Alessia Cara Defends Her Grammy Award Win for Best New Artist: ‘What I’ve Created Is Worth Something’

Not letting anyone steal her thunder. Following Alessia Cara’s Grammy win for Best New Artist at the award show on Sunday, January 28, the singer faced some unwanted criticism and like a boss, she defended herself.

The 21-year-old artist took to her Instagram page to share her feelings in a lengthy post on Monday, January 29, after commenters took to social media to call her out for not deserving the win, noting that she had actually broke out in 2015 with her song “Here.”

“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,” she wrote alongside a black-and-white photo of herself surrounded by balloons.

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 Jan 29, 2018 at 10:21am PST

She continued: “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,” she wrote before elaborating on something that she briefly touched on during her acceptance speech — they industry being a “popularity” contest.

The “Stars to Your Beautiful” singer nudged at the fact that she will continue to use “the platform” she’s been given to “bring light” to the unfairness that surrounds the recording industry.

“I will not let everything I’ve worked for be diminished by people taking offence to my accomplishments … Despite my 183625 insecurities, I’ve been shown that what I’ve created is worth something and that people actually give a shit,” she concluded. “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.”

As previously reported, Cara was the only woman to win a 2018 Grammy in a top category.