Alessia Cara Reflects on Self-Love in Spotlight on New Song 'Growing Pains'

Cara's sophomore album is due out later this year

Alessia Cara struggles through "Growing Pains" on the lead single off her forthcoming, as-yet-untitled sophomore album.

Grammy Award-winning singer Alessia Cara returns with "Growing Pains," the first single off her as-yet-untitled sophomore album. Cara released her debut LP Know-It-All in 2015.

Pop & Oak produced the booming track, which was written solely by Cara. The lyrics reflect the anxiety of transitioning from teen to young adult in the public eye. "Don't know why I can't see the sun/ When young should be fun," Cara sings in the opening verse.

"Over time, people who listened to me branded me as the girl who speaks on positivity, which is an amazing box to be put into, if I do have to be put in a box," Cara tells Rolling Stone about the inspiration for her forthcoming album. "At the same time, I found during certain moments where I had to talk to people about they should love themselves, I was still struggling with loving myself."

Cara's sophomore record, which includes her first credits as a producer, will be out later this year. 

In 2017, Cara was featured on two Top Ten singles: Zedd's "Stay" and Logic's "I-800-273-8255." On the strength of her debut, Cara was nominated for four Grammy Awards.