Starting with a blank canvas can be a wonderful feeling. The creative process introduces new ideas into the abyss. Sometimes the stars align perfectly and a new piece of art becomes a vibrant form of creativity that can be appreciated by others.
Alessia Cara started singing while she was in high school but initially she would perform music only in private. She was not yet ready to share her gifts with the world or even her close family and friends. She was unaware that these early private sessions would be the beginnings of her development of craft and future stardom.
One day she decided to put some of her early recordings on social media. Over time, she received a lot of feedback on her work and was contacted by another person who had a relative that was a record producer. Their communication led to a big opportunity. The producer offered to fly Cara and her father to New York to have some jam sessions and attempt to record a few songs. Initially, her father did not want to have the meeting. He wanted Cara to focus on finishing her high school education and start preparing for college. However, Cara was able to get him to agree after a lot of conversation and almost certainly a bit of begging. The collaboration resulted with Cara’s first demo which contained four unreleased tracks.
When she returned to her life in Brampton, Ontario, Cara continued to focus on her education but she also was trying to figure out what to do with the four songs in her pocket. She began to let others hear her sing for the first time and pitch the demo to record labels. She received a lot of “no’s”, but it was worth it because one of her favorite labels, Def Jam Records, said “yes” and she landed a record deal.
After the demo was created, Cara’s dad was still skeptical of the music industry. He and Cara made a deal that she would devote one year to music and if she does not have a record deal by then she would go to college. Def Jam said “yes” in just enough time.
“Scars to Your Beautiful” was one of the four songs on the demo. It was released as the third single from her debut album, Know-It-All. It became a top 10 hit on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Lyrics
She just wants to be, beautiful
She goes, unnoticed she knows, no limits
She craves, attention she praises, an image
She prays to be, sculpted by the sculptor
These lyrics depict a person who is establishing an identity. She aspires to be “beautiful” but not for superficial reasons. She wants to show the world her true identity. She has many beautiful characteristics on the inside and craves the opportunity to sculpt it into her life.
Oh, she don’t see, the light that’s shining
Deeper than the eyes can find it
Maybe we have made her blind
So she tries to cover up her pain
And cut her woes away
‘Cause covergirls don’t cry
After their face is made
She describes beautify as something that is not only physical, but has a shining light that can only be discovered through internal reflection. This process is necessary to handle pain and other difficult situations in life.
But there’s a hope that’s waiting for you in the dark
You should know you’re beautiful just the way you are
And you don’t have to change a thing
The world could change its heart
No scars to your beautiful
We’re stars and we’re beautiful
The chorus is extremely well written and has become a pop anthem that stands for embracing one’s beauty and appreciating the fact that they are perfect just the way they are. The chorus stands out because it has an inspirational tone that is not present within lyrics of many of today’s pop songs.
Vocals
Cara has one of the strongest alto voices in pop music. It is amazing to hear her sing, especially knowing that she is not classically trained in music. She has a natural voice that sounds excellent in the pop genre but also has cross-over appeal as well.
Instrumentation
“Scars to Your Beautiful” is a drum machine-based tracked with a contemporary pop sound.
Performance
“Scars to Your Beautiful” is Cara’s biggest hit and she always performs it last during her concerts.