On Sunday night, Alessia Cara became the only woman to take home a top Grammy when she was named Best New Artist. But according to some critics who would have preferred SZA, Khalid, Lil Uzi Vert, or Julia Michaels take the win, she was the wrong choice. In a lengthy note on Instagram, Cara has defended her win, first explaining that she “had no control over†the voting process, and didn’t ask to be submitted. “But I was nominated and won and I am not going to be upset about something I’ve wanted since I was a kid, not to mention have worked really hard for,†she wrote. “I will not let everything I’ve worked for be diminished by people taking offense to my accomplishments and feeling the need to tell me how much I suck.â€
Cara goes on to say that she already beat haters to the punch in doubting her value as an artist: “I’ve been thinking I suck since I was old enough to know what sucking meant … And that’s why this means a lot to me. Despite my 183625 insecurities, I’ve been shown that what I’ve created is worth something and that people actually give a shit.†She also acknowledged complaints that she is only new by Grammys standards — her debut album was released in 2015, but her lack of prior nominations still made her eligible — saying that since her popularity has been building for some time, she’s “trying very hard to use the platform I’ve been given to talk about these things and bring light to issues that aren’t fair, all while trying to make the most of the weird, amazing success I’ve been lucky enough to have.â€