artist:  Alessia Cara

songwriters: Warren Felder, Andrew Wansel, Coleridge Tillman, Alessia Caracciolo

date released:  2016 by Alessia Cara

Alessia Caracciolo, known professionally as Alessia Cara, is a Canadian singer-songwriter. Born in Mississauga, Canada in 1996, to Italian parents, she began posting covers of songs on YouTube at age 13. After uploading acoustic covers of songs such as "Love Yourself" and "Sweater Weather" online, she began her professional career by signing with EP Entertainment and Def Jam Recordings in 2014.  She released her first song, "Here", and in the following year, it peaked at number 19 on the Canadian Hot 100 chart and was a sleeper hit in the US, peaking at number 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Cara released her first album, "Know-It-All" which contained the single,  "Scars to Your Beautiful". It rose to Number 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2016. In 2017, Cara collaborated with DJ and producer Zedd on the single "Stay", which is certified seven-times platinum in Canada. 

Cara has received nominations for four Grammy Awards, winning the Best New Artist in 2018.  She was nominated for Song of the Year and Record of the Year at the 2019 Latin Grammys for her collaboration with Juanes on "Querer Mejor". Her second studio album, The Pains of Growing (2018), saw the moderate commercial success of the singles "Growing Pains" and "Trust My Lonely". The album won Juno Award for Album of the Year and Juno Award for Pop Album of the Year while she went on to win Juno Award for Songwriter of the Year. 

_______________________________________________________________

The song “Scars to Your Beautiful” by Alessia Cara is a song about learning to appreciate your unique beauty and not worrying about perception of beauty in society. The lyrics tell a story of a young girl who is insecure about her appearance and is comparing herself to the images of beauty she sees in magazines and on TV.

The lyrics suggest that she is searching for someone who will accept her for who she is, even with all her flaws and imperfections.

The main message of the song is that beauty isn’t found in magazines or on TV, but in the unique qualities and individual traits that make us who we are. The chorus of the song explains that even if all these perfect images in society don’t reflect what’s inside, that doesn’t mean that these qualities don’t have value or beauty.

The song’s message speaks to anyone who has ever felt like an outsider because of their looks and encourages them to find the beauty in themselves, no matter what. It encourages people to love themselves for who they are, with all their flaws, and to never let anyone tell them differently.

Metaphorically speaking, a scar can symbolize many things depending on the context. Generally speaking, a scar can be a reminder of a physical trauma or injury one has endured. It can serve as a reminder of the resilience and strength we possess to overcome challenges or difficulties.

More to the point, a scar may also represent a badge of honor, signifying all that one has achieved, endured, and overcome. Finally, a scar can bring overall self-acceptance and help to embrace one’s past and current challenges in life.

On an even deeper level, it symbolizes the power of transformation and healing, as the scar itself is evidence of a transformation that has taken place where the body has healed the wound. For some people, a scar may also symbolize a moment of growth or self-discovery that occurred due to a difficult circumstance.

Watch Alessia Cara get personal about  her own scars in her own voice.

https://youtu.be/7G38vL3_Yok