Artist: Camila Cabello

Album: C,XOXO

Label: Interscope Records

Tracklist and Lyrics: Genius

Release Date: June 28, 2024

r/popheads [FRESH] Thread

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If you're reading this, there is a decently high chance you have a strong opinion on this album, or at the very least on the beyond controversial lead single "I LUV IT". There is an even more decently high chance the strong opinion in question is not one of the positive kind. So many things have been said about this album...worst pop album of the year, Charli XCX ripoff, inauthentic, camp classic, misunderstood, just okay, unlistenable, overhated. My opinion along this needle obviously leans in the direction of overhated and misunderstood or else I wouldn't be spending the time writing this. My hope is that wherever your opinion of this album and Camila in general lie, you can engage with this post thoughtfully and respectfully and, if you are of the "it's unlistenable" camp, might understand a little more why I and many others deem this a good album.

Background

I'm sure everyone is quite familiar with Camila Cabello by this point, so I'm going to keep this section brief and C,XOXO focused rather than a career retrospective. Camila's career has of course been a massively successful one, but each era has been steadily declining in popularity. Sure each one has still had hits, but the difference between the performances of "Havana" from her debut and "Bam Bam" from her prior album "Familia" is quite clear. So what do many pop artists do when interest starts to dwindle? Reinvent themself of course! And that's exactly what Camila set out to do with C,XOXO.

Prior to the era kicking off, Camila left her longtime record label Epic Records and signed to Universal's Interscope Records. She expressed her desire in interviews for a fresh start and to rekindle her love of songwriting and reconnect with her favorite artists and references. She'd entered a new era of her artistry and to communicate that change to the masses she dyed her hair platinum blonde:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(753x164:755x166):format(webp)/camila-cabello-studio-030624-3aa743ba19f14132917998322ed79b52.jpg). A drastic hair change to signal a new era? I think I've seen this film before...

Camila described the concept behind this album as being "the sound of Miami". She described the energy she wanted it to evoke as "messy and chaotic". Instead of pulling solely from her Latin heritage and influences as she often had done in the past, she decided to try and portray her Miami roots as a whole. About her city she said, "Being from Miami, it does feel like its own nationality. It’s the only place that feels like home, and the only place that I feel like can take all of me. Miami’s the only place that understands all of us." She set out to replicate what it felt like for her going out with her friends and driving around with the top down, radio blasting, all different kinds of music surrounding her from hip-hop to reggaeton to pop to club music. To achieve this sound, Camila enlisted El Guincho (notable for his work producing for Rosalía and FKA twigs) and hip-hop producer Jasper Harris, who both produced the entirety of the record. She took a new approach and kept the collaborative circle quite small compared to past projects, and wrote all of the lyrics and main melodies on the album herself. What resulted was certainly a stranger and riskier mainstream pop album and rollout than you'd normally see from a major label pop artist like her.

The Album

I LUV IT I LUV IT I LUV IT I LUV IT I LUV IT I LUV IT I LUV IT

Where to even begin with this song. I LUV IT served as the first taste of C,XOXO with Camila posting a snippet of the infamous hook with her (learning nothing from Hereditary) leaning backwards out of a moving car to it. The snippet spread like wildfire, with most not taking to it kindly. Even I was one of these naysayers at first. This snippet is also when the Charli XCX comparisons that have plagued the C,XOXO era started, with Charli herself fueling them by posting a TikTok of her in her car to "I Got It" simply captioning the post with "lol". Camila's prior teaser in full how i'm feeling now cosplay to a (never released) hyperpop-sounding song snippet did not help either.

All of this built up to what is easily one of the most controversial lead singles from a pop girl in recent memory. Lots of people do love it, but even more hated it and have dubbed it one of the worst songs of 2024. Me? I think it's one of the best songs of the year and it was my second most played as well. I had never really cared that much about Camila prior to this era, so her having one of my favorite tracks of the year wasn't anywhere close to being on my bingo card. The verses start with a futuristic synth line and Camila delivering breathy, sensual vocals and lots of "ou!" ad libs accompanying them. It has this surreal quality to it that leads to what is one of the most infectious hooks I've heard in a long time. Camila's robotic "I LUV IT" chant over the pulsating jersey beat snuck its way deep into my brain and refused to leave. The background is chaotic and then the interpolation of Gucci Mane's "Lemonade" that follows is another baffling yet inspired choice that beautifully adds to the chaos. Even more baffling is a nearly indecipherable feature from Playboi Carti, who closes out the song sounding like he's on the verge of a seizure. All of these pieces somehow come together and create a dizzying, abrasive, confusing, avant-garde pop masterpiece and its genius is a hill I will die on. This song is truly one of the craziest lead singles I've seen a pop girl go with, and if nothing else this song is a risk that I respect. I also have to mention what is one of the most name-drawn-from-a-hat moments of 2024 and link Lana del Rey performing this with Camila at Coachella. Absolutely ridiculous performance in every way, I loved it. She also did a quite excellent performance on Jimmy Fallon complete with blindfolds and robot dogs. However, despite all of this promotion the song debuted and peaked at number 81 on the Hot 100 and was Camila's least successful lead single to date. This was also the only song from the album to appear on the chart.

