Alessia Cara

Biography

Alessia Caracciolo (born July 11, 1996), known professionally as Alessia Cara ( ə-LEH-see-ə KAH-rə), is a Canadian singer and songwriter. She began posting covers of songs on YouTube at age 13. After uploading acoustic covers of songs such as "Love Yourself" and "Sweater Weather" online, she signed with EP Entertainment and Def Jam Recordings in 2014 and released her debut single, "Here", the following year. It peaked at number 19 on the Canadian Hot 100 chart and was a sleeper hit in the US, peaking at number 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Cara's debut studio album, Know-It-All (2015), peaked at number eight on the Canadian Albums Chart and at number nine on the Billboard 200. The album's third single, "Scars to Your Beautiful×Scars to Your Beautiful26 July 2016 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Scars to Your Beautiful3:50", peaked at number eight on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2016. In 2017, Cara collaborated with DJ and producer Zedd on the single "Stay", which is certified seven-times platinum in Canada, and featured alongside Khalid on rapper Logic's song "1-800-273-8255".
Cara has received nominations for four Grammy Awards, winning the Best New Artist in 2018, which led her to become the first Canadian artist to ever win the award. She was nominated for Song of the Year and Record of the Year at the 2019 Latin Grammys for her collaboration with Juanes on "Querer Mejor". Her second studio album, The Pains of Growing×The Pains of Growing30 November 2018 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 20 tracks1Growing Pains3:142Not Today2:373I Don’t Want To2:4347 Days3:295Trust My Lonely3:206Wherever I Live3:057All We Know3:248A Little More2:269Comfortable4:1710Nintendo Game2:4211Out of Love3:4812Girl Next Door3:2313My Kind3:0114Easier Said3:2515Growing Pains (reprise)1:0016Growing Pains (acoustic)3:1417Growing Pains (BRAVVO remix)3:4318Growing Pains (Locals Only Sound remix)3:1719Trust My Lonely (Frank Walker remix)3:0720Trust My Lonely (Rain or Shine remix)4:36 (2018), saw the moderate commercial success of the singles "Growing Pains×Growing Pains15 June 2018 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Growing Pains3:14" and "Trust My Lonely×Trust My Lonely5 October 2018 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Trust My Lonely3:20". The album won Juno Award for Album of the Year and Juno Award for Pop Album of the Year while she went on to win Juno Award for Songwriter of the Year. Her third album, In the Meantime×In the Meantime24 September 2021 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 18 tracks1Unboxing Intro0:412Box in the Ocean3:163Bluebird3:144Lie to Me2:315Shapeshifter3:076Fishbowl3:087I Miss You, Don’t Call Me3:208Middle Ground3:439Somebody Else3:3410Drama Queen3:0111Clockwork2:2712Best Days3:3113Sweet Dream3:0214Find My Boy3:1215Voice in My Head2:5716Slow Lie2:4217You Let Me Down3:1318Apartment Song3:41 (2021), was met with generally positive reviews from critics. Cara's fourth album, Love & Hyperbole×Love & Hyperbole14 February 2025 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 14 tracks1Go Outside!3:402Left Alone2:463Dead Man3:234Subside4:295Run Run2:546Drive2:507Get to You3:088(Isn’t It) Obvious3:529Garden Interlude2:2610Nighttime Thing2:2411Feels Right3:0712Fire3:4613Slow Motion3:2314Clearly3:29 (2025), was released on February 14, 2025, to positive reviews from critics and listeners alike.

Early life and education

Alessia Cara was born on July 11, 1996, in Mississauga, Ontario, and grew up in Brampton, where she attended Cardinal Ambrozic Catholic Secondary School. Her family is from Calabria, Italy; her father was born in Canada to Italian parents, and her mother is an Italian immigrant. She can speak Italian fluently. As a child, she wrote poetry and performed in theatre. She began playing guitar at the age of 10 and taught herself how to play various songs. At the age of 13, she began her own YouTube channel where she posted covers of songs that she performed. She saw Justin Bieber as a career model at the time.

