Last year, Canadian singer/songwriter Alessia Cara won a Grammy for Best New Artist despite the fact the artist’s been around for a handful of years, putting in serious work, and doing big-girl numbers. Cara’s strength as a performer comes from her tightly honed vocal skill, down-to-earth personality, and the fact that her stage presence has continued to blossom ever since quietly marching onto the scene in 2015 with two hit singles: “Scars to Your Beautiful,” and her anti-social anthem “Here.” When the singer played Portland’s Moda Center recently, as the impressive opening act for Shawn Mendes, I remember thinking “Why isn’t Alessia headlining her own tour by now?” Having extended her North American leg of her “The Pains of Growing Tour,” Cara’s upcoming concert (at Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, no less!) should more than make up for the delay. by Jenni Moore