Former 5H member Camila Cabello continues to shine as an act of one.
The 20-year-old breakout artist is covering the March/April issue of Latina magazine. In the latest edition, Cabello discusses her past, present and where she hopes to be headed down the road. From parting ways with her former bandmates, to politics and her close-knit friendship with Taylor Swift. Take a look at what the “Bad Things” singer had to say below.
On leaving Fifth Harmony: “I started in the group when I was just 15. I needed to follow my heart and my artistic vision. I’m grateful for everything we had in Fifth Harmony and for [this new] opportunity. I am less focused on success and more on doing my best and pursuing my artistic vision to the fullest, wherever that takes me. Of course I also hope people will enjoy my music!”
On struggling with anxiety: “I had terrible OCD [obsessive-compulsive disorder], and it was just totally out of control. I would wake up with a super-accelerated heartbeat and really negative, intrusive, compulsive thoughts. I was so inside my head, and I didn’t know what was happening. I totally understand now, being in it, why there shouldn’t be such a stigma on mental illness, because it’s a pretty common thing for people.”
On our president and her heritage: “At this point he is president. But, it’s about making sure our voices are heard and letting him know that we are not going to surrender to his language of hatred against our people, Muslim people, people of color, gay people, people with disabilities — everyone he shut down in order to get where he is right now. We’re going to stand our ground [ . . . ] It’s really important for me to say [to the fans], ‘Hey I’m an immigrant! I’m Cuban and Mexican! I worked super hard and I’m living my dreams right now and you can too.”
On being friends with T. Swift: Our friendship has never been about career or anything professional. I tell her about boys and cry to her about boys. She’ll give me advice like, “No, do not text him back.” But, I’m so excited for the day that I get to play her my music because she is seriously one of the reasons I started songwriting. I feel like we have something really cool where we can just be honest with each other, and we can just be girls, talking about stupid crushes. It’s the best.
On keeping her love life private: I get why people are interested in my love life, but I don’t want to give people that piece of me because it is the most important part. Here’s my dream life: I want to make songs and have incredible experiences with people. I don’t want to be locked up in a hotel room and just do press and red carpets. That’s not the kind of life I want to live. I want to make music, but I also want to go on road trips with friends. I want to go backpacking around Europe. I want to meet a Spanish boy in Spain and fall in love.
Camila’s issue of Latina magazine hits shelves in April.