Released April 27, 2015 Recorded 2015 Label Def Jam | Format Digital download Length 3:19 | |
Genre Alternative R&B
soul
indie pop | ||
"Here" is the debut single by Canadian singer Alessia Cara and the lead single for her extended play (EP) Four Pink Walls (2015), and her debut album Know-It-All (2015). The song was released on April 30, 2015. According to the artist, the song is about everyone who secretly hates parties. "Here" slowly gained popularity, and became Cara's first US Billboard Hot 100 chart entry debuting at number 95 for the week of August 22, 2015, later becoming her first top 5 single on the chart and reached the top of the Billboard Pop Songs chart after a historic 26-week climb. Meanwhile, "Here" has charted in the top 40 in Australia, Canada, Netherlands, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. The official remix features American rapper Logic. The song was featured on the third season of the TV Show Younger.
Contents
Composition
Musically it is an alternative R&B, soul and indie pop song. The song samples "Ike's Rap II" by Isaac Hayes from the album Black Moses, which had also been sampled in Portishead's "Glory Box" and Tricky's "Hell Is Round the Corner".
Critical reception
"Here" was met with critical acclaim by music critics, who praised the song's concept and lyrics. Rolling Stone ranked "Here" at number 21 on its year-end list of the 50 best songs of 2015. Billboard ranked "Here" at number six on its year-end list: "If Lorde's 'Royals' was a rallying cry for those who felt isolated by the rampart materialism in pop culture, then Alessia Cara's 'Here' is the anthem for those fed up with the glut of pop songs about partying and drinking. Thanks to the teenage R&B singer, being an introvert is finally cool again." The prestigious Village Voice voted "Here" the 18th-best single released in 2015 on their annual year-end critics' poll, Pazz & Jop; the song is tied with Courtney Barnett's "Depreston".
Music video
An official lyric video of the song was released on her YouTube page on May 7, 2015. The official video was directed by Aaron A and was released on her YouTube page on May 26, 2015. The video uses the inspiration of how Cara wrote the song by having her at a party and being the only one moving while the party is frozen in time, while she's next to crowds of girls and guys drinking beer and gossiping. The visual effect of the frozen partygoers predated the viral Internet phenomenon Mannequin Challenge.
Live performances
On July 29, 2015, Cara made her US television debut on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon performing "Here" with house band The Roots, after the host Jimmy Fallon discovered the song online. On October 31, 2015, Cara joined Taylor Swift onstage as a surprise guest at the 1989 World Tour in Tampa, Florida, singing a duet of "Here" for Swift's last US show. On November 20, 2015, Cara sang "Here" live during the closing credits of the NBC live comedy, Undateable.