Alessia Cara expands on the story of the grey suit she is wearing on the cover art for her single “Growing Pains" in the new video for the single, released Wednesday (June 20). The track will be featured on the 21-year-old singer’s forthcoming sophomore album, The Pains of Growing, and channels the central theme of facing young adulthood.
In the eerie video, Cara navigates an obstacle course of adulthood. She begins her journey entirely alone, lying in the center of a tarp-covered floor in a warehouse space, lost and wearing an oversized grey t-shirt dress. The atmosphere quickly becomes more dystopian as the other players in the video appear -- grey-suited and corporate, mask-wearing adults who are intercepting her every move.
As she enters the first chorus (“And I can’t hide/Because growing pains are keeping me up at night”), the machine-like figures begin pushing her around, the choreography resembling that of gears in a larger system that Cara has unwittingly become a part of. Eventually, she is wheeled over to a medical table as she prepares to receive her own grey suit.
The second installment of the chorus is met with the flashing of a blinding light and symmetrical shots of the dancers walking in a triangular shape. By the end of the video, the set has been flooded with water and Cara appears inside a suit that matches the others.
The clinical blues and greys of the “Growing Pains” video are a stark contrast from the bursts of personality and color seen in prior releases, like “Scars To Your Beautiful.” Known for message-heavy, positive tracks about self-love and acceptance, Cara is stepping into a new direction with her more vulnerable and personal release.
Watch the full video below.