2014–2017: Career beginnings and Know-It-All

In July 2014, Cara, accompanied by her father, went to New York, where she signed a management deal with EP Entertainment, and began work on her debut studio album later that same year. She briefly took the professional name simply of Alessia before adding a clipping of her surname to become known as Alessia Cara. In April 2015, Cara released her official debut single through Def Jam. Titled "Here", it was described by MTV as "a song for everyone who secretly hates parties." Produced by Pop & Oak and Sebastian Kole, the song is about her personal experience with going to a party and being uncomfortable at it. On May 5, 2015, the song was chosen as the "can't-miss" track by Spin, as well as being listed as a "must hear song" by Cosmopolitan. The song was also named one of the best Canadian songs of April by Complex and included on Billboard's "20 Pop Songs You Need For Your Summer Playlist" in June 2015. Rolling Stone later ranked "Here" at number 21 on its year-end list of the 50 best songs of 2015. On July 29, 2015, Cara made her television debut on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. "Here" then received a nomination for "Original Song" at the Streamy Awards. She released the EP Four Pink Walls×Four Pink Walls26 August 2015 · EP · CompilationSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 5 tracks1Seventeen3:332Here3:203Outlaws3:234I’m Yours3:495Four Pink Walls3:32, containing five songs, including her debut single. Her debut album, Know-It-All, was released on November 13, 2015.

From January to April 2016, Cara embarked on her first headlining tour, the "Know-It-All Tour", performing in various US and Canadian cities. She was short-listed for the BBC Music Sound of... award for 2016 and finished as the runner-up. Cara was awarded as Breakthrough Artist of the Year at the 2016 Juno Awards. On March 7, 2016, Cara released a music video for "Wild Things×Wild Things2 February 2016 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Wild Things3:08". In April 2016, Cara was announced to be one of the supporting acts of British alternative rock band Coldplay in the European and North American legs of their A Head Full of Dreams Tour, alongside British singer songwriter and Grammy winner Foxes. On June 23, 2016, Cara was featured in a re-released version of the song "Wild" by Troye Sivan. The music video was released on July 22, 2016. She played Glastonbury Festival on June 24, 2016, in the John Peel tent. The music video for Cara's version of the single "How Far I'll Go×How Far I'll Go28 October 2016 · Single · SoundtrackSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1How Far I'll Go2:56", from the Disney film Moana, was released on November 3, 2016, and since then has received over 270 million views on YouTube. The song was written by Lin-Manuel Miranda, produced by Oak Felder, and the video was directed by Aya Tanimura. On December 15, 2016, Cara released a music video for "Seventeen".
Cara performed as the musical guest on Saturday Night Live on February 4, 2017. On April 18, 2017, the music video of the song "Stay" by Zedd featuring Cara was released. Cara was also featured on the song "1-800-273-8255" from Logic's Everybody album. The song was released as a single on April 28, 2017, and also features American singer-songwriter Khalid. Cara also made an appearance in the video, which was released on August 17, 2017.

2018–2020: The Pains of Growing and This Summer

On January 28, 2018, Cara was named the Best New Artist at the 2018 Grammy Awards, making her the first Canadian artist to win this award. The decision to award her the Grammy was fervently condemned in some quarters, with Cara receiving hateful messages and death threats from angry fans of American singer SZA. As a result, Cara briefly deactivated her social media accounts.
On June 1, 2018, Cara released a teaser video following a week of cryptic Twitter posts. On June 9, she posted lyrics to a new song on her social media accounts for fans to piece together. Once completed, she announced the single's cover and name on June 11. The single, entitled "Growing Pains×Growing Pains15 June 2018 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Growing Pains3:14", was released on June 15, 2018. Its music video was released on June 20, 2018, and was nominated for Best Cinematography at the 2018 MTV VMAS.

