Alessia Cara review: ‘Candour might just be Cara’s greatest strength’

The 28-year-old is an adept singer-songwriter and a commanding live performer that exudes enough energy to power a planet, and with a breathtaking voice to match, but it’s the singer’s authenticity and candid nature that make her truly relatable.

Unafraid to reflect on her past struggles with mental health, the singer reflected on “the ups and downs of the last three years” and urged the crowd to “forget about everything and be in this moment” before a stirring rendition of ‘Subside’ and touched on her “emotional disaster” of a New Year’s Eve party six years prior ahead of a heartfelt performance of ‘Best Days’. Cara’s ability to connect with the audience is effortless, and the sense of connection between audience and artists creates an inclusive world of healing that certainly leaves you better off for having experienced it, especially with the big choruses and warm guitar-laden ‘Somebody Else’ and an awe-striking rendition of ‘Clearly’.

As well as Cara’s relatability, the depth of talent in the Grammy Award winner’s arsenal is highly impressive. The Canadian’s genre-bending catalogue contains elements of Amy Winehouse’s brand of R&B, soul, indie-pop, pop-rock and a fusion of jazz, particularly with the glorious sax parts of ‘Dead Man’ that feel reminiscent of peak Winehouse and was a fitting opener at the O2 Ritz. Impressively, it’s difficult to say which style suits Cara best, given she has mastered all of them to perfection.

Throughout the evening, the pace of the singer’s set was controlled to perfection with the big singalongs of ‘Stay’, ‘Wild Things', and ‘Nighttime Thing’ delivered with high-octane energy and subtle instrumentation that complemented the raw power in Cara’s voice. Slow-burning anthems such as ‘Out of Love’, ‘Left Alone’, and the gentle acoustic guitar-laden ‘Drive’ are given extra weight thanks to the singer’s terrific backing band. While the infectious rhythms of the poppy ‘Apartment Song’ are dance-inducing and an earth-shaking rendition of ‘Scars are Beautiful’ leaves the audience singing in full voice was a notable highlight, along with ‘You Let Me Down’ and ‘Get To You’, which see Cara effortlessly embrace more rock-y sounds and leave you utterly enthralled.

Closing out the show, an enchanting rendition of ‘Here’ felt as powerful as a rallying cry and saw the O2 Ritz erupt into full-blown party mode, ending a rollercoaster of a show on a fitting high. With complete confidence in her artistry and bags of talent in her arsenal, seeing someone of Cara’s calibre performing in an intimate setting is something you are ecstatic to have experienced. The 28-year-old is an artist without a weakness in her game and someone who I’ve no doubt will perform in bigger venues in the not-too-distant future. It’s without a doubt that Cara’s first-ever headlining show in the UK was a rousing success.