We all remember the porch. The shirtless guy with the lawnmower. The twist ending that launched a thousand memes before "meme culture" was even a fully codified industry. When Carly Rae Jepsen released "Call Me Maybe" in 2011, it didn't just become a diamond-certified hit; it created a permanent fixture in pop culture iconography. But for Call Me Maybe the guy, known in the real world as Holden Nowell, the legacy of that three-minute music video is a lot more complicated than just being a "hot neighbor."
Pop stardom is weird. It’s even weirder for the people who stand adjacent to it. Nowell wasn't the singer, but his face was plastered across every TV screen from 2012 to 2013. He was the visual hook. He was the punchline.
The Viral Moment That Changed Everything
Let’s be real. That music video worked because of the chemistry—or the perceived chemistry—between Jepsen and her crush. The plot was simple: girl likes boy, girl tries to get boy’s attention, girl gives boy her number, boy gives his number to the guitar player instead. It was a lighthearted nod to the LGBTQ+ community at a time when mainstream pop was just starting to get comfortable with those narratives in a "viral" format.
Nowell was a model from British Columbia when he landed the gig. He wasn't some Hollywood veteran. He was just a guy who fit the aesthetic of the "boy next door" with enough muscle to make the lawnmowing scene work. But the aftermath of that video wasn't all red carpets and easy money. Fame is a fickle thing, especially when you’re famous for a character that people assume is actually you.
For years, people just called him "the Call Me Maybe guy." Honestly, that has to grate on a person after a while. You’re trying to build a career, and everyone just wants to know if you’re actually gay or if you still have the tattoo. (For the record, the tattoo in the video was fake, applied for the character.)
Life After the Music Video
It wasn't long before Nowell started speaking out about his experience, and his take wasn't exactly sunshine and rainbows. In a 2018 interview with iHeartRadio Canada, he got pretty candid. He expressed a lot of frustration with how the video’s ending defined his public persona. He mentioned that being "the guy from Call Me Maybe" was more of a hurdle than a stepping stone.
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He didn't want to be the "gay guy" from the video. Not because of homophobia in the way people might immediately jump to conclude, but because he felt it was a pigeonhole. He was a straight man who felt like he was being forced to live out a trope. He even went as far as to say he was "tired" of the song. Can you blame him? Imagine walking into a grocery store and hearing the same ten-second loop of a song you’re tired of, knowing everyone in the aisle is looking at you to see if you'll start dancing.
The Pivot to Music and Rebranding
Holden didn't just stay in modeling. He actually tried his hand at the music industry himself. Under the name Six4, he released a rap album titled Contradiction.
It was... different.
Gone was the clean-cut, shirtless neighbor. In his place was a bearded, more rugged individual trying to distance himself from the bubblegum pop world. The lyrics were gritty. The vibe was aggressive. It was a classic "I’m not who you think I am" move that many child stars and viral sensations attempt when they want to reclaim their narrative.
- He changed his look entirely.
- He leaned into a hip-hop aesthetic.
- He spoke openly about his struggles with the industry's "shallow" nature.
The problem with being Call Me Maybe the guy is that the shadow of a billion views is incredibly long. No matter how many bars you drop or how much facial hair you grow, the internet has a long memory. People didn't necessarily want "Six4." They wanted the guy on the porch. That’s a heavy burden for any creator to carry.
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The Reality of Viral Fame in the 2010s
We have to look at the context of 2012. This was the era of "Gangnam Style" and "Somebody That I Used to Know." Going viral back then felt more permanent than it does on TikTok today. Today, you’re famous for fifteen seconds and then the algorithm moves on. In 2012, if you were in a video that big, you were a household face for a solid two years.
Nowell's experience highlights a specific type of "fame trauma." You get the recognition without the royalty checks. Unless you’re the principal artist or the songwriter, a music video gig is often just a "day rate" job. You get paid, you go home, and then suddenly you’re the most recognizable person in the room for the next decade without the bank account to match the status.
Addressing the Misconceptions
One of the biggest things people get wrong about Nowell is the idea that he hated Carly Rae Jepsen. He’s clarified in various spots that it wasn't about her personally. It was about the machine. The way the industry uses people as props.
There was also a lot of talk about the "twist" ending. In the same iHeartRadio interview, Nowell mentioned he wasn't originally super comfortable with the gay twist at the end. He suggested that instead of his character giving his number to a guy, he should have just been disinterested. The producers stuck to their guns, though. They knew that the "twist" was what would make the video go nuclear. They were right. But Nowell was the one who had to live with the fallout of that creative choice in his daily life.
He later expressed regret for some of the ways he handled the fame. It’s hard to stay humble when you’re thrust into a global spotlight for something you didn't even create.
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Where is Holden Nowell now?
Today, Holden stays relatively low-key compared to his 2012 peak. He’s moved away from the "Six4" persona and doesn't seem to be chasing the Hollywood dragon as hard as he once was. He’s active on social media occasionally, showing off a much more "outdoorsy" and rugged lifestyle. He’s into fitness, he’s still got the look, but he seems to have found some peace with his place in pop culture history.
He’s a reminder that behind every viral "meme" or "hot guy" in a video, there is a real person with their own ambitions. Sometimes those ambitions align with their viral moment. Sometimes they are in total opposition to it.
Lessons from the Call Me Maybe Legacy
If you’re looking for a takeaway from the story of Call Me Maybe the guy, it’s about the cost of the "big break." Sometimes the thing that makes you famous is the thing that prevents you from being seen for who you really are.
- Identity is not public property. Just because someone plays a role in a music video doesn't mean they owe the public that version of themselves forever.
- The industry is transactional. Music video models are often treated as scenery. If you find yourself in that position, have a plan for "the day after" the video goes viral.
- Rebranding is hard. Moving from "pop culture trope" to "serious artist" is one of the most difficult transitions in media.
Next Steps for Content Creators and Fans:
If you’re interested in the evolution of viral stars, your next move should be looking into the "YouTube era" survivors. Check out how people like Rebecca Black or the "Chocolate Rain" guy, Tay Zonday, transitioned into long-term careers. Much like Nowell, they had to fight against a singular image that the world tried to lock them into.
Understand that for guys like Holden, the "Call Me Maybe" era was a job—one that lasted a few days on set but followed him for a lifetime. If you're following his current journey, look for his more recent creative endeavors under his real name rather than the "Six4" alias, as he has moved toward a more authentic representation of his current life. Focus on supporting the person, not the meme.