What's Life Like Today For The Guy From The Call Me Maybe Music Video?
In 2012, "Call Me Maybe" by Carly Rae Jepsen became an instant hit — first for its catchy lyrics and cheery beats, then for its funny accompanying video that featured a must-see twist ending. Like all the best pop songs, you just couldn't get it out of your head.
In the "Call Me Maybe" music video, Jepsen sees a young man cutting her lawn and quickly begins to fantasize about him. At the end of the video, she performs for the handsome guy, only for him to ignore her and give his number to one of her bandmates (via Youtube). This cheeky ending helped build Jepsen's career and made Holden Nowell, the male lead in question, a more well-known face. As of 2021, the music video has raked in more than 1 billion views, per Youtube.
It's been nearly 10 years since the "Call Me Maybe" video debuted. Carly Rae Jepsen's constant new singles and touring schedule makes her easy to keep track of, but you may be wondering what happened to Nowell. As it turns out, the Saskatoon-born former music video heartthrob hasn't had an easy life since his "Call Me Maybe" fame. In 2018, he sat down with iHeartRadio to give an exclusive interview and provide an update on his life.
Holden Nowell had a near-death experience
In his iHeartRadio interview, Holden Nowell revealed that one night he got into a brawl while hanging out with a friend in Surrey, B.C. The event led to Nowell suffering multiple stab wounds in the head, losing six pints of blood, and receiving several stitches. He was lucky to even survive the incident.
This near-death experience changed Nowell's life in a big way. "God saved my life that night," he told iHeartRadio. "The way I was living wasn't right and since that night I've dedicated my life to Christ." Eventually, Nowell moved to Salt Spring Island in B.C. and lived there for a year. While there, he completely transformed his life by becoming a vegetarian and giving up drinking and smoking weed.
Nowell told iHeartRadio that he "never, ever, felt better in my entire life. I'm just in the most amazing place I've ever been. Every day is just full of blessings and the right people are finally coming into my life. Everything happens for a reason." Although his life hit some rocky points, Nowell's near-death experience made him reevaluate his life and make positive changes.
Holden Nowell got divorced in 2017
According to iHeartRadio, in July 2016, Holden Nowell married woman names Kaysha Lawrence. Nowell didn't disclose much to the music outlet about his relationship with Lawrence, but they separated only six months after they got married. They then filed the papers in May 2017 and finalized their divorce later that year.
Nowell doesn't post much about his personal life on his public social media accounts, especially when it comes to dating. However, in April 2021, he posted a picture on his Instagram page of himself wearing a "Biggie" shirt while holding up a "Smalls" baby onesie (via Instagram). The tune "The Circle Of Life" from "The Lion King" accompanied the image. In the caption, Nowell wrote: "Game changer."
The photo was met with a bunch of comments of congratulations. The post seems to indicate that he's expecting a child or had a child, but because he didn't name the mother, we aren't sure who exactly the lucky lady is. Regardless, Nowell seems very happy about the prospect of becoming a father.
Holden Nowell makes music under the alias SixXx'Tre
Holden Nowell told iHeartRadio that music has been a passion of his since he was 12 years old. After his "Call Me Maybe" fame, he started working more on his music. Under his rap name SixXx'Tre, he has released two different albums. In 2018, he released his first album, "Fade II Black." According to Spotify, it's a 23-track album that was inspired by his near-death experience. "Fade II Black" is incredibly important to Nowell because, as he says, "the album is everything that I had to get out in case I died that night" (via IHeartRadio). The follow-up album, "Welcome 2 the Revolution, Vol 1.," was released in 2021 and includes 14 tracks, per Spotify.
Nowell continues to make music, perform, and discuss his "Call Me Maybe" stardom. You can stay up to date with his life by following him on his various social media platforms, all under the name SixXx'Tre. He uses his channels to release new music, share little tidbits about his life, and make his opinion on controversial matters known. As you'll see, he's come a long way since breaking Carly Rae Jepsen's heart!