Alessia Cara Artistfacts

July 11, 1996
She was born Alessia Caracciolo in Brampton, Ontario, Canada, the daughter of Italian parents. Her mom is a hairdresser from Italy who at first spoke little English when she immigrated to Canada and her father is a first-generation welder.
When she first thought about what she wanted to do with her life, Alessia thought her interests in painting, drawing and crafting would lead her to becoming a visual artist. It was only later she decided that singing was what she wanted.
Alessia Cara got her start in the music world by posting acoustic cover songs to YouTube, starting when she was just 13 years old. She recorded them in her closet so she wouldn't disturb her little brother.
She kept quiet about her music endeavors in high school. "I wanted to get through high school anonymously," Alessia told Billboard. "I didn't want to be that girl in the hallways."
Her acoustic selection of covers grabbed the attention of Def Jam, and she signed with EP Entertainment and Def Jam Recordings in 2015. Her debut single, "Here," was based on a true story of a party that Alessia hated so much, she called her mom to pick her up and take her home.
Alessia Cara won Best New Artist at the Grammy Awards in 2018. She described how the award helped her battle with insecurities.

"I've been shown that what I've created is worth something and that people actually give a s--t," she said. "All of the years feeling like I wasn't good at anything or that I was naive for dreaming about something improbable have paid off in a way that I have yet to process."
She is a talented mimic and can impersonate accurately such celebrities as Adele and Ariana Grande. When Alessia played Wheel of Musical Impressions on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, she nailed each one.
She has a tattoo of a sailboat on her wrist. "It's a reminder that even though I'm small and seem weak, I'm not," Alessia explained.

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