I recently had the privilege of attending Alessia Cara’s concert in LA with my roommate and designated photographer, Jenna. I was stoked of course, but I didn’t know what to expect, since Alessia is such a fresh face on the music scene. Well, it turns out she knows exactly what she’s doing and the concert will go down in the books as one of my favorite memories of 2016. Here are just a few of the cool things I learned about the singer that night, and some of the reasons why I look up to her as a musician and a person.
1. Her voice is out-of-this world beautiful
If you’ve heard “Here” (believe me, you have), you know that Alessia’s unique and raspy voice makes the song so much more than just another pop hit. But live? Her talent is striking. Jenna and I were lost for words.
2. She has a #1 single at age 19
I mean, does this really warrant an explanation?
3. Said single is super relatable
We feel ya, Alessia, we don’t want to be at that party either.
4. She is sweet and level-headed
And I’m not just saying that because she favorited my tweet within 10 minutes of my arrival at El Rey Theatre and I can now die happy. Alessia was genuinely cool and inspiring the whole time she was on stage. I want to be her.
5. She thinks you’re beautiful
Alessia got very real about her insecurities. “I just tend to look at every picture of myself and pinpoint every little thing I don’t like,” she told us. “I want you to know two things: all of the things you hate about yourself, somebody else loves them. And it’s not about beauty.”
6. She wants you to believe in yourself, even when nobody else does
Speaking of “Here,” Alessia said, “this is the song that nobody believed would ever be on the radio.” For reference, it’s also the song that has 70 million views and counting on YouTube, so yeah. Her very fitting conclusion was a quote that you’ll probably want to print on a novelty mug: “If you have a dream, I hope that you can achieve it no matter what.” And you can, girl, you can.