Carly Rae Jepsen, 27: I'm Not Trying to Look "Younger Than I Am"

USMagazine, Wednesday, November 28, 2012, 5:40am (PST)

Despite how she's sometimes perceived, Carly Rae Jepsen is a grown woman.

Appearing on the January cover of Cosmopolitan, the "Good Time" singer explains how her youthful image has sometimes worked against her. "If people think I look younger, then that's great; I'm stoked," the Canadian pop star says. "But I turned 27 in November, and when I look in the mirror, I see all of the years attached to that face, and I'm content with me."

PHOTOS: Breakout stars of 2012

Though she's been criticized for dressing like a teenager, Jepsen insists she's more sophisticated when she's not putting on a show. "I love being classy and as elegant as possible in my apartment. But when I'm onstage, I can't dance in 4-inch heels, so I'll generally sport flats. I'm 5-foot-2, so yeah, I'm going to look a little bit more playful. But I don't think that means I'm trying for an age younger than I am."

PHOTOS: 12 worst dressed stars of 2012

Though her debut single "Call Me Maybe" became a global phenomenon, reaching No. 1 in more than a dozen countries, Jepsen hopes people will give the rest of her album a listen.

"For me, the goal of music has never been 'I need to be the biggest superstar in the world.' It was 'I want to spend my life doing this, and I want to make a career that I can live off of so I don't have to tend bar and waitress to make this fly,'" the musician says. "I don't want to be Cinderella for a night. I want to be Cinderella for life."

VIDEO: Get Carly Rae Jepsen's hairstyle

In the Cosmopolitan cover story, Jepsen also opens up about how she met her current boyfriend, Matthew Koma. (The two co-wrote her second single, "This Kiss.")

"Redfoo [of LMFAO] is our Cupid -- a cupid in zebra-print pajamas!" she says. "Foo's awesome. He ended up introducing me and Matthew."

This article originally appeared on Usmagazine.com: Carly Rae Jepsen, 27: I'm Not Trying to Look "Younger Than I Am"