Alessia Cara claps back at social media response to best new artist Grammy win

Jan 31 2018, 12:37 am

History was made Sunday evening when Alessia Cara won Best New Artist at the 60th Grammy Awards.

It was not only the Brampton, ON native’s first Grammy win, but it was also the first time a Canadian artist has ever won the prestigious award.


And what should have been an incredible moment in the 21-year-old’s career, quickly became riddled with backlash as the internet ended up feeling less than enthusiastic about her win.

Following her big win, online critics complained that Cara shouldn’t have received the award because she wasn’t “new” enough.

Which in retrospect, sure, Cara first made it big with her debut single “Here” in April 2015, which was quickly followed by debut album Know-It-All later that same year.

But there’s no reason to say she doesn’t deserve the award. Her music not only picked up major momentum in the past year, but she is positively redefining what it means to be a successful star, which makes Best New Artist a fitting accomplishment.

Some disgruntled fans quickly took to social media claiming that the award should have gone to R&B singer SZA, who was also nominated in the category alongside Julia Michaels, Khalid, and Lil Uzi Vert.

Of course, Cara’s loyal fan base backed her up, even going as far as pointing out exactly when the other nominees first dropped their own music.

Soon after, Cara addressed the controversy with her trademark honesty and genuineness on Instagram:

To address the apparent backlash regarding winning something I had no control over: I didn’t log onto grammy.com and submit myself. that’s not how it works. I didn’t ask to be submitted either because there are other artists that deserve the acknowledgment. but I was nominated and won and I am not going to be upset about something I’ve wanted since I was a kid, not to mention have worked really hard for,” Cara wrote on the social media platform.

Accompanying a black and white photo of Cara on her phone in a room full of balloons, she added:

I’m aware that my music wasn’t released yesterday, I’m aware that, yes, my music has become fairly popular in the last year. But I’m trying very hard to use the platform I’ve been given to talk about these things and bring light to issues that aren’t fair, all while trying to make the most of the weird, amazing success I’ve been lucky enough to have. I will not let everything I’ve worked for be diminished by people taking offense to my accomplishments and feeling the need to tell me how much I suck.

In the post, she also addressed the many insecurities she’s dealt with being in the music industry and expressed how much the award meant to her.

Cara was also nominated for song of the year and best music video for her feature on Logic’s “1-800-273-8255,” as well as best pop duo/group performance for “Stay” with Zedd. She was the only female winner in a major category at this year’s Grammys.

to address the apparent backlash regarding winning something I had no control over: I didn’t log onto grammy.com and submit myself. that’s not how it works. I didn’t ask to be submitted either because there are other artists that deserve the acknowledgment. but I was nominated and won and I am not going to be upset about something I’ve wanted since I was a kid, not to mention have worked really hard for. I meant everything I said about everyone deserving the same shot. there is a big issue in the industry that perpetuates the idea that an artist’s talent and hard work should take a back seat to popularity and numbers. and I’m aware that my music wasn’t released yesterday, I’m aware that, yes, my music has become fairly popular in the last year. but I’m trying very hard to use the platform I’ve been given to talk about these things and bring light to issues that aren’t fair, all while trying to make the most of the weird, amazing success I’ve been lucky enough to have. I will not let everything I’ve worked for be diminished by people taking offence to my accomplishments and feeling the need to tell me how much I suck. here’s something fun! I’ve been thinking I suck since I was old enough to know what sucking meant. I’ve beat u to it. And that’s why this means a lot to me. despite my 183625 insecurities, I’ve been shown that what I’ve created is worth something and that people actually give a shit. 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. I know it sounds cheesy and dumb but it’s the honest truth. thanks to everyone who’s shown me kindness and support along the way. I’ll stop talking now.

A post shared by ALESSIA CARA (@alessiasmusic) on

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