Camila Cabello will play at Glastonbury in eight days, marking her transition from a youthful pop star to a mature solo artist.
After competing on the American X Factor as a member of the manufactured female quintet Fifth Harmony, she has spent the last seven years pursuing a more credible path to success.
Since topping the UK singles chart with 2017’s silky Havana, the Cuban-born, Miami-raised singer has toured with Taylor Swift, supported Coldplay, and performed live with Ed Sheeran.
In eight days’ time, Camila Cabello (pictured) will be at Glastonbury for a set that should put the final seal on her move away from teenage pop prodigy to grown-up solo performer
On her fourth solo album, she cuts any last ties to her girl-group career. It alternates between exuberant, electronic hyper-pop and delicate, melancholy ballads.
Since topping the UK singles chart with 2017’s smooth Havana, the Cuban-born, Miami-raised singer has toured with Taylor Swift (pictured)
I Luv It, a duet with rapper Playboi Carti, has a chorus of the title repeated 27 times. He Knows, sung with country rapper Lil Nas X, could become ubiquitous over the summer, while Dream-Girls and Pretty When I Cry are powered by finger-popping Latin rhythms.
With Cabello’s vocals floating gracefully over hazy beats, there are two cameos from Canadian superstar Drake, whose melancholic voice injects notes of sadness into a song, Hot Uptown, that would otherwise be another feel-good summer banger.
Despite the ‘XOXO’ in the title, which stands for kisses and hugs, this isn’t a love-filled album like 2019’s Romance.
‘I consider myself to be generally sweet, but it’s been beneficial to accept some of my darker sides,’ Camila explains. B.O.A.T. (‘best of all time’) is an excellent piano ballad, while the acoustic Twentysomethings taps into generational despair. I’m not sure where I am with you,’ she sings.
June Gloom has the sense of a Lana Del Rey song, but with sensuous Latin rhythms and unexpectedly weird electronics. If Cabello is equally daring on stage next weekend, Glastonbury may be in for a treat.