On July 10, 2018, Cara announced that she would be releasing a song she made in her basement, written and produced by her, the next day, as a small gift for her birthday. The single, titled "A Little More×A Little More11 July 2018 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1A Little More2:25", was released on July 11, 2018, with the music video also released the same day. On September 29, 2018, the Canadian Football League announced that Cara would be the halftime performer at the 106th Grey Cup. In October 2018, she collaborated with Italian singer Eros Ramazzotti for the song "Vale per sempre", from the album Vita ce n'è. On October 5, 2018, Cara released another song, entitled "Trust My Lonely×Trust My Lonely5 October 2018 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Trust My Lonely3:20". A music video for the song was released the same day. On November 8, 2018, a music video for the song "Babies" by Kyle featuring Cara was released. On November 13, 2018, Cara released another song, entitled "Not Today×Not Today13 November 2018 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Not Today2:36". The release date coincided with the three-year anniversary of the release of her debut album. Cara's second studio album, The Pains of Growing×The Pains of Growing30 November 2018 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 20 tracks1Growing Pains3:142Not Today2:373I Don’t Want To2:4347 Days3:295Trust My Lonely3:206Wherever I Live3:057All We Know3:248A Little More2:269Comfortable4:1710Nintendo Game2:4211Out of Love3:4812Girl Next Door3:2313My Kind3:0114Easier Said3:2515Growing Pains (reprise)1:0016Growing Pains (acoustic)3:1417Growing Pains (BRAVVO remix)3:4318Growing Pains (Locals Only Sound remix)3:1719Trust My Lonely (Frank Walker remix)3:0720Trust My Lonely (Rain or Shine remix)4:36, was released on November 30, 2018. It debuted at number one on the US iTunes Pop Charts, in less than two hours after its release. Despite the successful position on iTunes, the album debuted at number 71 on the Billboard 200; 62 positions lower than her debut album in 2015. "Out of Love×Out of Love24 April 2019 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracks1Out of Love3:532I’m Like a Bird3:40" was eventually serviced to contemporary hit radio as the album's third single in January 2019. Cara also collaborated with Alec Benjamin on "Let Me Down Slowly×Let Me Down Slowly7 January 2019 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Let Me Down Slowly2:49", which was released on January 7, 2019. On February 21, Cara announced she would join Shawn Mendes as the opening act on his self-titled world tour for the European, United Kingdom, and United States legs. In May, she headlined The Pains of Growing Tour, visiting Canadian cities in the month of May.

In July 2019, Cara announced the release of an EP, This Summer×This Summer6 September 2019 · EPSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 6 tracks1Ready2:592What’s on Your Mind?3:143Like You2:244Okay Okay2:385Rooting for You2:566October4:01, with tracks to be issued "every couple of weeks" leading up to its release on September 6, 2019. She also announced that she would be adding a new leg of The Pains of Growing Tour, visiting various US cities in October and November. The first single, "Ready", was released on July 22. The second single, "Rooting for You×Rooting for You9 August 2019 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Rooting for You2:56", was released on August 9. Another song, "OKAY OKAY", was released on August 23. One more song, "October", was released on September 3. The music video for "October" was released on October 1, 2019. Cara was featured in Bastille's song "Another Place×Another Place1 November 2019 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Another Place3:34" with a music video released on November 1. The song peaked the number 18 at Billboard Hot Rock Songs. Cara released a standalone single, "Make It to Christmas×Make It to Christmas8 November 2019 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Make It to Christmas3:30", on November 8. The song charted at number 89 in Canada and number 60 in Germany.