So...is the song copying Charli? I really don't think so. The comparisons are quite overstated and unfair, and I really just can't take anyone seriously who is whole-heartedly claiming this to be a Charli ripoff. Charli has never made a jersey drill song and the electropop elements of it, while hyperpop-esque, don't evoke Charli enough to warrant the plagiarism accusations. She did not invent synths or autotune. Sure, the chorus does evoke "I Got It", but it also evokes "Cockiness (I Love It)" by Rihanna so is anything here really substantial enough to say it's a copy? It's a surface level similarity at most. It's influence leans much more hip-hop than hyperpop. This discussion has continued to plague mention of this album and led to people labeling C,XOXO as a whole as a Charli knockoff, which anyone who has listened can tell you is just not true in the slightest. As Mic the Snare accurately pointed out, if there is any sonic point of reference to be made for C,XOXO it's Rosalía, especially with them working with the same producer. I won't harp on this aspect of the album anymore, but I truly believe any discourse concerning Camila copying Charli is pretty baseless and untrue, outside of a few aesthetic choices throughout the era (and that snippet that ended up never being released anyways).

HE KNOWS

The second single of C,XOXO was originally supposed to be "HOT UPTOWN" featuring Drake. However, due to a certain beef you may have heard about's unfortunate timing, those plans were of course derailed and a new choice was made. So, Camila pivoted to releasing this collaboration with Lil Nas X, which I think was a good choice all things considered. A club-ready banger, HE KNOWS draws inspiration from Afrobeats and R&B, with Camila singing over a hypnotic sample of Ojerime's "Give It Up 2 ME". C,XOXO has quite a few brilliant sample uses, and this is one of them. She employs it so perfectly and it adds so much to the song without relying on it too heavily. Everything about the song is incredibly catchy and well-produced, and Nas is a great addition, providing the additional oomph the song needed to push it fully into hit status. His contributions to the outro are my favorite moment of the song, you can't help but go "BA BA BA BA BA BA BAOWWW" right along with him. This song is definitely the 'hit that got away of the album', I really wish it got more attention as this was made to dominate the radio waves.

Chanel No. 5

This is definitely the most experimental and out there track off C,XOXO and quite an odd choice of prerelease single. The song opens with an extremely autotuned Camila almost slurring her words as an out of tune piano sample comes in introducing the song. From there the song switches a lot, with the chorus evoking a more traditional alt pop moment except with the autotune, the broken sounding piano, and some vocal samples scattered about. Camila even begins to sort of rap at one point declaring, "I'm a dog, woof woof". This song is truly bizarre and is trying to do a lot of things at once. I really did not know what to make of it at first. After a few listens, I found that I kinda lived for it? I can't exactly put into words why it works for me, but it just does and really scratches a part of my brain; I think this song is super cool. The "Wrist wrist spritz spritz make him come alive. Ahhhhhhhh...Chanel No. 5" especially is some incredibly catchy songwriting. This isn't one of my favorites on the album by any means, but it has grown to be one I not only don't skip but have sought out on its own a few times as well.

The Album

After the three prereleases, C,XOXO came out on June 28, 2024 to mixed reviews from both critics and the general public. The album debuted at #13 on the Billboard 200 with 36.5k units, becoming her first album to miss the top 10. Because of the singles, for the first time ever I was very much anticipating a Camila Cabello album. The album thankfully did not disappoint, despite a few criticisms I'll get into later.

The first new song of the album, pink xoxo, features vocals from the iconic PinkPantheress in what (disappointingly) turns out to just be an interlude. The sparkling production is stellar and left me wanting it to be a full song so badly. There were rumors a full version would appear on the deluxe album but unfortunately this never came to fruition. On Dade County Dreaming, among the highlights of the album, the City Girls perform their last feature together as a duo. Functioning as both a catchy bad bitch anthem and dreamy ballad by the end, this song has quite a strange structure. After a buildup in the chorus, Camila shouts "City Girls XOXO" and JT and Yung Miami deliver fantastic verses littered with references to Miami. This song then devolves into what I can't describe as anything other than pure camp as JT instructs the audience on how to twerk over an emotional piano piece. Like much of this album it was made to be listened to on a summer night drive on full blast, windows down and sunroof open. Besides Dade County Dreaming, B.O.A.T. is definitely the highlight of the album for me. I am not usually one for ballads, especially a piano-driven one, but it is something truly special. This song is stunning and is one of the strongest of the album lyrically. She paints a visceral portrait of a breakup over gorgeous melodies and production. This leads to the most random sample of all time as an electronic instrumental of "Hotel Room Service" by Pitbull plays with some vocals from the song at points being included as well. I don't even know how someone makes a ballad like this and think, "Yes, let's sample that" but it somehow works so perfectly. It's so well done and one of my favorite sample uses of any song in recent memory.

