Carly Rae Jepsen reminisces about falling in love on “Western Wind,” a mellow and refreshing track that deviates from the dance-pop and disco-oriented direction of her previous projects, whilst coming closer to the folk sound of her early work. This is also the lead single from the artist’s fifth studio album.

Before being released, “Western Wind” was premiered live during Jepsen’s set at the Coachella festival on April 15, 2022 and then again on April 22.

After almost two years since her latest body of work, it was first hinted that new Carly Rae Jepsen material was nearing on April 4, when she shared on social media a map of California that featured unfamiliar, yet evident lyrics and a cross at Exit 130 in Thousand Palms. Two days later, a billboard displaying a picture of Jepsen next to the title of the track was found near the map’s marked spot. After the billboard was discovered, Carly started retweeting fans sharing pictures of it, confirming the song’s imminent arrival.

The following week, she started sharing teasers of the track on her social media accounts. On the day of her first Coachella gig, she posted a 20-second snippet and unveiled the single’s artwork. Its release date, however, wasn’t announced until April 28.

Prior to “Western Wind,” Carly Rae Jepsen had worked with producer Rostam on the 2015 track “Warm Blood.”