On March 6, 2020, Cara collaborated with American singer and songwriter Lauv for the song "Canada" on Lauv's debut album, How I'm Feeling. On April 3, 2020, Cara released "I Choose×I Choose3 April 2020 · Single · SoundtrackSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1I Choose3:37", for the 2020 Netflix animated movie The Willoughbys, where she made her debut voice-role on a film for the character "Jane Willoughby". On July 17, Cara released her first live album, This Summer: Live Off The Floor×This Summer: Live Off the Floor17 July 2020 · Album · LiveSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1Summertime (Live Off the Floor)0:362Ready (Live Off the Floor)3:043What’s on Your Mind? (Live Off the Floor)3:144Like You (Live Off the Floor)2:325Okay Okay (Live Off the Floor)2:396Rooting for You (Live Off the Floor)2:507October (Live Off the Floor)4:058Scars to Your Beautiful (Live Off the Floor)4:279Here (Live Off the Floor)3:1910I Choose (from the Netflix original film The Willoughbys / acoustic)3:10, which features live, reimagined performances of the songs off of This Summer, as well as three acoustic bonus tracks and an intro that interpolates Summertime by George Gershwin. All of Cara's proceeds from the EP for the next 21 years are going to Save The Children.

2021–present: In the Meantime and Love & Hyperbole

On July 2, 2021, Cara announced that the lead singles "Sweet Dream×Sweet Dream15 July 2021 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Sweet Dream3:02" and "Shapeshifter×Shapeshifter15 July 2021 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Shapeshifter3:07" from her third studio album would be released on July 15, 2021. The announcement of this release came after five days of cryptic posts on Instagram and Twitter, each with pictures that would turn out to be related to the music videos for the singles. The music video for "Sweet Dream" was released that same day, while the music video for "Shapeshifter" was released on July 23, 2021. A riddle to help fans decode the title of the album was sent to Cara's emailing list the day before.
On August 2, 2021, it was announced that Cara would be releasing "The Use In Trying×The Use in Trying10 August 2021 · Single · SoundtrackSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1The Use in Trying3:12", an original song for the 2021 animated movie PAW Patrol: The Movie, on August 10, 2021. On August 5, 2021, it was announced that Cara wrote and sang "Feel You Now×Feel You Now12 November 2021 · Single · SoundtrackSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Feel You Now3:08", the theme song for Blade Runner: Black Lotus. Cara was later revealed to have recorded a total of four songs for the series, two of which were released through the soundtrack on November 5, 2021.
On August 31, 2021, another clue about the album was sent to Cara's emailing list, this time an image of five clocks all pointing towards 9:24. On September 2, 2021, Cara revealed the album's cover and announced that it is titled In the Meantime×In the Meantime24 September 2021 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 18 tracks1Unboxing Intro0:412Box in the Ocean3:163Bluebird3:144Lie to Me2:315Shapeshifter3:076Fishbowl3:087I Miss You, Don’t Call Me3:208Middle Ground3:439Somebody Else3:3410Drama Queen3:0111Clockwork2:2712Best Days3:3113Sweet Dream3:0214Find My Boy3:1215Voice in My Head2:5716Slow Lie2:4217You Let Me Down3:1318Apartment Song3:41 and would be released on September 24, 2021. On September 10, 2021, Cara collaborated with the Mexican rock band The Warning, on a cover of "Enter Sandman×Enter Sandman10 September 2021 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Enter Sandman4:23", which was released on the charity tribute album The Metallica Blacklist. This particular cover was famously used for the teaser trailer of the 2022 strategy role-playing video game Marvel's Midnight Suns.
On September 24, 2021, Cara's album In the Meantime was released alongside the music video for the song "Best Days×Best Days21 January 2022 · Single · RemixSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Best Days3:35". The album was met with critical acclaim from music critics, praising Cara's introspective and vulnerable lyricism. Cara starred in the 2021 edition of Yearly Departed, which was released in December 2021 on Amazon Prime Video, and performed "My Heart Will Go On" at the end of the production.
In 2023, she participated in an all-star recording of Serena Ryder's single "What I Wouldn't Do", which was released as a charity single to benefit Kids Help Phone's Feel Out Loud campaign for youth mental health.

