Camila Cabello (Sun)

## **Camila Cabello**

Camila Cabello (People Magazine)

  – Camila Cabello

"**Karla Camila Cabello Estrabao**" (born March 3, 1997) is a Cuban-Mexican singer and songwriter. She rose to fame as a member of the girl group Fifth Harmony, formed during the second season of The X Factor in 2012. Thereafter, the group was signed to a joint record deal with Syco Music and Epic Records and released one extended play and two studio albums.

Cabello began to establish herself as a solo artist with the release of several collaborations, including "Bad Things" with Machine Gun Kelly, which entered at number four on the Billboard Hot 100. After leaving Fifth Harmony in December 2016, she released the solo single "Crying in the Club" to a modest performance. Refocusing her sound to Latin-influenced music, her eponymous debut studio album *Camila* (2018) debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200, supported by its lead single "Havana", which reached number one in a number of countries including the UK and the US.

 Early life

Cabello was born in Cojimar, Eastern Havana, Cuba, to Sinu Estrabao and Alejandro Cabello. She is Cuban-Mexican, with her father hailing from Mexico City. For most of her early life, she and her family moved back and forth between Havana and Mexico City, before relocating to Miami, Florida in the United States at age six. She attended Miami Palmetto High School but left in the 2012–13 school year, while she was in 9th grade, to pursue her singing career, although she has received her high school diploma since.

## Career

### **2012–2016: *The X Factor* and Fifth Harmony**

Camila Cabello auditioned for The X Factor in Greensboro, North Carolina with Aretha Franklin's "Respect", however, her audition was not aired because the TV show 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 Kordei, 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.

On December 18, 2016, the group announced Cabello's departure, with both parts explaining different circumstances of the exit. She appeared in a previously taped performance with the group on Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve. Writing about Cabello's time on 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."

### **2016–present: Solo career**

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. Time.com included her on "The 25 Most Influential Teens of 2016" list.

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. Cabello recorded "Hey Ma" with Pitbull and J Balvin for The Fate of the Furious: The Album. 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 first 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, 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", which postponed its original release date. The single has reached number one in Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. It also spent seven weeks atop the US Mainstream Top 40. 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.

 Artistry

Camila Cabello is mainly a pop singer, who is heavily influenced by Latin music. She also incorporated elements of R&B, reggaeton, dancehall and hip hop in her first album. She lists Alejandro Fernández and Celia Cruz as her main Latin influences which she portrays in her music. For her first record she took inspiration from contemporary Latin artists such as Calle 13 and J Balvin. She also cites Michael Jackson, Rihanna, Shakira, and the songwriting of Ed Sheeran and Taylor Swift.

 Philanthropy

On February 28, 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 healthcare to low-income families with children.

In late 2017, Cabello joined Lin-Manuel Miranda and multiple other Latin artists on the song "Almost Like Praying" to benefit those in Puerto Rico who were affected by Hurricane Maria.

 Awards and nominations

Among her awards, Cabello has won an MTV Europe Music Award, three iHeartRadio Much Music Video Awards, and the Billboard Women in Music award for Breakthrough Artist.

 Official Accounts

* Twitter
* Instagram
* Facebook
* Tumblr
* Youtube
* Photostags