Camila Cabello just released her third album and it’s everything and more. The “Bam Bam” singer opens up in a way she’s never done before, with lyrics hinting at a breakup (hi, Shawn Mendes), and even a song dedicated to Camila’s separation from former girl band Fifth Harmony.
Familia is dedicated to the people in Camila’s life who have supported her through her biggest and hardest moments, as she stated in an interview with Billboard.
“This album to me means community, I guess the opposite of you on your own,” said the “Don’t Go Yet” singer. “It’s more you with other people and sharing in that joy and success, whatever that means. Interdependence realizing how important everybody is in your life. A lot of it is inspired by my relationships: My relationships to my family, my relationship to my friends, my relationship to my [then] partner…it’s all about connections with other people, hence, Familia.”
Tracks like “Bam Bam,” “La Buena Vida” and “everyone at this party” hint at her November 2021 breakup with fellow singer-songwriter Shawn Mendes, and opens up about the love she still feels for him. The singer stays true to her Latin rootsand delivers excellent storytelling throughout her other tracks as well, like “Lola” or the vibrant “La Buena Vista.” Working with a small group of collaborators, and also some of her own family, the singer has leaned heavily into her Mexican-Cuban heritage, resulting in a vulnerable and honest album.
One track, “Psychofreak” which features pop-punk singer Willow Smith, even talks about Camila’s split from Fifth Harmony, something the “Havana” has not opened up about often. Camila left the group in 2016 — after four years and two albums — to focus on her individual career.
“That song is basically about anxiety and all of the different things that have made up like my journey with anxiety and starting off really young in the industry,” Camila told Reuters before revealing she remains on positive terms with her former colleagues. “We have been supportive of each other through like DMs and stuff… I’m in a really good place with them.”
Prior to releasing her new album, the “Señorita” musician opened up to People about the healing process behind creating Familia. “For me it was, if this process doesn’t help me in feeling better, and if it’s not me being honest and vulnerable and unfiltered, I don’t really see how this is going to happen,” she said. “There’s a sense of trust in myself that I feel like I didn’t have before because I was so anxious all the time… I really feel like I’m living my truth and I’m speaking my truth.”
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