I believe that one of the most difficult things any musician has to do towards the beginning of their career is to be an opening act for another musician. No one in the audience is really there to see you.
A lot of people in the audience aren't really paying attention because they are just waiting for the headliner to come on stage. Some people don't even arrive at the concert venue until the opening act is over.
I recently got to attend a concert where it really felt like everyone in the audience was there to see the headliner and opener. Canadian singer-songwriter Alessia Cara is currently on tour as the opening act for another Canadian singer-songwriter, Shawn Mendes, for his self-titled world tour for all the European, Canadian, and American shows.
The set started out with Alessia Cara running out on stage to greet the audience at the Sprint Center. The first song she sang was her debut hit single, "Here". She then transitioned into singing another hit single from her debut studio album, "Know-It-All", "Wild Things".
Next, she sang "Growing Pains", a song about the challenges of entering adulthood, and the politically charged "7 Days" which are both from her most recent studio album, "The Pains of Growing".
Before Cara started singing the next song, she asked the audience if there were any Disney fans in the audience. Of course, the Sprint Center was quickly filled with roars and screams because, you know, who doesn't love Disney.
She talked about how the next song has been one of the best things about her career so far since it doesn't matter where you go in the world because everyone will still know this song.
She then sang the Grammy award-winning song "How Far I'll Go" from Moana.
One of the best parts of Alessia Cara's set was when she sang the third single, "Out of Love", from her most recent studio album. "Out of Love" is a ballad that was inspired about a friend of Cara's who had a breakup that wanted her to write a song about someone falling out of love with you. In my opinion, it was her best vocals of the night.
Cara then sings two more songs, "Comfortable" and the second single "Trust My Lonely", from her "The Pains of Growing" album.
Before she went into the next song, Cara gave a beautiful speech about body positive and how the song she was about to sing is basically about embracing your body since you have one body while you are alive and coming to terms with how to love yourself. She then sang her 2016 hit single "Scars To Your Beautiful" which was a very touching moment during her set.
She ended her set with, arguably, her biggest hit single, "Stay", which she collaborated on the song with Russian-German DJ and electronic music producer Zedd.
Alessia Cara is truly one of the most talented artists in the music industry today. Her voice is absolutely beautiful. Her songwriting skills are fantastic. The way she interacted and captivated all of Shawn Mendes fan was so magnificent. She is a force, in the music industry, to be reckoned with.
