Hit Song "Call Me Maybe” Makes Songwriter an International Star

Josh Ramsay may not be a household name but he’s getting there. As the lead singer of the hit Canadian-based group Marianas Trench, Ramsay also makes a name for himself as a songwriter. One of his most successful songwriting gigs has been Carly Rae Jepsen's "Call Me Maybe.” The song, co-written by Jepsen and Tavish Crowe, shot to number one on the U.S. Billboard and Canadian Hot 100 charts and recently garnered a Grammy nomination for Song of the Year. At a recent BMI (the organization that represents songwriters) event, Ramsay told me he was thrilled by the Grammy nod.

“If you’ve grown up a songwriter, like I obviously have and continue to grow, it’s the award to get nominated for,” said Ramsay. “It’s really crazy because that’s the first song I’ve worked on that had this international thing happen. And for it to have taken us all the way to the Grammy’s is crazy.”

“Call Me Maybe” also netted Jepsen a Grammy nod for Best Solo Performance. Ramsay said that he and Jepsen weren’t just thrown together for the song, but that, “I’ve known her for a long time. We are both from Vancouver. I worked with her on her first record (“Tug of War”) and she used to tour with my band. I’ve always enjoyed working with her. Hopefully, we’ll probably work together again. I’m sure we will.”

The pop success of “Call Me Maybe” has taken Ramsay’s band, Marianas Trench, to a new level.

“It brought my band a lot of attention,” said Ramsay. “People who like the band say, “Oh, that guy’s got a band too.’ And we got signed to Interscope Records (a major record label) after that. They’re proud. It’s like a big celebration these days.”

In addition to writing for Jepsen, Ramsay’s also penned songs for Danny Fernandes, Girlicious, Suzie McNeil, and Faber Drive. For more information on Ramsay and his band, check out http://www.marianastrench.net.