Camila Cabello's latest hit "Havana" has been straight-up slaying the charts and the music video is nothing short of legendary already. In the mini-movie, Camila plays three characters essentially: a soap opera character, the homebody Karla who loves getting caught up in a fantasy and Camila, the songstress starring as the main character in the movie Karla is watching. But mostly, she wants fans to focus on the characters of Karla and Camila and how different they are, yet obviously played by the same person.
For reference here's Karla:
And here's Camila:
And if you're wondering where the name Karla came from for this persona, well that's actually Camila's first name. We kid you not! So…
What is Camila's real name?
The former Fifth Harmony singer's full name is Karla Camila Cabello Estrabao. So Camila is actually her middle name, but she uses it as her "stage" name/alter ego so to speak. She let fans know on Twitter the whole point of the video was to just let everyone know she feels like she has two sides to herself and it's totally possible for these two personas to exist in one person, simultaneously.
me too!!!!! karla and Camila represent two parts of my personality, but Karla in the movie is who i really am and always have been 🤷🏻♀️🤓
— camila (@Camila_Cabello) October 24, 2017
Why doesn't Camila use her real first name?
Camila further spoke about the story behind her name switcheroo in two behind-the-scenes videos. She explains that she came up with the concept of showcasing the two personalities she feels are inside her to tell the story of the song, since the music is inspired by her roots and the Cuban music she grew up listening to, but the lyrics tell this dramatic story that isn't necessarily true.
"Karla is my first name, Camila is my middle name. Long story short, my family always called me Camila. When I came to school in the United States, I was really, really shy and the teachers started calling me Karla. In my life, I push myself to do a lot of things that make me uncomfortable, and that's how I started dancing. That’s how I feel like I found myself — through Camila and performance and music, as that confident video vixen. They’re both over-exaggerated personas of me," she explained. "I really wanted to show in an exaggerated way, two different sides of me. Camila, which is kind of this performer in me and Karla is who I still am in my essence and who I was growing up: really awkward around boys, doesn't know what the heck to say, is shy and introverted, doesn't really like going out because she just likes to be in her fantasy movie world and that's really me," Camila added.
So now we know Karla and Camila both exist inside the singer at the same time, all the time. Makes sense she gave her professional self a different name since that's what she channels when it's time to unleash her inner diva when she's up on stage performing. We see you, girl.
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