In August 2023, Cara confirmed on an X posting that she was working on her fourth studio album, on which work began on in late 2021, continuing into 2024. The lead single "Dead Man×Dead Man19 July 2024 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Dead Man3:23" from the album and the accompanying music video were released on July 19, 2024. The album, titled Love & Hyperbole×Love & Hyperbole14 February 2025 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 14 tracks1Go Outside!3:402Left Alone2:463Dead Man3:234Subside4:295Run Run2:546Drive2:507Get to You3:088(Isn’t It) Obvious3:529Garden Interlude2:2610Nighttime Thing2:2411Feels Right3:0712Fire3:4613Slow Motion3:2314Clearly3:29, was released on February 14, 2025. The album spawned a second single, "Fire", which charted at number 30 on the US Billboard Adult Pop Airplay chart. Cara embarked on her Love & Hyperbole Tour in April 2025.
In August 2025, Cara joined the Jonas Brothers on their Greetings from Your Hometown tour as a surprise guest, to perform her single "Scars to Your Beautiful×Scars to Your Beautiful26 July 2016 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Scars to Your Beautiful3:50". Cara later announced that a deluxe edition of Love & Hyperbole would be released on October 24, 2025, including three previously unreleased songs, in addition to remixes featuring Julia Michaels, Lucky Daye, and Tiny Habits. The same month, Cara contributed an original song for the second season soundtrack of the Netflix series Nobody Wants This. Cara also performed the Canadian national anthem during Game 2 of the 2025 World Series on October 25, 2025.
In November 2025, Cara was announced to be among several Canadian musicians collaborating on original songs with producer Boi-1da on Perfect Perfect, a program which will produce an album themed around the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The album is set for release in summer 2026. In December 2025, Cara joined Canadian singer Bryan Adams for a performance, as part of Bryan Adams and Friends: A Great Big Holiday Jam, a television special which spawned an accompanying live album.
On January 1, 2026, Cara was inducted into the Brampton Arts Walk of Fame. In February 2026, Cara assisted in CBC's coverage of the 2026 Winter Olympics by narrating The Gold Within: Family & Fire. The same month, Cara was announced to be starring in a Super Bowl LX commercial for Pepsi, which would be broadcast across Canada. For the commercial, Cara recorded a version of "Joy of Cola". The commercial was broadcast during Super Bowl LX. In March 2026, Cara released her second live album, Love or Lack Thereof×Love or Lack Thereof20 March 2026 · Album · LiveSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1I’m in Trouble3:432Find My Boy (LOLT version)5:103Not Today (LOLT version)3:244Ready (LOLT version)3:595Garden at Nighttime (LOLT version)3:476Shapeshifter (LOLT version)3:557Out of Love (LOLT version)4:308Stay (LOLT version)3:209Fire (LOLT version)4:4910(Isn’t It) Obvious (LOLT version)4:0711I’m Yours (LOLT version)4:0012I’m in Trouble3:40, in which she reimagined several songs from her discography as jazz and soul records. Canadian singer Nelly Furtado and American singer Norah Jones collaborated with Cara on the album. On March 29, Cara performed Furtado's "I'm Like a Bird" at the Juno Awards of 2026, during a tribute to Furtado. In May 2026, Cara was announced to perform at Toronto's FIFA World Cup opening ceremony, during which she performed "Wild Things×Wild Things2 February 2016 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Wild Things3:08" and "Fire". In June 2026, Cara launched Giant Desk, a parody of NPR's Tiny Desk concert series, which gained media coverage. During the performance, she debuted a new verse to "Here", her 2015 debut single.

Personal life

Cara lives in Toronto, Canada. She has revealed on separate occasions that she experiences synesthesia, and also has keratosis pilaris and alopecia areata. She has also been open about her struggles with mental health and insomnia. Cara has dual Canadian and Italian citizenship.

Artistry

Cara is a pop, R&B, alternative R&B, indie pop and soul singer. Her influences include Lauryn Hill, Adele, Amy Winehouse, Alanis Morissette, Alicia Keys, John Mayer, Pink, Fergie, Christina Aguilera, Carole King, Drake, Ed Sheeran, and Taylor Swift.