Born in Brampton, Ontario, she wrote poetry and did theater at a young age. At 10, she began playing guitar and taught herself how to play various songs. At 13, she began her own YouTube channel where she posted covers of songs that she performed. She signed with EP Entertainment and Def Jam Recordings at the age of 18. Cara released her debut single in April 2015. Here was called a "song for everyone who secretly hates parties" by MTV. The song debuted on The Fader and accumulated over 500,000 streams in its first week. On May 5, 2015, the song was chosen as a can't-miss track by SPIN Magazine, listed as a must hear song by Cosmopolitan, and included on Billboard's "20 Pop Songs You Need For Your Summer Playlist" in June 2015.
Her debut album, "Know-It-All" was released on November 13, 2015 containing the singles "Seventeen", "Here", "Wild Things", and "Scars to Your Beautiful".
Her sophomore album, "The Pains of Growing" was released on November 30, 2018 containing the singles "Growing Pains", "Not Today", "Trust My Lonely", "A Little More", and "Out of Love".
Alessia released an EP in between her second and third albums called "This Summer" on September 6, 2019 which has six songs including "Rooting for You" and "Ready".
Her third album, "In the Meantime" was released on September 24, 2021 and contains the singles "Sweet Dream", "Shapeshifter", "Best Days", and "You Let Me Down".
Shapeshifter
Alessia Cara Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You shapeshifter
I don't even know if you believe you
You mind drifter
I should've known it wouldn't be you
You big quitter
What a way to go, you didn't need to
Who was I to think I could change your mind
To mean more than some history, to have time on my side?
Who was I to think that I could stop the sun from setting on us
Said you wouldn't break your promise, Mr. Honest
Don't know if I wanna get you back or get you back someday
Don't know if I'm even mad or just sad you couldn't stay, yeah
Go figure team switcher it's a shame
Did I get fooled or are you a fool just like me?
Replace your guilt with philosophy, bright idea
I bet you forgot you said you need me, on tequila
Got the two of us, we're dancing in a dream, buzz killer
We were never two, my dear, we were three (hmm)
Who was I to think that I could be the one to make your choice
To mean more than some history, to cut through all the noise?
Who were you to think that I would be fine, being disrespected
I hope someday you regret it, yeah, I said it
Don't know if I wanna get you back or get you back someday
Don't know if I'm even mad or just sad you couldn't stay, yeah
Go figure, team switcher, it's a shame
Did I get fooled or are you a fool just like me?
Shape (uh-huh, uh-huh)
Shapeshifter (uh-huh, uh-huh)
Shapeshifter
Shapeshifter (uh-huh, uh-huh)
Shapeshifter (uh-huh, uh-huh)
Don't know if I wanna get you back or get you back someday
Don't know if I'm even mad or just sad you couldn't stay, yeah
Go figure, team switcher, it's a shame
Did I get fooled or are you a fool just like me?
Ooh, ooh
Ooh, ooh
Ooh, ooh-ooh
(Kaboom)
The song "Shapeshifter" by Alessia Cara talks about a relationship that is very confusing, undefined, and constantly changing. The opening lines "I can't quite put my finger on you, you shapeshifter, I don't even know if you believe you, mind drifter" describe the confusion and uncertainty that the singer has towards her partner. She can't seem to define who her partner is or what they really believe, as they constantly change their shape and mindset. Alessia then adds "Who was I to think I could change your mind, To mean more than some history, to have time on my side?" this line portrays the struggle to be vulnerable in a relationship that is very uncertain, and how she couldn't make her partner love her any more than just some history that they share.
Moreover, the chorus "Don't know if I wanna get you back or get you back someday, Don't know if I'm even mad or just sad you couldn't stay, yeah," shows the duality of emotions that the singer feels towards the situation. She can't decide if she wants to reconcile with their partner or if she just wants to forget them forever. The sense of betrayal is evident in the lines "Who were you to think that I would be fine, being disrespected, I hope someday you regret it, yeah, I said it." The lyrics suggest that the singer was not okay with the way her partner treated her and hopes for them to regret their decision.
