Alessia Cara returns to Brampton, where her dreams began

STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY KELSEY LYONS

Alessia Cara blew away her hometown last Thursday in concert at Davis Campus in Brampton.

Cara opened with her song “I’m Yours,” from her album Know-It-All, on Def Jam Records.

From the start, the concert was filled with energy and excitement, not only from Cara, but the audience as well, and it remained until the end.

Cara may only be 19 and brand new in the music industry, but she doesn’t show it. She is comfortable on stage. She didn’t just sing, she performed and no square foot was left untouched.

Cara has a way of connecting with the audience, she makes her songs relatable not only through her lyrics but in the way she presents them.

She gave a lot of context to many of her songs, which is really important considering she’s a new artist and people don’t quite understand her and her music style just yet.

A song that was particularly important to her, especially at this concert was “Four Pink Walls.” Cara explained that this song is about her stepping out of the confines of her bedroom and following her dreams.

This speech helped her connect even more with the audience. She was talking to everyone out there, not just an aspiring artist, but anyone with a dream.

She explained that you don’t need to be in L.A. or New York to live out your dreams, you can do it from anywhere, just like she did.

Cara doesn’t dress like your “typical” artist as some have put. She wore a beanie to the concert, just like at the party she talked about in the song “Here,” “…And I’m standing by the TV with my beanie low. Yo I’ll be over here.”

She wore ripped jeans, it was essentially a casual look.

Her attire that night was very important to the overall image Cara seems to portray. She’s definitely becoming an advocate, especially for young women who feel they need to “dress to impress.”

Cara says it doesn’t matter what she dresses like, her music is what matters.

She explained how her song, “Scars to Your Beautiful,” is a song all women can relate to.

She asked the audience to raise their hands if as a woman they ever felt that they needed to look, or dress a particular way to feel beautiful. And no surprise, many women raised their hands.

She explains that you don’t have to change, but the world needs to, “…And you don’t have to change a thing. The world could change its heart.”

Cara planned to end the night with a selfie. “I want to take a picture of this moment,” said Cara.

Cara takes a selfie with the audience right before she sings “Here,” the song that brought her to fame.

This was right before she sang her hit song, “Here,” the song that brought on her fame. She wanted to remember the moment, her singing this song in her hometown.

This was the last song planned of her set for the night, but the fans wanted more and they shouted, “Encore, encore,” and she gave it to them with one more song.

Check out upcoming concerts and get additional information about Alessia Cara.