HOT UPTOWN, the scrapped second single, would've been inescapable if it came out back in 2016. It's a fun tropical bop that harkens back to "Views" era Drake and I think if all of the drama with him didn't happen and this released in May as planned, it had a real shot at being a summer hit. After HOT UPTOWN, Drake wasn't done. For some reason, there is a solo Drake song following it called Uuugly that functions as a sort of interlude. The song itself isn't bad, but it feels extremely unnecessary to include here. I'm sure it seemed like a great move at the time of making it as an extra Drake song on your album would surely bring high numbers and attention but unfortunately we all know how that panned out. DREAM-GIRLS continues the party, as Camila does her own version of "Shawty Is Da Shit" by The-Dream and Fabolous. This song is a more standard moment from Camila and is a perfect pool party moment. It's incredibly catchy and easy to listen to and is a great addition to the record. pretty when i cry is another favorite of mine and the single that should've been. The afrobeats-tinged house production with chopped vocal samples interspersed throughout sounds incredibly fresh and has been one of the album cuts I've had most on repeat.

Twentysomethings is one of the more vulnerable moments on the album with Camila reflecting on navigating a frenetic love in her early twenties. While a nice song on its own, I don't think it fully fits within the album. Going from HE KNOWS to this guitar-driven slow moment then turning the energy back up right away with Dade Country Dreaming provides a bit of a whiplash listening experience. Sure, the intent of the album was to feel chaotic and more akin to flipping through a radio station in Miami, but I still think it could've been placed on the tracklist differently or axed altogether. June Gloom, the closing track of the standard and a fan favorite, is one I like but am also not too terribly in love with. Lyrically it feels like a bit of a sister to "Taste" by Sabrina Carpenter, especially given what we know about their histories. She asks "Does she get this wet for you, baby?" as she wonders if her ex's new partner is giving him everything she did. It all leads to a big synth breakdown at the end that sounds straight out of a 2010's alt pop playlist.

The album has two other interludes, koshi xoxo and 305tilidie. koshi xoxo has rapper BLP KOSHER talk about his love for Camila and how her music got him through his dog dying. A cute moment but perhaps would have been better kept in the voicemail folder on Camila's phone. 305tilidie plays some clips of presumably Camila and her friends talking while out in Miami while a piano and some strings accompany it. It's pretty short and doesn't feel the most needed, but is still a nice transition from the upbeat songs into the ballad B.O.A.T..

The deluxe version of the album, "C,XOXO (Magic City Edition)", released a few months later with four new tracks. All four of these really should have been on the standard and there just be no deluxe; they're all quite good. baby pink has some crack in it. The hook is beyond infectious and is one of the most memorable choruses of the album. The feature detracts from it a bit for me, but is nowhere near enough to make me turn off the repeat button. Come Show Me continues with a similar sonic palette to baby pink and admittedly does feel like a deluxe song even though it still is good. can friends kiss? is a more dreamy, downtempo R&B moment that would have worked wonderfully placed in the back third of the album. The final song, GODSPEED, is an immediate discography highlight for Camila. She's wishing her lover farewell as they part their separate ways, the production building until it feels as if its collapsing in on itself with industrial elements crashing over the second verse. You get the sense that though she's wishing her ex well, she doesn't entirely mean it. It's the most cinematic sounding track off the album and functions as a perfect closing moment.

Overall, I think this is a great pop album and has some fantastic tracks. If I were to critique it, I definitely think my biggest complaint would be the sequencing. Some of the interludes/tracks could have gone and the deluxe songs should have been released on the standard to begin with. The entire product feels a bit too unfocused and I think a better tracklist would have aided the reception it got quite a bit. I edited my tracklist to be this and I personally enjoy the album much more this way. Camila set out to make a Miami-inspired record that is chaotic but fun, vulnerable but cunty, and I think she achieved what she set out to do. I really hope she continues in this direction and doesn't let the reception and commercial performance of it scare her away from experimenting more. This album has plenty of haters and plenty of defenders, and I think this is a much better spot for her to be in than a universal "meh...it's just okay." Pitchfork described this in their review as being a "transitional record mistakenly labeled as a statement album" and I think that is a great observation and one that I hope turns out to be true for Camila. I think this is a fantastic pop album but I also think if she continues on this path, the best is yet to come.

Discussion Questions:

1. What did you think about the album? Did any tracks stand out for you?

2. Assuming all of the music was the same, what do you think could have been done differently to make the era more successful?

3. What do you hope to hear from Camila next? Do you think she should pivot once again or continue up this more eclectic alley?

4. A big critcism of this album is that it is "ingenuine", to which Camila replied, "I wrote this whole album, and people are questioning my authenticity. It’s kind of like a trippy thing. Like, this came from my gut." What are your thoughts on this? What about an album/artist do you think lets us know whether or not the artist behind it is being genuine and truly making music from their heart?