Source: @camila_cabello
Camila Cabello made headlines last year when she left her X-Factor girl group Fifth Harmony. After years of making music together with some notable hits such as “BO$$” and “Work from Home”, her leaving the group had most fans and critics wondering if this meant the end the band and her solo career.
Camila Cabello recently released her self-titled debut album CAMILA. It contains pop songs tinged with the usual synthetic instruments, while being loyally accompanied by a guitar in most songs. CAMILA, filled with catchy melodies and club-ready beats, holds a nice surprise: personal lyrics. Her catchy songs are full of heartbreak, love, but most importantly, healing. The album sends out one clear message: the clear portrayal of who Camila is and who she has become through her hurting, her healing, and her loving. It comes as no surprise considering the original album title was The Hurting. The Healing. The Loving.
1. Never Be the Same
Straight off the bat, Camila’s first track is about love. It is clearly represented in her chorus: “It’s you, babe. And I’m a sucker for the way that you move, babe. And I could try to run, but it would be useless. You’re to blame. Just one hit and you will know I’ll never be the same.” With a sticky hook and metaphors, Camila sings about finding someone so addictive that you don’t want to let them go. You just can’t get enough. Even if you’ve never been in this situation, the catchy beat will at the very least have you humming along.
2. All These Years
Contrary to the first track, “All These Years” takes a different narrative. Albeit about love, the second song of the album talks about the heartbreak. To better emphasize the change in mood and tone, this song is stripped down to a guitar and the singer’s vocals, accompanied with lyrics such as “You’re still the one I’m after all these years” and “It sounds like you’re happy with her.” The nostalgia-coated song proposes the kind of heartbreak of seeing an old love and having all your old feelings come up again, regardless of how long it took you to heal and let them go.
3. She Loves Control
If I had to describe this song in one word, I’d use “confident.” Singing in the third person, Camila sings about a “She” whom we can assume is herself. Singing about not crying anymore and having things going her way, this song is clearly about the new version of herself. The fact that she sings about herself in the third person helps highlight the contrast between who she was and who she is now. With a Spanish guitar playing great melodies in the back, this song presents this new and improved persona: confident, healed, and ready to take what she wants.
4. Havana
Although this song has already topped charts for the past weeks, I admit I am biased. Having released a remixed version with Puerto Rican artist Daddy Yankee that included a Spanish rapped bridge, I find it hard to prefer the original. The original song is still amazing. Camila sings about finding love in her birthplace, la Havana, Cuba. Structured within a catchy pop tune, a smooth piano progression, vocals, and a great trumpet, Camila’s “Havana” will have you missing a love lost in Cuba even if you’ve never been before.
Listen to the remix here: Camila Cabello, Daddy Yankee – Havana (Remix – Audio)
5. Inside Out
Camila’s Latin and Caribbean roots shine through on this fifth track whose piano and light beat prove to be the key. With lyrics such as “I wanna love you inside out” and “de Miami a México, esta cosa se prendió,” Camila sings a fun song about finding someone and loving them. This song is as carefree as it is happy, easily falling into the post-healed narrative.
6. Consequences
If listening to this album was like driving, I’d describe this song as hitting the brakes. Starting off with a slow rhythm, describing “dirty tissues, trust issues” and “lost a little weight because I wasn’t eating,” this song clearly depicts the consequences of big heartbreak. Stripped back to a soft and gentle piano melody and vocals, Camila’s pain is almost palpable in “Consequences.” Making the listener understand that this love was initially big and great, but so was the pain it left behind.
7. Real Friends
Rather than a spiteful song about an ex or friend, “Real Friends” shows the singer’s perspective on how fame can also imply loneliness. This song describes feeling displaced, let down, and alone. This track is Camila sending out a message looking for real, genuine, human connections that go beyond the superficialities found when living in the spotlight. Crafted with a catchy tune, this song poses a creative way to talk about loneliness and humanizes Camila perfectly.
8. Something’s Gotta Give
A slow piano melody sets up the mood with lyrics such as “How did we get so far?” and “But all I do is give, and all you do is take,” Camila sings about being stuck in an unhealthy relationship. “If it doesn’t hurt me, why do I still cry?”
“If it didn’t kill me, then I’m half alive.”
Camila presents one known truth: letting go and leaving is hard even when it’s meant for the best. “Something’s Gotta Give” is a step towards the healing in which Camila shows how getting better means putting herself first.
9. In the Dark
This song is about vulnerability. It is about hiding and running from yourself, about being fearful of baring yourself. Camila sings from an outsider perspective, asking her muse to show themselves with lyrics like “I can see you’re scared of your emotions, I can see you’re hoping you’re not hopeless;” I admit the lyrics hit close to home. Regardless of who you are, where you’ve been, and what you want in life, everyone has been afraid of being themselves at one point or another. Camila’s song “In the Dark” is about wanting to see someone for who they are down to the last detail. With lyrics such as “Darling, I promise that I won’t run” and “Show me the scary parts,” Camila sends out a resounding message: those who matter will love you regardless of how flawed you think you are.
10. Into It
This song is about wanting to hook up with someone. It’s written clearly. There’s no need to read in between the lines. However, what I want to note the most about this song is the fact that amidst lyrics describing an electric situation, Camila takes the time to mention consent. “All of the things I wanna do to you is infinite. I mean, if you’re into it, I’m into it.” 10/10 to Camila for taking the time to emphasize the need for consent in a song about hooking up.
11. Never Be the Same (Radio Edit)
This version, like the original, is a catchy bop. The only notable difference is a change in pre-Chorus lyrics where rather than saying “Just like nicotine, heroin, morphine,” Camila sings “Just like nicotine, rushin’ me, touching me.” Which I can only assume was done in order to make it more family friendly.
Thus, Camila’s album ends on a high note, so to speak. After taking us through a whirlwind of emotions, of heartbreak, pain, loneliness, acceptance, and healing, she wraps it up with “Into It and the radio edit for “Never Be the Same.” Maybe as a way to show her listeners that even after pain, there will be love once more.
There is a lot to unpack from Camila’s self-titled album, but if we can conclude on anything is the fact that after all her pain and heartbreak, Camila has found her voice and happiness.
If I were to rate this album, I’d give it a solid 8, but I’d add a 2-point bonus because frankly, it takes a lot of courage and guts to be this vulnerable.