CARA Is Back! Turning Pain Into Power In Her Most Personal Era Yet

Pop artist CARA is opening up about how devastating personal loss reshaped not only her music but her entire sense of self. After losing both her brother and mother in heartbreaking circumstances, the rising singer-songwriter turned to her art as a form of therapy, transforming pain into purpose through the creation of her new autobiographical album, "The Kronicles." Known for blending pop, hip-hop, and soulful storytelling, CARA says this project became her most personal and healing work yet.

In an exclusive interview with The Blast, she reveals how the songwriting process helped her navigate grief, reconnect with her voice, and rediscover who she truly is. "If it wasn't for my dogs and music, I don't know where I'd be," CARA shared. "Creating this album from the ground up was the only way I could process everything that happened. Without it, I don't think I would have made it through."

When her world fell apart, she found herself channeling her pain into melody, rhythm, and lyrics that spoke the words she couldn't bring herself to say out loud.

Every lyric became a form of therapy, each note a step toward healing. But even as she poured her heart into her songs, the emotional weight of her story made the process excruciating.

"I always tell people, this album helped me reclaim myself," she said. "When I was grieving, it felt like the ground was gone beneath my feet. I didn't even feel like I had a foundation anymore. But through writing and creating, I started to feel like CARA again."

Some of the hardest moments came not during writing, but when she tried to record the songs that meant the most. One in particular, written in the depths of her grief, brought her to tears every single time she opened her mouth to sing. "I literally couldn't get through it," she admitted. "Every time I tried, I would start crying uncontrollably. My body just wouldn't let me do it."

CARA turned to her vocal coach, Broadway veteran Rachel Lawrence, desperate to understand why her voice failed her when her heart was ready. "Rachel told me my throat chakra was blocked," CARA recalled. "[Rachel] said, 'Writing from your heart is one thing, but singing it, using your throat chakra, that's where trauma gets stuck.'"

Through targeted vocal exercises, breathwork, and daily emotional release, CARA slowly began to unlock that tension, both physically and spiritually. "It was wild to realize how much pain I was holding right here," she told The Blast. "I tell people all the time now: even if you're not a singer, vocal exercises are for everyone. We store so much emotion there."

Over time, what started as painful became powerful. Songs that once left her sobbing turned into declarations of resilience. Each one became a small victory, proof that she could still create beauty out of heartbreak. "Music forces you to face emotions you'd otherwise run from," CARA explained. "It's uncomfortable, but it's healthy. Writing these songs made me confront things I'd buried deep. It was like therapy, but in the form of art."

As her album came together, CARA says she began to feel lighter, stronger, and more grounded than she had in years. The creative process helped her rebuild from the inside out. "I still battle grief every day," she admitted. "But now, I have something to stand on. I have my story, and it's mine."

Today, CARA is preparing to return to the stage for the first time since her mother's passing, a performance that represents not just a comeback, but a reclamation. She hopes that by sharing her pain openly, others will find the courage to do the same. "My album is about taking the hardest, most painful experiences and turning them into empowerment," she said. "It's proof that even after the worst moments, you can still feel joy again. You can still laugh, you can still sing."

And through it all, she's never forgotten the two things that carried her through her darkest days, her four-legged companions and her craft. "My dogs gave me love when I couldn't love myself," she smiled. "And my music gave me purpose."

CARA's voice may have once been silenced by grief, but now it's stronger than ever, a reminder that even in the deepest pain, art has the power to heal, rebuild, and bring you back to yourself.