Camila Cabello

Karla Camila Cabello Estrabao (/kəˈmiːlə kəˈbeɪoʊ/; [kaˈmila kaˈβeʝo]; born March 3, 1997) is a Cuban-born American singer and songwriter. She rose to prominence as a member of the girl group Fifth Harmony, formed on The X Factor USA in 2012, signing a joint record deal with Syco Music and Epic Records. While in Fifth Harmony, Cabello began to establish herself as a solo artist with the release of the collaborations "I Know What You Did Last Summer" with Shawn Mendes, and "Bad Things" with Machine Gun Kelly, the latter reaching number four on the US Billboard Hot 100. After leaving the group in late 2016, Cabello released several other collaborations, including "Hey Ma" with Pitbull and J Balvin for The Fate of the Furious soundtrack (2017), and her debut solo single "Crying in the Club".

Cabello's debut studio album, Camila (2018), reached number one on the Billboard 200 chart. The Latin music-influenced pop album was critically well-received, and received a Platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Its lead single "Havana" topped the charts in several countries including the US and UK, and follow-up single "Never Be the Same" reached the top ten in multiple countries. Cabello's 2019 duet with Mendes, "Señorita", became her second single to top the Billboard Hot 100. Her second studio album, Romance (2019), peaked at number three on the Billboard 200 chart and number one in Canada. In 2021, she starred as the title character from the film Cinderella.

Cabello has amassed billions of streams on music platforms, and "Havana" became the best-selling digital single of 2018, according to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI). Cabello's many awards include two Latin Grammy Awards, five American Music Awards, and one Billboard Music Award.

Cabello was born in Havana, Cuba, to Sinuhe Estrabao and Alejandro Cabello. She grew up in the town of Cojímar in East Havana. Her father was born in Mexico City and is a Mexican who moved to Cuba. She has a younger sister named Sofia. For most of her early life, Cabello and her family moved back and forth between Havana and Mexico City. When Cabello was six years old, she relocated to Miami, Florida, in the United States, with her mother; her father was unable to obtain a visa at the time, and joined the family approximately 18 months later. Cabello acquired American citizenship in 2008. She attended Miami Palmetto High School but left in the 2012–2013 school year while she was in 9th grade to pursue her singing career. She later earned her high school diploma.

2012–2016: The X Factor and Fifth Harmony

Camila Cabello auditioned for the TV talent competition show The X Factor in Greensboro, North Carolina with Aretha Franklin's "Respect", however, her audition was not aired because the series did not get the rights for the song. After elimination during the "bootcamp" portion of the process in Miami, Florida, Cabello was called back to the stage along with other contestants Ally Brooke, Normani, Lauren Jauregui, and Dinah Jane to form the girl group that would later become known as Fifth Harmony. After finishing in third place on the show, they signed a joint deal with Syco Music, owned by Simon Cowell, and Epic Records, L.A. Reid's record label.

The group released the EP Better Together (2013) along with the studio albums Reflection (2015) and 7/27 (2016). The latter two generated the singles "Worth It" and "Work from Home", respectively, which reached the top 10 in several international charts. From 2013 through the end of 2016, Cabello performed in various Fifth Harmony tours. In November 2015, Cabello collaborated with Canadian singer Shawn Mendes on a duet titled "I Know What You Did Last Summer", a song they wrote together. The single charted at number 20 in the US and 18 in Canada, and was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). On October 14, 2016, American rapper Machine Gun Kelly released a joint single with Cabello called "Bad Things", which reached a peak of number four on the US Billboard Hot 100 songs chart. Also that year, Time magazine included Cabello on "The 25 Most Influential Teens of 2016" list.

On December 18, 2016, Fifth Harmony announced Cabello's departure, with both sides giving contradictory explanations of the circumstances for her exit. She appeared in a previously taped performance with the group on Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve at the end of 2016. Writing about Cabello's time in the group, a Billboard journalist noted it is "rather uncommon for someone to stand out in a collective as much as Cabello has over the past years."

2017–2018: Breakthrough with Camila

On January 25, 2017, "Love Incredible", a collaboration with Norwegian DJ Cashmere Cat, leaked online. The official version of the song was released on February 16, and later featured on Cashmere's debut studio album, 9 (2017). Cabello also recorded "Hey Ma" with rappers Pitbull and J Balvin for The Fate of the Furious soundtrack (2017). The Spanish version of the single and its music video were released on March 10, 2017, and the English version was released on April 6. The singer was also featured on a collaboration with Major Lazer, Travis Scott and Quavo for the song "Know No Better".

