Latino Insurgent: Camila Cabello

Wednesday, November 08, 2017

Camila Cabello - Latina Rising

If you do not yet know Camila Cabello, you will. Over the last year since leaving Fifth Harmony, the Cuban-Mexican American singer has risen from relative obscurity to land today at the top of the charts with her hit song "Havana."

Official Cover for the Single "Havana"

Camila Cabello's Background

Her musical career started in 2012 when she left Miami Palmetto High School and headed straight to the audition stage of The X Factor. Her rendition of Aretha Franklin's "Respect" did not convince the judges, but her talent showed and was selected by Simon Cowell to join another four women in the female singing group as Fifth Harmony. After four years with the singing group, Camila left on December 2016 to launch her solo career, still under Simon Cowell's Syco Music and SONY Music (Epic Records). As the daughter of a Mexican mother and Cuban father, Camila's new single, "Havana," seems to reference that heritage when she sings the line "Half my heart is in Havana."

Her Rise

There is little coincidence between her recent rise to fame and the success of the single. Notably, her first single "Crying in the Club," did not do fare well Even though her voice and appearance are showcased perfectly, as is her musical range, the single fell flat. The song, the lyrics, the very concept behind it seemed to attempt to propel her as the next sexy symbol for the media to devour. Instead it just landed into the stream of pop as nothing more than just noise to be disregarded.

"Havana" is different because it showcases her identity, or part of it at least, and makes her immediately identifiable to the Hispanic diaspora. This is the type of thing that many others artists with Latino heritage are unwilling or at least reluctant to do for fear of being type-cast into the Latin pop corner of iTunes.

I'm certain there's a more to this. Marketing. Audience focus groups. A staff of studio songwriters... all part of the industry.

Nevertheless, "Havana" is now the anthem of every Cuban-American girl in Miami and around the world for whom Cuba seems to still be very far away. Thank you Camila.