It’s been six years since Alessia Cara first stepped onto the scene as a bright-eyed, awkward teen who sang about hating parties in her debut smash ‘Here.’ Thrown into a whirlwind from the beginning, the Canadian star swiftly became one of the biggest young stars on the planet, earning a string of accolades and becoming a relatable role model for the new generation of teens. But what exactly has she been up to since then? From dabbling in acting to releasing new music, here’s how Cara has been keeping busy.
She celebrated her dog’s birthday
A good note to start this article on, we thought. Little Cleo, Cara’s famous goldendoodle, has officially turned a year old everybody. And what a year she’s had. From joining Cara in the studio to earning her very own fan page on Instagram, Cleo has cemented herself into Cara’s life for the better. Joking that she’s a mother to a “very hairy little baby”, Cara has been updating her fans on her and Cleo’s journey so far, including the special birthday celebration just last month that looked like it was one hell of a time. Happy birthday, Cleo!
She’s made her debut with voice acting
In 2017 during an interview with Jimmy Fallon, Cara revealed that one day she’d love to appear in an animated film, and just a few years later her wish was granted. The 2020 Netflix film The Willoughbys is a heart-warming tale about a unique family and sees Cara play the voice of middle child (and aspiring singer) Jane. The star also wrote a song for the film called ‘I Choose’ and the raw vocal that ends up in the final movie is actually from a voice note Cara sent in when she had a sinus infection! Learn more about the behind-the-scenes process below.
She released an EP and then followed that up with a live version
In 2019, Cara dropped her 6-track project This Summer, a collection of thoughts, emotions and memories to update her fans as to where she was at with life in her early 20s. A year later, This Summer: Live Off The Floor rolled out and featured reimagined, live performances of the same tracks as well as three new bonus ones. It was also announced that for the next 21 years, all proceeds from the EP would go to Save the Children USA, a non-profit that aims to improve the lives of children all around the world.
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She made her first Christmas song!
Boldly going where many pop greats have gone before, Cara stepped into the magical world of Christmas music in 2019 to whip up the emotional track ‘Make It to Christmas’ that finds the star hoping her relationship will last through the holidays. The stripped version then appeared on the neat little 4-track EP Holiday Stuff a year later.
She’s dabbled in a few collabs
It’s safe to say Cara has been working hard musically. In between her own solo efforts, the star has also teamed up with both Lauv and Bastille to make some super catchy hits. Bastille’s ‘Another Place’ is an indie pop telling of both sides of a broken relationship and Lauv’s aptly named ‘Canada’ is a sweet soft-sounding love song that rings of hope.
She wrapped a US and Canada tour
Sneaking a tour in before the world shut down, Cara spent the majority of 2019 taking her sophomore album The Pains of Growing, as well as her EP This Summer, around Canada and America. The star and her team visited 29 cities in just 3 months, and it certainly looked like an awesome time. On top of that, Cara even opened for Shawn Mendes during the entire Canadian and European run of his third tour.
She has new music out right now!
Setting the stage for her new era, Cara has recently dropped two new singles ‘Shapeshifter’ and ‘Sweet Dream’. Aimed to go hand in hand with each other, both songs are meant to represent the duality of a person, a theme that Cara says will run throughout her next project. While the vulnerable ‘Sweet Dream’ deals with the loneliness of insomnia, the sultry ‘Shapeshifter’ navigates one’s own identity after a tough breakup. Both tracks are a step in a new direction for the star and show an honest maturity that we can’t wait to see more of.
Alessia Cara’s two new singles ‘Sweet Dream’ and ‘Shapeshifter’ are available to listen now. The anticipated music video for ‘Shapeshifter’ will drop 23rd July.
SEE ALSO: 10 Things You Should Know About Alessia Cara
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