In May 2017, Cabello announced the future release of her first studio album, at the time titled The Hurting. The Healing. The Loving., which she described as "the story of my journey from darkness into light, from a time when I was lost to a time when I found myself again." Her debut solo single "Crying in the Club" was released on May 19, 2017, followed by a performance at the 2017 Billboard Music Awards. The single peaked at number 47 in the United States. She joined Bruno Mars' 24K Magic World Tour as an opening act for several of its dates in 2017, and also partnered with clothing brand Guess as the face for their 2017 Fall campaign.

New writing and recording sessions for her album were influenced by the success of her single "Havana" featuring Young Thug, which postponed its original release date. Upon its release, the single reached number one in Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Hungary and the United States. It also spent seven weeks atop the US Mainstream Top 40 airplay chart. The song became Spotify's most-streamed song ever by a solo female artist in June 2018, with over 888 million streams at the time. Titled Camila, her debut album is a pop record containing Latin-influenced songs and ballads. Camila was released on January 12, 2018, and debuted at number one in the United States with 119,000 album-equivalent units, including 65,000 from pure album sales. The album was eventually certified platinum in the country. "Real Friends" and "Never Be the Same" were released in the same day on December 7, 2017; the latter becoming her third top 10 entry on the Hot 100. "Havana" and "Never Be the Same" made Cabello the first artist to top the Mainstream Top 40 and Adult Top 40 airplay charts with the first two singles from a debut studio album. She later won a MTV Video Music Award for Video of the Year for "Havana".

In April 2018, Cabello embarked on the Never Be the Same Tour, her first headlining concert tour as a solo artist. She was featured in "Sangria Wine", a song she recorded with Pharrell Williams. Cabello released the song live during the tour. In May 2018, Cabello made a cameo appearance in Maroon 5's music video for "Girls Like You". In the same month, she began performing as the opening act for American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift in her Reputation Stadium Tour in between the European leg of the Never Be the Same Tour. She headlined an arena for the first time on July 31, 2018, at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. Cabello was featured in the remix version of "Beautiful", a song from American singer Bazzi. The remix was released on August 2. On October 9, 2018, Cabello released the video single "Consequences", having first surprised 12 of her biggest fans in advance with a "Most Amazing Mystery Gift & Personal Letter".

In December 2018, she was nominated for two Grammys: Best Pop Solo Performance for a live version of "Havana" and Best Pop Vocal Album for Camila. Her performance of "Havana" with guests Ricky Martin, J Balvin and Young Thug at the start of the ceremony made her the first female Latin artist to open the show.

2019–2020: Romance

In October 2018, Cabello announced she would start working on new music in the new year after the holidays. In April 2019, it was announced that Cabello would star in an upcoming film adaptation of Cinderella, directed by Kay Cannon for Sony Pictures.

On June 21, 2019, Cabello released "Señorita" with Canadian singer Shawn Mendes, along with the music video. The song debuted at number 2 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and marks Mendes' and Cabello's second collaboration, following "I Know What You Did Last Summer" released in 2015. In August, "Señorita" climbed to the number one position, making it Cabello's second single to top the Hot 100 chart. It earned them a nomination for the Grammy Award for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance. According to the IFPI, "Señorita" was the third best-selling song of 2019 globally. She also recorded the song "South of the Border" with British singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran along with American rapper Cardi B, which was released in July 2019.

On September 1, 2019, Cabello posted a clip on Instagram, teasing the release of her second studio Romance. Two days later, she announced the first two singles from the album: "Liar" and "Shameless", which were released on September 5, followed by "Cry for Me" and "Easy" in October 2019. Romance was released on December 6, 2019, and will be supported by the Romance Tour in 2020. "Living Proof" was released with the pre-orders of the album on November 15, 2019. "My Oh My" featuring DaBaby entered the top 20 on the Hot 100.

In mid-March 2020, Cabello participated in iHeart Media's Living Room Concert for America, a benefit to raise awareness and funds for the COVID-19 pandemic.

2021–present: Familia

On July 23, 2021, Cabello released "Don't Go Yet" as the lead single from her third studio album Familia, announced alongside the release of the single. On October 15, 2021, Cabello premiered "La Buena Vida", from Familia, during NPR's Tiny Desk Concert.

