Alessia Cara Shares Her Views on Romance and Talks “Love & Hyperbole”
Alessia Cara first started making waves with her single “Here” all the way back in 2015, and now that she’s a little older and has gotten to experience romance, growing up, and working with other incredible artists, she’s returned to the drawing—or rather songwriting—board. Love & Hyperbole is a beautiful harmony of pop bangers mixed with the raw emotional insight that she has gained from falling in love. Cara seems to be freer in this album— less restricted by feeling small in a vast world. Her vocals are relaxed yet so power-packed that you can’t help but feel like she’s singing these songs right into your ear. She was kind enough to sit down with Universal Music Group °1824 and fellow journalists to discuss the new album.
Photo courtesy of UMG
You grew up in Brampton just outside of Toronto where the music scene is much larger. How did your upbringing in a smaller city influence your perspective on music and how you approach songwriting?
I’m very fortunate to have grown up in a city that celebrates so many different cultures and religions and ethnicities. People always say, we learned in school, that Canada is more of a cultural mosaic, as opposed to the States which is more of a melting pot. It definitely formed a lot of my songwriting just because of the openness that it brought me, that understanding of the world.
All the visuals we’ve seen so far from Love & Hyperbole have included vibrant shades of red that sometimes stand out against black, and sometimes they’re more integrated into the environment. How would you say these visuals relate to the themes of the album?
I’ve always related colors and shapes and whole universes to every, every project of mine. I don’t know if that’s related to my synesthesia, I do see colors when I hear sounds. That’s always been a catalyst for what I want the different album worlds to look like. For this album, the obvious answer would be love, we see the imagery of the color red when it comes to love. That specific shade of red on the album cover, the wine shade, felt very sophisticated and rich. It was this warmth to it with cool undertones. The contrast of that, the warm and cool tones, were very indicative of what the album means to me.
Which track feels the most personal to you and why?
There's a song on the album called “Fire” that to me is the first time I’ve ever written a love song without any fear or negativity attached to it. When I go to write love songs, there’s usually melancholy or something negative. This song feels super personal to me because it’s the first time I’ve written about love in a happy, free way. It’s a love letter, and that feels very open.
With your impressive array of gold and platinum certifications, what do you believe is the key formula for composing a hit record?
That’s such a hard question! If you look at the array of hit records that have been produced from the beginning of time until now, every single one of them sounds completely different, I feel like there’s no way to actually tell what it takes to make one. The one thing they have in common, though sonically and structurally different, is something that hits people in a deeper way. Simplicity is always the best route to take when you’re trying to reach a large group of people. Saying something that’s universal and tapping into a feeling that gets past the facade and hits you deeply.
Photo courtesy of UMG
What was the easiest and hardest song to write on this new album?
The easiest one was “Obvious,” and “Fire” too, it felt like it just came out of me. Those two songs felt like they already existed in a way, and I just caught them somehow. I know that sounds fluffy, weird artist, but it’s true! The songs that weren’t necessarily hard but took on different forms and new lives throughout the process were “Slow Motion” and “Nighttime Thing.” Those ones we had to fine tune a little more to get them to the place I wanted them to be.
The title Love & Hyperbole suggests a mix of deep emotions and storytelling, can you share how the theme of hyperbole translated into your storytelling while you were writing this album?
On one side of it, I was definitely using hyperbole in a humorous way and allowing it to pacify some of the heavier emotions. On songs like “Run Run,” it’s about fearing that I’m going to sabotage something really great and potentially beautiful. I used a lot of humor in that in a hyperbolic way, telling this person to run away from me. In a way it kind of soothes that really hard, sad feeling under the surface. The other side to it is about how when you're in love in a positive way or feeling heartbreak, those things can feel very dramatic. Especially me, I’m a Cancer, a very emotional person, and sometimes things surrounding love can feel like the end of the world. Hyperbole is about the exaggerated emotions I was truly feeling.
Your last album The Pains of Growing, which resonated with a lot of young girls like myself, was about being more comfortable with yourself and being alone. From your journey then to now, how has that narrative changed, and how have you navigated that?
It’s strange because I feel like the exact same person, the DNA of that album and who I was at the time is still very much there. That version of me could look at me now and recognize exactly who this is. On the other hand, I’ve also changed so much, too. Some of my earlier albums had the element of a closed-off stubbornness towards the world, I had this fire in me that was fueled by angst. There was a lot of stuff there that isn't there anymore, and when I look back, I feel a lot softer than I used to be. That stubbornness and default melancholy is still there, but I have a different view of the world and life.
What was the most impactful part of the production process?
This time around, I’d say it was that I had the opportunity to record 90% of this album live. I was actually able to be there and work with these musicians in person now that COVID is over. We had an orchestra, string players, and a horn section. We got to feed off of each other’s energy which was really cool and different. I love live music, and a lot of the music I like is from the 50s, 60s, 70s, and that was all predominantly live. Even the singing was done all the way through, usually. Getting to do that this time around, and getting to make the music I’ve always wanted to make in the way I’ve wanted to make it felt super exciting.
Do you consider yourself to be a romantic? How do you think your views have changed over the years?
I would definitely say I’m a romantic, even in the times I sort of didn't want to be, or was shamefully one because of the outcomes. My view of love has changed now that I’ve had the chance to experience something that is real love. It’s the love that I want and have always strived for. Before, my understanding of love was that you had to make endless sacrifices in order to show that love. What I took as a sacrifice was actually just making myself very small and suppressing myself. Now that I’ve gotten to experience the other side of it I've realized that real love is supposed to expand you and show you parts of yourself that you didn't know were there. Love makes you bigger rather than smaller.
“Obvious” features a guitar solo by John Mayer, how was your experience collaborating with him?
That was the coolest thing ever, John Mayer is incredible. He’s one of my musical idols, so working with him felt like an out of body experience. Even now when I hear it I can’t believe that it’s him in my song! It was amazing, he has always been so incredibly generous to me with his time and support, and now with his skills too. He was so kind and open and free with us.
As you can see, each detail of this album was meticulously crafted to fully reflect the woman she’s becoming since having her view of the world shifted by love. These songs are deeply personal, and are able to connect with fans so wonderfully. It was incredible to get to hear her talk about Love & Hyperbole!
