Exclusive: Rising Star Alessia Cara Shares Songwriting Tips with Taylor Swift

It’s safe to say that 19-year-old singer-songwriter Alessia Cara has taken the music world by storm right out of the gate. The young artist from Brampton, Ontario went viral within the first week of release with her breakthrough single “Here,” gaining both critical/industry and grassroots attention. Cara’s debut EP, Four Pink Walls, received a host of favorable reviews, followed by her debut album, Know-It-All, which released in stores on November 13. Cara picked up a slate of admirers along the way, including one particularly avid fan – none other than fellow singer-songwriter Taylor Swift.

Cara first attracted Swift’s attention back in July, when her powerful acoustic version of Swift’s “Bad Blood” caught the singer’s ear – and Twitter praise. The love didn’t stop there: At the beginning of last month, Swift included Cara’s “I’m Yours” in a handwritten playlist titled “New Songs That Will Make Your Life More Awesome (I Promise).” Swift also took her admiration a step further by inviting the up-and-coming singer onstage during her 1989 tour’s Halloween stop in Tampa, Fla.

Now, the two musicians are coming together for an exclusive interview discussing Cara’s career. In part one of the two-part series, Cara shared with Swift the philosophy of her music, her underlying message of being yourself, and how to cultivate self-acceptance. Part two carries the conversation into further discussion of how Cara got her start as a singer (via a tricky maneuver from her mom), her songwriting process, the challenges of making music while still attending high school, and – speaking of songwriting – the song that Swift herself says she’s “obsessed with.” (Watch to see which one that might be!).