Alessia Cara’s 'Love & Hyperbole': A Bold, Red-Tinted Exploration of Love, Growth, and Self-Trust

ALBUM RELEASEPOP

Feb 11

— February 11, 2025 —

Alessia Cara took the spotlight at an º1824 press conference on February 11th to discuss the release of her highly anticipated new album, Love & Hyperbole. The Grammy-winning artist, best known for hits like “Scars to Your Beautiful” and her 2018 Grammy win for Best New Artist, opened up about the deeply personal journey behind the album, her creative process, and the themes that define her latest work.

Reflecting on her upbringing in Toronto, Cara described the city as a “cultural mosaic” that profoundly influenced her songwriting. “I feel very fortunate to have grown up in a city that celebrates so many cultures and ethnicities,” she shared. This vibrant diversity is woven into the fabric of Love & Hyperbole, creating a soundscape that feels both personal and universal.

This sense of identity and artistic vision extends beyond the music itself into the album’s visuals, which are dominated by a striking shade of red. Cara explained that her synesthesia—a condition where she associates colors with sounds—played a key role in this decision. “I have always related colors, shapes, and entire universes to my projects,” she said. “Red, especially the wine color, felt very sophisticated and rich. The warmth and cool tones of red are indicative of what the album means to me—how we need contrast in life, the negative and positive working in tandem. That is how the album feels to me.”

The deeply personal nature of Love & Hyperbole is reflected in its songs, particularly “Fire,” which Cara described as a “love letter” to someone special in her life. “It is the first time I have written a love song without any fear around it,” she revealed. “It feels easier to write about the negative stuff in life, but writing about love is harder; it feels more naked. It felt very scary but also very freeing and exciting.” She added that some songs, like “Fire,” feel as though they have “already existed in a way,” as if she simply had to uncover them.

Writing from a place of happiness posed a unique challenge for Cara, who admitted that she often finds inspiration in sadness. “We never need to vent when we are happy,” she said. “But I pushed myself to write from a different place, and while there are still sad songs on the album, it is also filled with soft and romantic feelings.” She found fresh inspiration by revisiting the iconic artists of the ’60s and ’70s, such as Fleetwood Mac, Joni Mitchell, and Otis Redding, whose timeless music guided her through this new artistic direction.

The album’s title, Love & Hyperbole, encapsulates another defining theme: the exaggeration of emotions, both for humor and to reflect their intensity. “Being a Cancer, I am a very emotional being. Some things around love feel like the end of the world, larger than life,” she joked. “I exaggerated feelings that I was truthfully experiencing, both for humor and to reflect the intensity of the moment.” While her earlier work was often fueled by angst, this album marks a shift toward a softer, more mature perspective.

This sense of growth is also evident in the album’s production. Unlike the constraints of the COVID-19 era, Cara had the opportunity to record 90% of the album live, an experience she found exhilarating. “It felt exciting to make music the way I wanted to make it, with a bunch of people jamming together,” she said. The organic process of live recording added a new layer of depth and authenticity to the project.

Throughout the press conference, Cara spoke candidly about her evolution as both an artist and an individual. “I want my OG fans to know that I have grown a lot, and hopefully, they can hear that evolution sonically and lyrically,” she said. “For new fans, I hope they can go back to my older songs and catch up. There is a common thread that ties it all together.”

A particularly surreal moment in the album’s creation was Cara’s collaboration with John Mayer, one of her longtime musical idols. “Working with him felt like an unbelievably surreal experience,” she gushed. “He was so open and kind, and he gave us an incredible gift with his solo on one of the tracks.” This collaboration marked another milestone in her journey, reinforcing the sense of artistic self-trust that runs throughout Love & Hyperbole.

That theme of self-trust is symbolized in the album’s cover art, where Cara strikes a deliberate pose. “Sometimes when we look at love, we want it to work out so badly that we forget to trust ourselves,” she explained. “This album is about trusting that you will be okay, even if things do not work out. It is about having your own back.”

Cara’s dedication to her craft is evident in the sheer volume of material she created for this album—she wrote 46 songs before narrowing it down to 14. “Each song I take super seriously,” she said. “It is tough to differentiate what is worth saying, but I always choose the songs that feel essential, the ones I would miss the most if they never came out.”

As the press conference came to a close, Cara left fans with a heartfelt message about her artistic purpose. “I love to be self-indulgent and explore my own experiences, but I am also mindful of the people who look up to me for relatability,” she said. “It is my job as an artist to speak about my own life while creating something that others can connect with. This album is for anyone who has ever felt the highs and lows of love, and I hope it makes you feel seen.”

With Love & Hyperbole, Alessia Cara has crafted an album that is both deeply personal and universally resonant, blending humor, heartbreak, and hope into a body of work that showcases her evolution as an artist and a storyteller. Released on February 14th, the album invites listeners on an emotional journey through love, life, and everything in between.

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