Cuban singer’s playful pop catches on
This time last year, 20-yearold Camila Cabello made a bold move, one that many thought could end her relatively short music career. After four good years and a series of hit singles with her bandmates in Fifth Harmony, she decided it was time to go solo. It left many scratching their hands wondering why, how, what went wrong? After the dust had settled, the group went on to release a new album, but the real “winner”, if you will, has to be the Cuban-born singer.
This week her debut album,
Camila rose to the number one spot on the prestigious Billboard Hot 200 charts. At the same time, her smash hit
Havana climbed to the top on the Hot 100 list, making her the first artist to dominate both charts since Beyoncé back in 2003. The album also debuted at No 1 in 100 other countries this month.
Last year, the singer released four singles, including Crying in the Club, and OMG with Quavo, but it wasn’t until August that she really struck a chord. That’s when the catchy ode to her country of birth dropped. You might have heard it? “Havana, ooh na-na” (try and get that one out of your head now). Critics and fans alike really caught on, and from there the album ramped up. Judging by the response though, the wait was well worth it.
Besides Havana, the rest of the songs offer several radio-friendly tracks, like Real Friends, Never Be The Same and She Loves Control. Has the star been through a break-up or two? It certainly seems so, especially with songs like Something’s Gotta Give and Consequences. These two allow the star to show off a different, somewhat more vulnerable side, and vocally it works so well.
Overall, the album offers a good mix of tracks. It’s easy on the ear, it’s fun and playful, but more importantly, it’s refreshing. Heavyweight pop stars like Taylor Swift, Pink and Katy Perry aren’t doing too badly, but it’s singers like Cabello, Dua Lipa and Halsey who are really redefining the pop genre, and their legions of fans online and off are warming extremely well to the material.
So Camilisers, give the album a spin, and while you’re at it, let’s get the star UAEside. #CamillaUAE!