For many pop stars, reinvention can be seen as key to staying relevant. But for Camila Cabello, reinvention is just another word for change — and, in turn, growth.
Her genre-bending fourth studio album, C,XOXO, was an unexpected turn for what people assumed of Cabello. After years of crafting pop hits often with a Latin flair, the Cuba-born, Miami-raised star ventured into unchartered musical territories like hyperpop and rap. Her sonic shift was mirrored with an appearance change, too; as she launched the C,XOXO era in March, Cabello unveiled new bleach-blonde locks, a stark difference from her natural brown.
It's all part of an evolution that, as Cabello tells GRAMMY.com, is about "embracing the fact that life is always going to change." She's experienced change very publicly since her Fifth Harmony beginnings in the early 2010s, but especially in recent years, as her love life became the subject of countless media headlines and social media scrutiny. While she's the first to admit that navigating that attention hasn't been easy, Cabello found solace in writing C,XOXO — a journey of heartbreak, self-exploration and acceptance. And two months after the album's release, Cabello revealed there's more to the story.
Featuring four new tracks, Magic City Edition — an homage to her beloved hometown — is even more assured and confident than the "baddie" character Cabello embodies on C,XOXO. She breathlessly sings about teasing an ex in "baby pink"; playfully asks a past lover to prove to her that they've changed in "Come Show Me"; blurs the line between friends and lovers in "can friends kiss?"; and ends the album by waving a toxic relationship goodbye in "GODSPEED."
Together, C,XOXO and the Magic City Edition tracks see Cabello expressing herself more unabashedly than ever. In doing so, she's been able to make peace with life's inevitable changes — and channel, as she puts it, the "monster and bravado" within.
Below, Cabello discusses how C,XOXO and its new Magic City Edition helped her learn to let go of other people's perceptions, and why these new songs needed to be written — and heard.
Let's get into the process behind the deluxe songs, specifically "GODSPEED" because it is really poignant and I want to know where your head was at when you were writing it.
"GODSPEED" was probably the first song that I wrote for this album that made me think, "Oh, this feels like it's going to be on the album." Everything about it sonically set up the world for C,XOXO. Starting from "Never Be The Same" from my first album, I realized that my favorite songs are dark sonically. I think synths are like what the inside of my heart sounds like — kind of raw and a little bit dark.
I remember with [C,XOXO co-producer] El Guincho, after I first started working with him, I felt really inspired. I kept asking for some beats and it was the beat of "GODSPEED" that kicked off the collaboration between him, Jasper [Harris], and I. I was so obsessed with that beat and he sent me another, and shortly after he said we should work with Jasper because he felt that I was gravitating towards that sound.
At first, "GODSPEED" was kind of about this relationship I was in. I wrote the second verse and more recently it ended up being this larger song about letting go of suffering and toxic relationships and people in your life. It's about protecting yourself.
We debated on the outro for such a long time because I was so passionate about it but others weren't. The lyrics, "I let you go and I feel more like me/ I wish you well but far away from me" sums it up. I wish you well but far away from me because you caused me damage and I'm not putting up with it anymore. It's this build-up of feeling hurt and anger that has come from protecting yourself.
That song really, really means a lot to me, especially when I listen to it during a hard time. I wouldn't say it summarizes my journey because it's not as heavy as that song sounds, but it captures a part of my journey over the last 10 years — learning to let go of things, people and situations that no longer serve me.
I was going through your Instagram and something I really love and admire about you is just how open and vulnerable you are about your feelings and what you're going through. You don't pretend to be perfect.
Honestly, I struggle a lot, especially now at this point in my life, in pretending. I just don't think that's as interesting. I truly love art that's messy and raw. Yesterday I was listening to "Anti-Hero" by Taylor Swift nonstop, and that song is the opposite of being shiny and perfect.
My favorite art exposes the dark and shameful underbelly of being human. I don't know if I've always felt like that, but I definitely feel like that more as I grow up because those are the things I'm most interested in. There's a fine line between overexposing yourself on social media, but at the same time… Writing those mini excerpts as captions is a way of expressing myself.
In one of your posts, you talked about how difficult it is to pour from an empty cup, which is something I and so many people can relate to. Is that something you've had to work on and recognize so you can make sure you're taking care of yourself?
Totally. I think I'm getting so much better recognizing that alarm bell in me that's like, "You're feeling heavy, you're feeling depressed, you aren't at peace." I pick it up so much faster now. For example, I've noticed I was feeling super stressed, and when I'm stressed, I get sick. It's my body letting me know that I need to relax. I instantly delete Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and anything else so I can take care of myself.
I think that's been such an amazing thing about getting older, because when I was younger, it would've taken me so long to get to a place where you even know what you're feeling enough to do something about it. When I'm in a bad mood, 98 percent of the time I just need to get off the internet, see people in real life, and go and do some things that make me happy, like watching "Sex and the City." It's moments like those when I'm like, "Okay, I have to take care of myself."
What's your "get out of a funk" care package? Some books, albums, movies, or anything else that helps you?
That's a great question. It depends on what I need. For me, it's amazing art. When I get caught up in stuff as a quote unquote "celebrity" and the pop culture-ness of it all, that's when I hate everything and I'm in a terrible f—ing mood. But when I'm watching amazing classic movies by incredible directors, and I get to go through an entire catalogue, it's really inspiring. It reminds me of the better parts of humanity that make me feel good and that there was a time when that happened.
As for great albums, I've been listening to Taylor [Swift] a lot. I love "My Tears Ricochet" and "Anti-Hero," I've been listening to them nonstop. Afrobeats can really get me out of a funk because it just connects me with my body. I listen to a lot of rap, like Drake and Latto. I loved JT's new album. That music makes me feel confident just by tapping into what rap music gives you.
