All hail, Alessia Cara!
Staying close to her anti-social, introverted roots, Alessia Cara once again proved that being cool ain't all that. Prior to the release of her EP, "Know It All" last November 13th, she dropped the anthemic "Wild Things".
This little taste of the 19-year-old singer / songwriter's album would definitely make you crave for more. Like most of the songs in her "Four Pink Walls" EP, this song is heavily coated with metaphors and that "I'll give it to you straight" vibe. Once again, Alessia Cara managed to make a song about being the "uncool, outsider kid" pretty cool. Sticking to the soulful and RnB theme throughout her album, this track gives a much more powerful and "rebellious" feel. It's basically saying "I'm not part of a cool clique... so what?!"
Last July, Alessia Cara introduced this song during an acoustic performance on Ryan Seacrest's radio show. She admitted, "it's about self-acceptance and kind of saying I don't need to be this great, amazing person or this smart person or this popular person to still feel cool about myself."
She also has an important message for everyone who always felt like they were outside the 'cool circle" and couldn't get in with the crowd. "And for all the people who don't really feel like they have a place, we can make our own place."
Word.
The thing I like the most about Cara's songs, aside from the hit-the-nail-on-the-head lyrics, were the rhythm. Right off the bat, you'll get instantly hooked - from the very first beat up to the final note. And it sounds even better stripped-down, with nothing but her acoustic guitar and her wonderful voice.
Rollingstone.com described "Wild Things" as “a celebration of youth and follows in the vein of the anti-cool kid stance on ‘Here’”. They complimented her for going for a “more straight-up pop on the more fast-paced, percussive tune.”
It has definitely been a busy year for the young Canadian singer. Her rise to stardom might be attributed to her being a YouTube cover artist, however, she has definitely proven that she's more than that. She is not just some girl who can write pretty cool songs, play musical instruments, make cool music videos and easy on the eyes too. She is far from being a one-hit wonder. In fact, let me just say that, for me, she is now the "Queen of the Uncool, Rebellious, Misfits". Introverted and outsider kids need to say no more for they have found their voice in Alessia Cara.
My only question is for her is... Why just now? Where were you during my awkward high school years?
"We don’t care what they say, no way.” Definitely my favorite line from “Wild Things”. It’s basically telling other people to shove it in their you-know-what. I know I’m not exactly the right demography for this kind of song. But I believe that we interpret music in our own way. We relate to it on a much higher and deeper level. For me, working in a company is pretty much like being back in the school cafeteria and constantly looking around for a social clique that you can join and sit with. Sometimes you just want to sit in the corner by yourself and ignore everyone around you.
“We'll be alright, don't mind us, yeah…” Cara definitely took the words out of my mouth.
