“I didn't start writing songs, honestly, until I started making my album. I was always doing poetry, but I never thought I could write songs. I discouraged myself and thought it was so hard. But starting this process and learning just what it is to be a songwriter and performer taught me that you don't have to feel discouraged about anything.”

Canadian singer and songwriter

Alessia Cara, born Alessia Caracciolo, is a Canadian singer and songwriter. She became known after posting song covers on YouTube as a teenager, then signed to EP Entertainment and Def Jam Recordings in 2014. Her debut single, "Here", arrived the next year. It reached number 19 on the Canadian Hot 100 and became a sleeper hit in the United States, where it peaked at number 5 on the Billboard Hot 100.