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Camila Cabello Writing Songs About Immigration Experience

Written by . Published: April 06 2017

Camila Cabello has been inspired to write music about her journey from Cuba to America.


The former Fifth Harmony star was just six years old when she and her mother Sinuhe left Cuba, flew to Mexico and went by bus to the U.S. border, with only a backpack of possessions to their name. They eventually began their new life in Miami, Florida and Camila's father Alejandro joined them a year and a half later.

Camila now hopes to write a song about her experience to paint immigration in positive light, because she feels the word is now seen as a negative.

"Right now I'm in the process of writing about our whole journey," she told Glamour magazine. "I want to make a love song for immigrants. That word, immigrant, has such a negative connotation - I can just imagine all the little girls who have dreams of coming here and feel unwanted. It inspires me in my music to do my best to give (them) the light that I have.

"I want to be what people think of when they think of America - a person who, no matter what her first language was or what her religion is, can see her dreams come to life if she works hard enough."

The 20-year-old was "very introverted" and struggled to make friends growing up but showed an interest in performing so when she saw a video of One Direction, former contestants of Britain's The X Factor, giving tips on how to audition for the U.S. version, she asked her mother if she could try out.

Despite being the first time Camila had ever sang in front of an audience, she scored a part in Fifth Harmony alongside Ally Brooke Hernandez, Dinah Jane Hansen, Lauren Jauregui and Normani Kordei in 2012.

Camila left the group in December (16) and in the magazine, her mother praised her daughter's fearlessness.

“I have never met someone who can confront her fears in the way she does,” she said. "I can tell she’s terrified, but she doesn't stop. She always asks me, 'Do you think everybody knows?' And I'm like, 'No, nobody can tell.'"

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