Cara worked with several producers including Kuya, Malay, Alan Nglish, Fredro, Pop & Oak and Sebastian Kole. The latter helped in the conception of the opening track "Seventeen". The song was written when Cara was about eighteen: "It was a whole bunch of feelings. We got to talking in the studio with my dad and Sebastian — we all came up with this thing, like, let’s write about how life goes by really fast. My dad brought up that idea, and that’s why the first line is, ’My daddy says that life comes at you fast’.".
Singles
"Here" was released on April 30, 2015, as the lead single from Cara's extended play Four Pink Walls. The song became Cara's first top-5 single on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, upon reaching the peak position of five for the week of January 27, 2016 and Cara performed the song on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon with their house bandThe Roots. The song received an official video, which was directed by Aaron A. "Wild Things" was initially released on October 27, 2015 as a promotional single but the song was later sent to US contemporary hit radio on February 2, 2016, as the album's second single, and has since achieved moderate success peaking at number 50 on the Billboard Hot 100. Cara announced that "Scars to Your Beautiful" would be released as the third single. It was sent to contemporary hit radio on July 26, 2016. It peaked at number eight on the Billboard Hot 100.
Critical reception
Know-It-All received generally positive reviews from music critics, receiving a 70 out of 100 on the review aggregate website Metacritic based on 13 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews". AllMusic reacted positively towards the album, writing "Going by the level of potential shown here, it's evident that Cara will eventually need a lot less creative assistance." Billboard was also positive in its review of the album: "As first impressions go, Know-It-All is a charismatic balance between dreams and reality that makes its author stick out in the most impressive way." Exclaim!'s, Ryan B. Patrick wrote that "while is a tad formulaic, it's terrifically executed and solidly produced...Cara's debut is a striking standout pop record that portends career longevity." Pitchfork Media was more mixed: "Writing from the heart does not automatically imbue lyrics with depth. Never is it more apparent that the factory approach is not allowing Cara to fulfill her potential than on 'Scars to Your Beautiful.'"
To promote the album, Cara embarked on her first headlining concert tour, the Know-It-All Tour. Tickets went on sale and quickly sold-out. The first leg ran from January 15 through April 1, 2016. A second leg was scheduled for September 29 through November 2, 2016.
