Expressing Love (& Hyperbole): Alessia Cara Answers Pressing Questions on Her New Album and More!
In mid-February, I had the great honor of sitting at a press conference for the ever-talented Alessia Cara, where she answered questions about her new album, songwriting process, and life experiences. The Canadian singer/songwriter has shared her powerful vocals and personal lyrics since 2015, with her debut album Know-It-All, featuring the hit song Scars To Your Beautiful.
First and foremost, Alessia recounted a point that she made several times throughout the press conference that I feel is important to note going forward: She spoke of this journey that she went through experiencing love in her own life, and what she learned in it. This impacted her songwriting on Love & Hyperbole as it transformed her perspective on love itself.
The title comes from the fact that the album encompasses many feelings and situations surrounding love, some being “heavy” as Alessia stated. The word “Hyperbole” comes from her idea of using the word to “soothe a lot of those heavy parts,” stating that it added a humorous undertone to the overall work. Additionally, she reflected on her songwriting, mentioning her journey of finding the balance of something personal, and creating something that others can connect with, a concept that many songwriters take into account in the modern age of music.Nevertheless, this journey is different for anybody, and Alessia’s skill as a songwriter makes her stand out in the crowd to say the least.
While working on the album, Alessia recalled a specific moment working with well-known guitarist and songwriter John Mayeron her new song Obvious: “[John Mayer] is one of my lyrical idols and musician idols in general. Working with him is... it just felt like an out of body experience... it was amazing, he was always so incredibly generous to me with his time and with his support and now with his skills and talents.” She even went on to say, “I feel like even if here played for five minutes I would’ve left it on.”
The Grammy Award-winning artist is confident that the fans who have been here since the beginning will enjoy her new work, and even invites new fans to explore her discography, as she believes that newcomers will come to enjoy her work that they might’ve missed. To me, having this perspective on your art shows great prowess in understanding your fanbase, and believing in yourself as an artist; something that is key to finding success in the industry like she has.
Overall, I found this press conference to feature many great talking points. Discovering more about an artist’s background and process, especially going into a new project, is such a fascinating and engaging concept, and I hope many others feel the same. I personally had a great experience, and I feel as though the entire conference did as well. Alessia is a heavily insightful and inspired artist, so I feel it's best that I recommend you listen to Love & Hyperbole, the latest album from Alessia Cara out now!
(Featured image credit: Alex Loucas)