by Niko Skinner

Camila Cabello, September 2022 (Avila, People)

Camila Cabello is a Cuban-American pop singer. Camila was born in Cuba to a Cuban mother and Mexican father. I discovered her the same way a lot of you probably discovered her, which is through her 2017 platinum single, “Havana”. From listening to her music, I definitely get the typical Latin pop vibe. Camila first made an impact in the music world as a member of Fifth Harmony, a group that first appeared in the spotlight on the singing competition show, The X Factor, in 2012. Since departing the group in 2016, Camila has really come into her own and established herself as a solo artist. This feat is analogous to Beyonce and Kelly Rowland’s respective solo careers after the end of Destiny’s Child.

Camila just dropped her latest album, Familia, this past April. She teamed up with other artists on this album such as Ed Sheeran, Maria Becerra, Yotuel and Willow. Familia touches on the subjects of her musical heritage, Latin roots, and love. What sticks out to me is the variety of musical culture in this album. This is primarily driven by the mix of English and Spanish vocals and instrumentals that are derived from different genres. For example, in “Celia” (which literally translates to “sugar”), you hear Spanish vocals as well as a bouncing drumbeat and guitar phrases that are commonly heard in Latin pop and salsa music. Also, “Hasta Los Dientes” has a bass line and drumbeat that may remind you of “Thriller” by Michael Jackson. This song is generally classified as reggaetón-disco, a Spanish-speaking musical style from the 1980’s that blends reggae music with hip-hop music and Latin American dance hall music and is often heard in various parts of the Caribbean (Flynn, 2021). My personal favorite song from this album in terms of musicality has to be “La Buena Vida”. I say this because there is a good blend of rhythmic guitar lines along with melodious trumpet runs. These along with Camila switching back and forth between medium tempo and faster tempo with her vocals are what I believe make this song a very complete arrangement without overwhelming listeners. With all of these different styles, Camila is letting us into more of her life and background that led to her getting to where she is today. One of her songs that is more directly about love is “Quiet”. In this song, Camila describes physical intimacy with a guy as well as the different emotions running through her head including anxiety and excitement. It spreads the message that love and romance brings out intense feelings because we are often afraid of giving our hearts to someone else because not all relationships end with good results. The part of the song where she sings,”Did you get taller?/Your hair is longer/Couple tattoos since I saw you/Lookin’ at your hands/Thinkin’ of my plans for ’em/Ooh, but what if I panic?/What if I’m damaged?/What if I’m just not who you imagined?/I just can’t focus/And you’re gorgeous/And I’m hopeless” (0:59-1:19), is so relatable because it accurately deciphers a common effect that the modern dating world can have on our mental capacity. We go through this pattern of longing for a relationship only to flip the switch so that the longing turns into fear and insecurity the moment you have an opportunity to pursue a relationship with someone that you are physically attracted to for any number of reasons. Romance is like an endless Rubik’s Cube.

Even though Familia is personal, it also tackles some issues that come with love and romance. It may sound like a typical pop album to some, but it has a variety of instrumentation along with subliminal and relatable messages that I believe can be useful to anybody, regardless of what life stage people are at. For me, it felt refreshing to go back and revisit Camila Cabello. I hadn’t really listened to anything else from her apart from “Havana”. I definitely hear an evolution in her music between then and now. Growth is a quality that is very essential to career longevity.

References

Avila, Daniela. “Camila Cabello on Overcoming Imposter Syndrome as New ‘Voice’ Coach: ‘I Have Something to Offer'”. People.com, 15 September 2022. https://people.com/music/camila-cabello-talks-imposter-syndrome-on-the-voice/

Flynn, G. (2021, November 28). Reggaetón: Origin and Evolution of a Genre. Marquette Wire. https://marquettewire.org/4065685/radio/reggaeton-origin-and-evolution-of-a-genre