Watch Alessia Cara’s Poignant ‘Seventeen’ Video
Alessia Cara takes the bus ride of her life in the new video for “Seventeen,” the opener from her 2015 album, Know-It-All.
The clip begins with a younger version of the Canadian singer taking an empty seat on the bus with her father, who places a ring on her pinky finger. But after a moment, the camera pans away and when it returns Cara is a teenager. This time-jump trick keeps up throughout the video as Cara continues to sing “Seventeen” throughout the various phases of her life.
At one point, Cara holds a Grammy, then a toddler, who becomes a sullen teen, until finally an elderly Cara sits and twists the ring still on her pinky finger. As the clip ends, Cara reverts back to her 17-year-old self, but stares out the window in a Graduate-esque moment mixed with some extra teen spirit.
Since Know-It-All arrived last year, Cara has remained busy, recently recording a version of “How Far I’ll Go,” which appears in the Disney film Moana and was written by Lin-Manuel Miranda. Cara has also made guest appearances on a handful of songs this year, including JoJo’s “I Can Only” and frequent collaborator Sebastian Kole’s “Remember Home.”