Primarily a pop and R&B singer, Cabello possesses a soprano vocal range. She grew up listening to artists such as Alejandro Fernández and Celia Cruz. Her debut studio album is a pop record, influenced by Latin music. The album incorporates elements of reggaeton, hip hop, and dancehall, and took inspiration from contemporary Latin artists such as Calle 13 and J Balvin, as well as from the songwriting of Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran. Her sophomore album was inspired by the "big sounds" of the 80s and Queen. She has also cited Michael Jackson, Rihanna, Shakira, Alejandro Sanz, David Bisbal, Alejandro Fernández, Maná, Beyoncé, John Mayer, Demi Lovato and Eminem as influences.

In February 2016, Cabello announced she had partnered with Save the Children to design a limited-edition "Love Only" T-shirt to help raise awareness of issues involving girls' equal access to education, health care and opportunities to succeed. In June 2016, Cabello, producer Benny Blanco, and members of the nonprofit arts organization OMG Everywhere helped to create the charity single "Power in Me". Cabello has also partnered with the Children's Health Fund, a non-profit dedicated to providing health care to low-income families with children.

On April 3, 2017, Cabello performed at Zedd's WELCOME! Fundraising Concert which raised money for ACLU. Cabello sang to patients at UCLA Mattel Children's Hospital on May 8, 2017. In late 2017, she joined Lin-Manuel Miranda and multiple other Latin artists on the song "Almost Like Praying" for Puerto Rico hurricane relief. Cabello also announced she was donating all proceeds of "Havana" to the ACLU for DREAMers.

Cabello donated portions of proceeds from VIP sale packages to the Children's Health Fund while on the 2018 Never Be the Same tour. On July 13, 2018, she performed a concert in San Juan and donated a portion of the concert's proceeds to Hurricane Maria Relief Fund. In November 2018, Cabello became an ambassador for Save the Children.

In March 2019, Cabello announced she donated $10,000 to a GoFundMe campaign for a homeless immigrant. In September 2019, Cabello pledged to raise $250,000 for Save the Children organization. In October 2019, Cabello performed at the We Can Survive concert which donates to breast cancer. On October 22, 2019, Cabello appeared with Kate Middleton and Prince William at Kensington Palace in support of the finalists for the BBC Radio 1 Teen Heroes Awards.

In March 2020, Cabello participated in iHeart Media's Living Room Concert for America, a benefit to raise awareness and funds for the COVID-19 pandemic. In March and April 2020, Cabello participated in Global Citizen Festival's Together at Home virtual concert to raise awareness and funds for the COVID-19 pandemic. In May 2020, Cabello, alongside Shawn Mendes, joined protests in Miami for racial justice after the murder of George Floyd.

Among her awards, Cabello has won two Latin Grammy Awards, four American Music Awards, a Billboard Music Award, five MTV Europe Music Awards, two iHeartRadio Music Awards, four MTV Video Music Awards (including one for Video of the Year), three iHeartRadio Much Music Video Awards, and a Billboard Women in Music award for Breakthrough Artist.

Cabello was in a relationship with dating coach and writer Matthew Hussey, whom she met on the set of The Today Show. They dated from February 2018 to June 2019. Since July 2019, she has been dating Canadian singer Shawn Mendes. The relationship has caused controversy, as both were accused of attempting to form a relationship for publicity, while Mendes denied it stating it is "definitely not a publicity stunt". Cabello has opened up about having anxiety and obsessive–compulsive disorder. Cabello currently resides in a Mediterranean-style villa in Hollywood Hills, Los Angeles.

In December 2019, Tumblr posts that Cabello reblogged between 2012 and 2013 surfaced on Twitter, containing racial slurs and derogatory language including uses of the slur "nigger", and mocking of Chris Brown assaulting Rihanna in 2009. Her Tumblr account was deactivated soon after and Cabello issued an apology stating she was "uneducated and ignorant" when younger, and that she was deeply embarrassed she ever used "horrible and hurtful" language. In her statement, she added that "those mistakes don't represent" her and that she "only [stands] and [has] ever stood for love and inclusivity". In March 2021, Cabello said she had taken part in weekly racial healing sessions administered by the racial equity group National Compadres Network, in which "you get corrected, you have homework, and you learn … Now I know better so I can do better."

• Camila (2018)
• Romance (2019)
• Familia (2021)

Headlining

• Never Be the Same Tour (2018)
• The Romance Tour (2020; cancelled)

Opening acts

• Bruno Mars – 24K Magic World Tour (2017)
• Taylor Swift – Reputation Stadium Tour (2018)

Film

Television

Web