Alessia Cara

Alessia Cara is a Canadian singer-songwriter from Brampton, Ontario, who rose to prominence through YouTube covers before signing with Def Jam Recordings. Her breakout single, «Here», released in 2015, established her as a distinctive voice in pop with its introspective, slightly melancholic take on the awkwardness of being at a party she doesn't want to attend, setting the tone for her introspective songwriting style. She followed it with the EP Four Pink Walls and her debut studio album, Know-It-All, later that year, both of which blended pop with R&B and soulful vocal inflections.

Cara's music often explores themes of self-acceptance, insecurity, and growing up, reflected in hits like «Scars to Your Beautiful» and «Seventeen». Her voice, warm and slightly raspy, combined with candid, diary-like lyrics, distinguished her from more polished pop contemporaries. She also lent her vocals to «How Far I'll Go» from Disney's Moana, broadening her reach beyond traditional pop audiences, and collaborated with artists like Zedd and Logic on tracks that leaned into electronic and hip-hop textures.

In 2018, Cara won the Grammy Award for Best New Artist, cementing her critical recognition. That same year she released her second album, The Pains of Growing, which explored the emotional turbulence of transitioning into adulthood and fame with a more mature, vulnerable sound than her debut.