IN CONVERSATION WITH ALESSIA CARA
interview JANA LETONJA
Singer and songwriter Alessia Cara is a 5-time Juno Awards winner and a Grammy Award winner, which she won in 2018 as the Best New Artist. She is currently working on her fourth studio album, which is set be be released this Fall. The first single from the upcoming album, 'Dead Man', has just been released last month.
dress OTTOLINGER
shoes DR MARTENS
Alessia, you just released your newest single 'Dead Man', from your upcoming album. What inspired this song and what is it all about?
I wrote this song about grieving a relationship before it’s actually over because you see the end coming. It’s a mourning mixed with delusion that you can save something that cannot be saved. I’ve felt that in a few different forms and I wanted to capture it retrospectively as the beginning of this album’s story.
What can we expect from your fourth studio album when it comes out later this year?
Sonically, the album is musically very eclectic, a big collection of sounds I love as a music listener. Lyrically, there is a thread that runs through each song about accepting pain and loss, facing fear and finding love. I’m super proud of it.
On the new album, you are exploring a territory previously uncharted in your music. Tell us more about your journey of exploring the thrill of finding true happiness and how this process was for you.
I feel like I had to rediscover myself as a writer and as a person simultaneously. I was experiencing new levels of perspective, love and joy, and figuring out how to welcome that in both my life and in my writing took a lot of time. My artistic voice has always been fueled by melancholy. I felt safe there personally, too. It’s part of my emotional DNA, whereas accepting pure happiness is unfortunately not. It was a very interesting and ultimately fulfilling exercise to speak from a happier, more unwavering place. Even the sadder songs feel rooted in acceptance and I love that.
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dress AYA MUSE
shoes DR MARTENS
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coat corset shirt & tie SPORTMAX
shoes SONORA
The album has mainly been recorded live. Why did you decide on such approach and how does it help evelate the rawness of it?
I really wanted to lean into more live instrumentation and have the album feel like everyone is in the room together playing the songs. All my favourite music, which is mostly music from the 60s - 90s, has a certain warmth that feels timeless, and I really do think it’s mostly because of the live instruments. Finding a balance between contemporary sounds that feel fresh and more nostalgic sounds that feel classic was a cool challenge. I’m really happy with it.
You started writing songs at a young age of 7. How did songwriting become your obsession, and how has it developed throughout the years?
First of all, I’m glad no one has heard the songs I was writing at 7 because I don’t think they were very good. They were terrible actually. I did really love it though. Even when I didn’t even realize what I was doing, I was still doing it. Singing and writing have always been a huge part of me and I’m not even sure what sparked it other than it felt natural and fun. And I wasn’t good at much else. I’ve learned immensely since I first started, even since just the last album. I mentally equate finding your artistic identity to a slab of clay on a table that you keep chipping away at until it makes a shape you can understand. I can see mine way clearer now.
Who would you describe your biggest musical influences back at the beginning of your career, and have they stayed the same until today?
I grew up listening to artists like The Beatles, Black Eyed Peas, Amy Winehouse, Lauren Hill, Coldplay. Then as I got older and discovered the internet, I really got into Fleetwood Mac, Billy Joel, Lianne La Havas, John Mayer, Erykah Badu, Drake, and the list goes on. My taste is all over the place. I wouldn’t say my influences changed as much as they expanded. I just keep adding to the rotation. I’m a music fan first, so I’m always listening to stuff.
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dress AYA MUSE
shoes DR MARTENS
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coat corset shirt & tie SPORTMAX
shoes SONORA
What ignited your passion for music and what inspired you to begin posting covers on YouTube?
My love for music was honestly something that always felt present for me. I don’t remember a time when I wasn’t singing or at least listening to music constantly, so I guess it’s been there from the jump. I was super shy though and I think YouTube was a way to face my fears of singing in front of people without having to actually be in front of them. It started as just a friends and family thing. I didn’t think anyone would ever really find them.
In 2018, you won a Grammy Award as the Best New Artist. How proud were you of that moment and what did it mean for your career?
That whole thing happening is still such a surreal blur. You dream of something your whole life and it just feels like an intangible idea that’s so far away. It’s almost unfathomable. And then next thing you know, you’re holding one and you can’t wrap your head around what it even means. I still can’t quite grasp it. I know it doesn’t measure artistic value in any way, but it was still one of the most incredible moments of my life.
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dress ANNAKIKI
shoes LUCASHEVA
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dress AYA MUSE
shoes DR MARTENS
Besides music, what are some of the other passions in your life?
I’m passionate about love and keeping it close. Making people feel loved, making myself feel loved and prioritizing those who make me feel loved. I don’t think there’s much else to the point of life, as corny as that sounds. I like to laugh and make people laugh too. And lately, I like to collect perfumes. Smelling good is definitely a top tier passion.
With the upcoming release of your newest album, what other projects do you have coming up this year?
I’ve been writing a little for different things. I would love to write for TV or film, or for other artists. I am also working on a live set and can’t wait to put the performer hat back on. It's been a while.
TEAM CREDITS
talent ALESSIA CARA
photographer / creative director / set design TYLER PATRICK KENNY
stylist CHRISTIAN STROBLE
hair DENNIS GOTS
makeup LOFTJET
market editor NIKI RAVARI
styling assistant GAIA KHATCHADOURIAN
videographer ANDREY FRAZÃO
special thanks to 503 DTLA
editors TIMI LETONJA
cover design ARTHUR ROELOFFZEN
