly Rae Jepsen on Her Place in the Music Industry & Taylor Swift Comparisons

Carly Rae Jepsen’s newest album, Emotion, is officially out – and it’s just as vibrant, catchy, and colorful as you’d hoped. While many thought she’d be a “one hit wonder” after “Call Me Maybe” exploded in 2012, Emotion proves she’s here for the long haul.   Many are even comparing the upbeat album to Taylor Swift’s record-breaking 1989 – several headlines boast the question: “Carly Rae Jepsen’s ‘Emotion’ Better Than Taylor Swift’s ‘1989’?”

But in a candid new interview, the 29-year-old tells ET she isn’t trying to compete.

“I don’t really feel the need to compare,” she explains. “I think that Taylor's fantastic and I think she made a really fantastic record, but they're different types of music and I think there's room for it all.”

WATCH: Tom Hanks Reveals How He Landed a Role in Carly Rae Jepsen's Music Video!

But still, Carly felt the pressure to deliver a solid record after the success she received in 2012.

“I mean, that was a bit of a monster of a song - it was an incredible gift but definitely a challenge and I think that’s part of the reason probably that it was so vital to me to take my time with this album and make sure that every song really had a home and a reason for being there,” she says.

And Carly explains she’s learned a lot over the past three years.

RELATED: Why Carly Rae Jepsen's 'Run Away With Me' Might Be The Song Of The Summer

“I think that I learned a little bit about taking more of a lead role in my own project - not that I wasn’t very vocal with Kiss,” she adds, “but I think if you’re not willing to direct and steer the ship a bit it kind of gets steered for you.”

She definitely navigated this album the right way, but still, she’s finding out what her place in the music industry is.

“I don’t know! You tell me,” she jokes. “The place where I feel the most comfortable is probably in the studio writing… I mean, obviously when you get on stage and you kind of have that moment of connection with your fans that’s always really fantastic and hearing you say you like songs - that means everything to me - but I don’t know if I’ve really thought too much about where that puts me and my place.”

“With this album I knew I wanted to kind of stretch the lines of what pop music needed to be,” she continues. “And I think some of those experiments led to some of my favorite songs: “Warm Blood,” “All That,” and “When I Needed You.”

WATCH: Justin Bieber, Kendall Jenner and Ariana Grande Lip-Sync To 'I Really Like You' 

“If I were to predict the future… I would probably go a little bit more in that direction of just experimenting and coloring more outside the lines.”

Carly’s newest single, “Run Away With Me,” is the perfect follow-up to “I Really Like You,” and has garnered attention from Carly’s peers, including Lorde, who tweeted about the “Teenage Dream-esque” tune.

Carly says the song is about trying to escape for the weekend with your lover, adding, “I think that this lifestyle only allows for kind of really quick fits and bursts of romance because you don't get the day-to-day mundane brush your teeth, do your laundry kind of thing, but instead you get dinner in Paris. It's not very real life but it's very romantic.”

The song even features Carly’s favorite lyric on the record.

To find out what it is watch our interview with Carly above. She also dishes on the most random text message she received on album release day!

What your favorite song off Emotion? Let @Katie_Krause know on Twitter or Instagram!

Two other starlets who are making waves? Hilary and Haylie Duff. Watch the video below to see what they're working on!