Carly Rae Jepsen Releases ABBA-Inspired Single with Jeremy O. Harris Directorial Debut

Carly Rae Jepsen is building serious momentum ahead of her double album Day And Night, due September 18 on Interscope. The latest preview from the project is 'Don't Leave Me On The Dancefloor,' a disco-leaning, ABBA-inspired single that arrives with a full music video and a story behind it worth knowing.

Jepsen has been transparent about where the song came from. She was recording in Sweden, then caught ABBA Voyage in London, and came home with a clear goal: write her own ABBA-esque pop song, something with a hooky melody and updated production that practically forces you to sing along. The result is exactly that. It's the first taste of what she's calling the 'night' side of the album, after earlier singles 'On Wires' and 'After All' previewed the 'day.'

Jeremy O. Harris Makes His Music Video Directorial Debut

The video marks the first music video directed by Jeremy O. Harris, the Tony Award-winning playwright behind Slave Play. That's not a small credit. Harris brought in Alden Ehrenreich and Olivia Washington to star as a couple working through the kind of relationship tension that sends you to the dance floor instead of to the door. The narrative centers on Ehrenreich's character, post-devastating phone call, finding his way to the floor and choosing to stay in it rather than walk.

Harris called Jepsen 'our last modern bard' in his statement, which says a lot about the level of creative respect in the room. He also spoke to the song's emotional weight in a broader sense, framing the act of not abandoning your partner as something quietly radical right now. It's the kind of directorial statement that elevates a pop video into something worth rewatching.

What This Single Signals for Day And Night

Day And Night is shaping up as one of the more genuinely ambitious pop projects of the year. A double album concept, split between emotional registers, with collaborators operating at the top of their fields, this isn't Jepsen playing it safe. The ABBA influence is there sonically, but the creative infrastructure around the project, Tony Award directors, Interscope backing, cinematic visuals, points to a full-scale artistic statement rather than a singles campaign.

For independent artists and creators watching this rollout, there's a lesson in how Jepsen is sequencing the reveal. Each single introduces a different emotional zone of the album and each one comes with its own visual world. That kind of intentional pacing builds anticipation without exhausting it.

Day And Night drops September 18. Watch the 'Don't Leave Me On The Dancefloor' video now and check back as the full album rollout continues.