Just in time for Valentine’s Day, Canadian pop and R&B artist Alessia Cara has released a new album that celebrates loving yourself just as much as loving others.
Alessia Caracciolo, known professionally as Alessia Cara, is a household name in Canada. Despite being just 28 years old, Cara’s music has been gracing our airwaves for a decade. She got her start on YouTube, where she began covering popular songs like The Neighbourhood’s “Sweater Weather,” and Justin Bieber’s “Love Yourself.”
Cara first signed with EP Entertainment and Def Jam Recordings in 2014, releasing her debut single “Here,” in 2015, which went 5x Platinum, along with her hit “Scars To Your Beautiful.”Both songs also reached the Top 10 List on Billboard’s Hot 100. With billions of streams and plenty of awards under her belt, Cara is cementing her place as a Canadian star.
In an interview with Now Toronto, the star says her fourth studio album, Love & Hyperbole, which was released today, covers new territory sonically and lyrically.
Cara, who made history as the first Canadian artist to win a Grammy Award for Best New Artist, in 2018, says that at the beginning of her career, she was a shy writer. She said through this album, she has blossomed into a more free songwriter who takes more risks with new ideas.
“I’ve been the same person, and it [the music] is always going to come from me. So, there’s always going to be a thread that holds each album together, no matter how different they are,” she explained, adding there are big differences between her older work and Love & Hyperbole, both sonically and lyrically.
Love & Hyperbole is a fun album, with songs that make you want to dance, and others that make you want to fall in love. Cara explained that with all the themes relating to love, Valentine’s Day felt like the best day to release this project, and she hopes people enjoy her work during their celebrations.
“I’m most looking forward to people you know, just either having a date night or… a date night with themselves, and just listening to the album, and feeling either seen and understood or just feeling comforted in some way.”
“That’s the hope that I have for all my projects, but especially this one, that people can, just like, take something from it and see themselves in a part of something that I went through, or something that I’m saying.”
AN ALBUM OF LOVE
Explaining that many different kinds of love influenced this album, Cara says that to find fulfilling, long-lasting relationships, it’s important to find self-love and reflection first. She added that self-love and loving relationships go hand in hand.
“Every relationship that you have, whether romantic or platonic, in a sense, kind of acts as a mirror sometimes, and either makes you better or shows you patterns about yourself… that maybe you wouldn’t have noticed otherwise,” she explained. “I think that’s what people are in our lives for, you know, to show us things about ourselves and to reflect things back to us.”
“This album is about exploring different aspects of love,” Cara said. “Ultimately, even if it’s not just romantic love, there’s a lot of love of self and love of life, and, like, grappling with love and loss in different aspects.”
While working on the album, Cara says she experienced a lot of love from other people, and at the same time, was doing a lot of self-reflection. These themes are relevant in the album’s 14 songs.
Cara says it’s difficult to choose her favourite song, revealing that she wrote 46 tracks for this album and narrowed it down to about one-third of that before releasing the project.
But if she had to choose, the star says that “Obvious,” “Slow Motion,” and “Fire,” are her top three songs.
“Obvious,” is a moody song with fun beats that tells a story of unconditional love despite physical separation. The song, which was released in Oct. 2024 and is the first single of Love & Hyperbole, also features a guitar solo by American singer-songwriter and guitarist John Mayer.
Looking for a sexy song with a catchy R&B vibe? Then “Slow Motion,” is the track for you. Released on Jan. 24, “Slow Motion,” was the new album’s second single, with the singer focusing on a relationship with someone who understands her better than anyone else. The track is endearing, with Cara lamenting how she wishes there were more days in the week to spend with her lover, whom she misses before they even leave.
Meanwhile, “Fire,” is a slower, more classic love song, which sees Cara falling in love at the beginning of a relationship, jumping in head first. The tune is perfect for a slow dance with your special someone on love day.
LOVING TORONTO
Born in Mississauga and raised in Brampton, Cara is very familiar with Toronto, and in her opinion, the city does not get enough love.
“There’s a lot of parts that remind me of New York, but it’s like, a little bit cleaner than New York. It’s not as overpopulated as New York,” she explained “So, you get the good parts of New York, without being too overcrowded.”
“I love the diversity here. I love the cuisine here. There’s so many great restaurants and places to grab food and stuff, and it’s very eclectic,” she added.
The singer-songwriter also dished on some of her favourite places to grab a bite to eat in the city, including Gus Tacos, North of Brooklyn Pizzeria, Agora, and Mamakas Taverna.
Love & Hyperbole is now streaming on your favourite music platforms.
