Alessia Cara

Growing up is an exhilarating experience. The thrill of being free, of being undisturbed, and having the ability to do whatever you want and almost get away with it. The thrill of having to be cared for, cherished, protected and loved. It is a period filled with love and warm affection. A period when you're being groomed and guided to become the best you can possibly become and achieve your best dreams. Sometimes I wish that I could relive my childhood. But as much as it is sweet and lovely, growing up comes with a lot of work. It is filled with uncertainties and responsibilities. Uncertainties in the sense that you are in constant awe of yourself and your body due to its developmental process and do not know the next surprise it might whip up soon. And responsibilities in the sense that as you continue to grow, soon you can no longer get away with your vices, but will be made to face them and make them right. As if that isn't enough, your heart comes with the greatest surprise ever, springing up with a different kind of affection that is different from the ones you've experienced all your life, but beautiful in its own way. This kind of affection is emotional and free. It is a beautiful feeling of wanting to love a total stranger and be loved back, but it becomes painful when that love is not returned. Everyone experiences these and Alessia Cara is not an exception. Her second studio album, "The Pains of Growing Up", beautifully documents her experiences while growing up. The 15-track album shifts attention from the usual love stories Alessia Cara is known for to something more personal; the troubles and pains she experienced as a teenager and how they affected her, but also how her decisions and the paths she followed eventually turned out for her.

Nobody like Alessia Cara, to portray that stage through which all human beings spend in which growing causes pain sometimes unbearable. With the aesthetics of her time, the genre that best adapts to her lyrics and a poetic sincerity like few others, the singer dares to say what many are silent. To describe what she herself has gone through and, at the same time, to coincide with all those who are at that moment in her life and all of us who have already gone through it, is simply great. It is an album to listen carefully. Adolescence is the most frequent stage in which this happens, although I believe that even there are several moments in life in which you question your existence and the purpose of being here and now. However, I do believe that this age of transition between childhood and youth represents a challenge for all, overcoming is not easy, finding answers, less. And it hurts, yes, it hurts a lot. Those moments in which we doubt everything, and we realize that it is not how our parents told us or promised it. That moment when your own identity is something you're not sure about. All the problems that you face are a puzzle without a solution, a labyrinth with no way out and You do not find anything or anyone to give an answer for the why? of many things. The dilemmas of love are often unsettling. You do not know where to start, you do not even know where the decision you take will take you or the direction in which you decide to walk. You spend long moments yearning for your recent childhood, you think you were happier and now everything is a problem. You see old family photos or put a video to remember an old birthday, beach vacations, Christmas memories. The eyes betray you and the tears begin to roll down your cheeks. Why did those moments go? You ask yourself. Why do I have to be in these dilemmas now and with these new needs that I do not know how to satisfy? Everyone is busy, nobody has time for you, for your doubts, for your dreams, to receive a hug as before. You have to fend for yourself, without anyone's help or this whole infinitely cruel world will eat you in one bite, you will disappear from everyone's sight and no one will miss you. Nobody prepares you to face life in that way and, at the same time, nobody knew how to face it at the time, so maybe the tips are left over, because there are no answers to your unknowns of life, because your life is unique and unrepeatable, and only you will know what to do to take away the blows that come to you. They say that what does not kill you, strengthens you, and if that is true, then welcome the stage where you will learn new things, even if they are painful because, in the end, growth will turn you into a giant, a wise, a better person.

After releasing her debut album, Alessia Cara gained a lot of much deserved fame. I have been a fan of hers since her E.P. and wait patiently for her to release new music, and near the end of 2018, she finally released her sophomore album, The Pain of Growing. When creating the album, she wanted to create a cohesive album that told a singular story, and she chose for this story to be about the feelings of melancholy and the need to bask in it at times. Where her first album managed to be a bit more upbeat and pop sounding, this album is a bit slower and more real. This album features a lot of pretty simple song that are mostly just her vocals and instruments that don’t dominate the sound. Overall, it is a really good and solid album and a beautiful collection of thoughts.

After releasing a five-track ep, Alessia Cara releases her full debut album titled Know-It-All. Upon first glance, it may seem like she is talking about the fact that she thinks she knows it all, but in fact it is a sarcastic titled towards herself. The album features a pop meets R&B sound and includes all five songs from her ep. Upon first listening to the album, I knew it was amazing and deep and so much fun. It features songs from years ago with her dreaming of a life she has today, and songs about relationships that come when you least expect it. So basically, it is a pretty well-rounded album.

Artists these days tend to write heavily about themselves and their own experiences, especially as they are affected by the massive changes brought on by the Internet and social media. Those in their late teens and early 20’s often reflect on the isolation, disinterest, and many other negative traits that occur in the online world and influence how they interact within offline (real-life) spaces. With her first album Know-It-All, released in 2015, Alessia Cara, a Canadian pop artist, takes this form to a new level. She also brings the angst of transition from adolescence to early adulthood in her upbeat hit “Seventeen,” and oh of course dropping in occasional encouragements to little girls who are bombarded by these sorts of messages. She admits herself, on her second album The Pains Of Growing (2018) that “Ms. Know-It-All can’t take her own advice”, a play on the first album’s title and a tacit understanding that people’s responses to any life event are likely to be muddled at best. I think few manage to capture the feeling of confusion that occurs when passing through that period of physical and emotional transition as well as Cara does. As an example, her song “Here” is a rambling question about why she has attended a party simply to fit in, when she feels so clearly out of place there and can barely participate in the activities going on around her. Probably more of us than will easily admit it can relate to this sentiment. I for one try to join such social events, but as the music played and the beat’s tempo shifts while Cara almost just speaks words to create that feeling of isolation and a strong desire to escape, I was almost overcome with a need to move on to the next track. Such was the strength of my own reflections on that feeling of a loss of control. She also has a song called “Nintendo Game”, wherein she plays with the listener’s mind by shifting beats, creating the feeling that they are playing with love as if it is a game, and no one will win. But my favorite track on her initial album is “Scars to Your Beautiful,” where in addition to hearing her fuller vocal range, she advises those (particularly women) who are struggling with body image to take pride in both their internal and external beauty, a particularly relevant message in this hyper-connected world.

Having only heard certain popular Alessia Cara singles such as the phenomenal hit “Scars To Your Beautiful” and the lesser DIY hit “I’m Yours”, I had not had the pleasure to listen to the album Know-It-All until recently when I decided to check out the deluxe version – which is a win form me, since there is more material to digest, while I seem to detect it is a loss for some commenters on the web, for they have said that the bonus additions are somewhat underwhelming. Alas, I take the experience only as a whole one, and what is abundantly clear is that this is a Pop artists who circumvents the need to be objectified, in favor of being more – shall we say relatable to the average teen going through growing pains at the minimum, or even deep personal crisis at the apex of lyrical and melodic content. I do remember that when Alessia Cara hit the scene she dressed modestly, represented a youthful view of things, and tended to sing about more poetic, psychological happenings, versus the overly escapist or hyper sexual concepts which also flooded the scene from 2015 to now. We definitely need Alessia Cara’s on the scene, and together with veterans like Sia, and newer freshman like today’s popular Billie Eilish. Introverts are especially welcome here, as you will probably relate to Cara’s music more than anyone, whether is is up or downtempo.