Alessia Cara is 'Here'
Published
You cannot fault the drive or determination of Alessia Cara. From the moment she started uploading covers to YouTube from her bedroom aged 13, the Canadian artist has grown from a teen superstar to an R&B-pop force of nature.
At only 19 years old, she has already stormed the charts with her album positioning in the top 10 in the US and top 15 here in the UK. Her song 'Here' is currently storming the charts also. The song focuses on a situation whereby she was at a party that she did not want to be part of. It shows her to be an antisocial type who would rather hug the walls than follow typical teenage rules.
Dressed in jeans, a T-shirt and a bomber jacket with her hair scraped back, she looked as though she was en route to the gym rather than performing at her headline gig.
Her innocent, loving character came across as she took to the stage, face filled with a beaming smile. After performing her first few songs, she took the time to greet the crowd, full of screaming fans, saying how incredible it was for her to be in the UK. She then thanked them for being so supportive of her debut album.
It was clear to me that Alessia was all about the music rather than the appearance. She really engaged with the fans and showed that they really mattered to her. Several times she reached out to the crowd to hold the hands of those who had queued several hours to be front row. At the end of the gig, she jumped off stage to give the front row fans hugs and took selfies with each and every one of them. Her energy and enthusiasm made her gig so much fun and without even talking to her, it was as though I knew her inside out.
Her music is very real and focuses on the struggles of a teenager. I spoke to some of her fans who told me she was an inspiration and they felt comfort in listening to her music, knowing that other people go through similar situations as them.
Her song 'Scars to your beautiful' is one that really stood out to me. She told the crowd that having scars was a positive thing, and that it makes us who we are. Several people in the audience filled up with tears as she sang the song. It made me realise the impact that she was having on other teenagers.
Although only small in size, her powerful voice and vocal range filled the whole venue. Impressively, she sang every track from her album. When Alessia performed her hit single 'Here' towards the end of her set, she had every member of the crowd going wild. When she then returned for her encore, she performed a cover of 'Sweater Weather', which surprised fans, as it was one of her first covers on YouTube back in 2013. The cover reached a staggering 1.5m views.
Alessia's band cannot go unmentioned. Consisting of a drummer, a guitarist and a bassist, they most certainly set the mood. Before Alessia entered the stage, they got the crowd going wild. The relationship between all the band members and Alessia herself was something which was clearly special. It was obvious that they all have a very close bond.
If you have not already listened to Alessia Cara's debut album 'Know-It-All', I would definitely recommend that you check it out. It has an edge to it that defines her as an artist. I believe that her voice has some similarity to that of Amy Winehouse. I predict big things for this girl. At aged 19, I hope and believe that she will have a very positive future.
COMMENTS
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Wish I had gone to see her live so thanks for this! Really enjoyed reading the review - must see her next time!