You're wearing a "The Paris Review" baseball cap as we speak — I have to ask, what are you reading as of late?
I just read Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner, who is Japanese Breakfast, and that was so good. I found it super inspiring because it makes you think about your own life when you read someone's memoir. I love musicians that do more than one thing because that's something I want to do when I'm older. I've always loved writing and I would love to get more into writing essays. I really loved her book.
I loved the movie Problemista by Julio Torres. I told my mom the other day that it was one of the first times I saw somebody so close to my experience. He's an immigrant and the relationship he has with his mom, the way he hustles, and the magical realism of it all is something that's so deep in Latin American books, culture, and films. I felt really connected to it.
I also really get recharged from my culture. Being in Mexico was so recharging for me. I went to the Frida Kahlo museum where she lived. It might sound corny, but I've always loved living in the arts more than living in reality. It's like medicine for the soul.
I don't think that's corny at all, Camila! It's why creatives go into creative fields — we see something reflected in a piece of art.
Yeah, when I'm not making something, I'm in a bad mood. Even if I'm not actively getting inspired — which, to me, is a part of making something — I can get in a bad mood. Whenever I find myself in the s—ty headspace, I know it's probably because I'm not actively researching or learning something new, or cooking something in the back of my brain.
You said C,XOXO is a diary entry of your life, trying to live authentically and boldly. Over the last year, what are some things you've been doing to lean further into authenticity and joy?
It's really the little things. It's embracing the fact that life is always going to change. I love the Buddha terminology of different winds passing through your life and they'll bring great opportunities, and sometimes they'll bring challenging things and you learn a lesson. I've learned those are the best lessons because that's when you really learn who you are and you learn what makes you feel good in a way that's not dependent on anything. So for me, it's people and finding friends and people that I feel like have my back, that I can trust, and that make me feel safe, loved, supported.
This album was so important for me. I know I don't know you, but I feel like we're similar in this way, but I feel like sometimes when you're more sensitive or introverted or emotional, especially as a woman that's been in the industry for so long, you have to build this armour of confidence and bravado. There's something about C,XOXO and when I put on my blue ski mask, I feel like I'm the s— no matter what. So many female artists have always given me that feeling, like the work Beyoncé puts out. C,XOXO is both of those — being vulnerable and channelling that monster and bravado in you that has a bit more teeth.
Read More: Camila Cabello's Sonic Evolution To 'C, XOXO': How She Went From Pop Princess To Club Star
Is it crazy for you to think that fans use your music to get into that mindset?
I love that. The videos I've seen of fans putting on lip gloss while listening to "Chanel No.5" just reminds me that is what it's all about. I make music because it brings me joy and I need it for myself, but once it's out there… I love that it can give people confidence. There's so many ways to positively affect people's lives, and I have fans of mine that have met their best friends or girlfriends from being in a fan community. It's an amazing honor.
I feel like that when listening to "baby pink." I love the second verse.
"I'm dressed to kill/ Just got a new army." I love that energy and the play on words. There's something about rap that gives you this feeling of being in control. My favorite rappers are so witty and smart. As a human, you don't always feel like that [in the song] but music is fun to help practice the feeling.
How do the deluxe songs add to the overall story of C,XOXO?
They add tremendously to the overall story, especially "baby pink" and "GODSPEED." "baby pink" is where the album title came from — "See my letter at your door, signed it C,XOXO." They are like the thesis statement of C,XOXO, so I felt terrible excluding these songs. I've always liked a shorter album, but they are such a necessary part of the album and they're some of my favorite songs.
When we finished "baby pink," we put on a visual from the movie Spring Breakers, and it became a huge visual inspiration for the album. That visual went so well with the song. The two songs really crack the code sonically and lyrically, in addition to being the voice of the character for this album, are "baby pink" and "Chanel No. 5."
You've been playing festivals over the summer, like Coachella, Glastonbury and Rock in Rio, where you debuted "can friends kiss?," another track from your deluxe album. How has it been seeing these songs come to life and have other people sing them back to you?
It's the best. I haven't toured in so long because COVID happened during the Romance Tour. I just took some time off the road to just close to a normal life. This time around, I feel so differently about touring. I must tour this album — there's nothing that brings me as much joy as the shows. I will be working all day and the shows become my decompression time. It doesn't feel like work. That hour and a half feels like it's my time to have fun.
It also feels like therapy for me right now because I've had such a s—ty time on the internet, and even feeling the energy of the perception of myself on the internet… Sometimes you think that's all there is and you can walk around feeling like you're disliked or not "popular" or whatever. Then you go to the shows and that narrative is shattered.
I feel so much love when I do these shows and I see my people. I feel so lucky to do what I do. It just feels like the internet is fake and I forget that because I haven't toured in so long. When you're with people in real life and they're singing the songs back to you, or they have their blue ski masks on and they are dressed in the color palette of the album, that is when I remember that it is real life. I am loved and appreciated. I've actually gotten that advice from music friends of mine after texting them that I feel like people are just wanting to f—ing hate me and they say, "You need to go play shows."
It's tangible — you see people in real life versus just a comment on a screen.
That's the best advice I ever got. I literally felt like nobody's going to come to my shows or I was going to get booed, and then you go to the show and you play and see people having a good time. It's been so important for me. All I want to do is tour C,XOXO. I feel like I need it for myself.
Lastly, what are you hoping to manifest for yourself this year?
That's a great question. This might sound silly, but I really am hoping to manifest hair health. All I do is look for hair tips online because my hair is so f—ed from this bleach. Nobody told me the three shade lift limit, which is when you should only go three shades above or below your natural hair. I'm definitely in my wellness and pretty girl era.