In conclusion, "Shapeshifter" describes the complexity and ambiguity often found in relationships, ultimately leading to emotional turmoil and confusion for the parties involved.
Line by Line Meaning
I can't quite put my finger on you
I can't quite understand who you really are
You shapeshifter
You are a person who changes their behavior or character frequently
I don't even know if you believe you
I don't even know if you truly believe in yourself
You mind drifter
You are a person whose mind is always wandering
I should've known it wouldn't be you
I should have realized that you were not the right person
You big quitter
You are a person who easily gives up
What a way to go, you didn't need to
What a bad choice you made, you didn't have to do that
I'm still bitter
I'm still angry and hurt about what happened
Who was I to think I could change your mind
Who am I to think that I could influence your decisions?
To mean more than some history, to have time on my side?
To make our past not matter and hope that we could have a future together?
Who was I to think that I could stop the sun from setting on us
Who am I to think that I could stop our relationship from ending?
Said you wouldn't break your promise, Mr. Honest
You said that you wouldn't break your promise, you always speak the truth
Don't know if I wanna get you back or get you back someday
I don't know if I want you back now or in the future
Don't know if I'm even mad or just sad you couldn't stay, yeah
I don't know if I'm angry or just upset that you had to leave
Go figure team switcher it's a shame
It's ironic how you always change your team, it's disappointing
Did I get fooled or are you a fool just like me?
Am I the one who was fooled, or are you also foolish like me?
Replace your guilt with philosophy, bright idea
Instead of feeling guilty, try to change your perspective and come up with a positive solution
I bet you forgot you said you need me, on tequila
I bet you were drunk and don't even remember when you said you needed me
Got the two of us, we're dancing in a dream, buzz killer
We were enjoying each other's company and having a good time, until something ruined it
We were never two, my dear, we were three (hmm)
There was always someone else involved, maybe a third party, that affected our relationship
Who was I to think that I could be the one to make your choice
Who was I to think that I could influence your decision-making process?
To mean more than some history, to cut through all the noise?
To make our past not matter and hope that we could have a future together by ignoring everything else?
Who were you to think that I would be fine, being disrespected
Who were you to think that I would be okay with being treated poorly?
I hope someday you regret it, yeah, I said it
I wish you realize your mistake in the future and regret what you did to me
Shape (uh-huh, uh-huh)
Shape
Shapeshifter (uh-huh, uh-huh)
A shapeshifter
Shapeshifter
A person who changes their behavior or identity often
Shapeshifter (uh-huh, uh-huh)
A person who changes their personality often
Shapeshifter (uh-huh, uh-huh)
A person who changes their actions and words frequently
Don't know if I wanna get you back or get you back someday
I don't know if I want you back now or in the future
Don't know if I'm even mad or just sad you couldn't stay, yeah
I don't know if I'm angry or just upset that you had to leave
Go figure, team switcher, it's a shame
It's disappointing that you always switch teams
Did I get fooled or are you a fool just like me?
Did I fall for your foolishness or are you just as foolish as me?
Ooh, ooh
Ooh, ooh
Ooh, ooh
Ooh, ooh
Ooh, ooh-ooh
Ooh, ooh-ooh
(Kaboom)
(Kaboom)
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Alessia Caracciolo, Salaam Remi
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
ByCd
She’s not only a singer, she’s a whole artist
Raven0609
Thats what a singer is.... a music artist lol
Mirella Filippo
YESSSSSS
Yavuz Marifet
@Raven0609 not all singers are artists
Deeb
singing is an art...
La Nature est L’Art de Dieu
I agree 💯
Mercy Mburu
Alessia Cara makes me realise that quality musicianship, artistry and lyricism are pretty rare nowadays. no shade, just facts. she's going to be timeless.
I’m crying in a corner While i count my money
Every shade on that.. is rightfully so.
I have heard people scream
And that was called singing
Its emberassing
French Frie
@I’m crying in a corner While i count my money Beyoncé don’t scream
calliecocritter
Ehhh I wouldn’t say all that about this. This honestly isn’t special at all. It lacks maturity.