Alessia Cara is an Italian-Canadian singer-songwriter from Mississauga, Canada, who is associated with pop, soul and R&B, including alternative R&B, contemporary R&B, pop rock and pop soul. She is born Alessia Caracciolo and begins as a performer through poetry, theatre and self-taught guitar, starting to play guitar at the age of 10 and teaching herself songs. At 13, she starts a YouTube channel and posts acoustic covers, which leads to wider attention before her recording career.

Early career

Cara signs with EP Entertainment and Def Jam Recordings in July 2014. She is best known for “Here”, her debut single, which appears on her EP Four Pink Walls and later on her debut album Know-It-All. “Here” becomes a major breakthrough track after its release in 2015.

Albums and releases

Her debut album Know-It-All is released in 2015 and includes the singles “Seventeen”, “Here”, “Wild Things” and “Scars to Your Beautiful”. Her second album, The Pains of Growing, follows in 2018 and features “Growing Pains”, “Not Today”, “Trust My Lonely”, “A Little More” and “Out of Love”.

Between her second and third albums, she releases the EP This Summer in 2019, which contains six songs including “Rooting For You” and “Ready”. Her third album, In the Meantime, appears in 2021 and includes “Sweet Dream”, “Shapeshifter”, “Best Days” and “You Let Me Down”. Her fourth album, Love & Hyperbole, follows in 2025 and includes “Dead Man”, “(Isn’t It) Obvious”, “Slow Motion” and “Fire”.