In an exclusive interview with ET, the singer shares the inspiration behind some of the songs on her second album.
Camila Cabello is opening up about the love she shares with Shawn Mendes.
While promoting her new album, Romance, out now, the 22-year-old singer spoke to ET's Katie Krause about how her boyfriend influenced a few of the songs on the catchy tracklist.
One song in particular, "Used to This," seems to be written about Mendes and a trip they took to San Francisco, California. Asked if it's about her "Señorita" collaborator, Cabello joked, "No, it's another Shawn Mendes!"
"Well, I'm just gonna say I cannot confirm or deny, because I don't want people to start telling me, 'Oh, this song is about him,' because then I'm going to have to start doing that," she clarified.
It's no secret, however, that a picture of one of Mendes' tattoos is in the lyric book, a topic that got Cabello blushing during the interview.
"OK, yeah, well, it's just a little hint," she said, adorably putting her head down. "I can't confirm or deny, but I'm basically confirming."
"But anyway, I think that song is really special because I just feel like I really painted the details of, like, when you're first dating someone that you've been friends with for a really long time," she continued. "It just feels like, 'Oh, my God, we're kissing now!' I think I just really captured what that moment felt like for me."
When romance rumors first sparked over the summer that Cabello and Mendes were indeed more than just friends, some nonbelievers called the relationship fake, with others claiming it was a publicity stunt. Cabello told ET that she didn't let the cyberbullies get to her, however.
"Not really, because I know, he knows," she said. "Honestly, it did not cause any emotional reaction from me whatsoever."
Since then, the two have seemingly become more comfortable showcasing their love in the public eye. On Nov. 25, for example, following their fun night out at the American Music Awards, Cabello penned a heartwarming message dedicated to Mendes on Instagram. "I love u @shawnmendes," she wrote. "Thank u for being so there for me yesterday and every other day, u have the most caring and beautiful heart in the world." Naturally, we had to ask Cabello if this is true love.
"I've said that a lot. I mean, because I do, obviously, like, I love him in the 'He's my boyfriend' way," she shared. "But I've always loved him. I just love him, you know?"
Also in the interview, Cabello shared her excitement about fans finally getting to hear Romance, an album that was nearly a year in the making.
"Oh, my God, I mean, I'm so excited! It really feels like I'm having a child, my second child," she exclaimed, referring to the self-titled debut album she dropped in 2018. "It feels super emotional for me. This is like this chapter in my life that I'm basically closing and giving to people."
"It just feels like whenever I listen back to [Romance], it feels so emotionally charged because my life is in those songs," she added. "Every time I finish an album, it feels like I'm kind of putting a bow on it and just, like, ending that chapter and going into the next one. So, that's what this album is to me. It's the phase in my life where I'm just consumed by love and life and the intensity of those experiences."
Though she didn't mention any names, Cabello seems to be alluding to the two relationships she's been in over the past few years -- her current romance with Mendes, and her previous relationship with dating coach Matthew Hussey from February 2018-June 2019.
"Being in your 20s and feeling all those things for the first time is intense, and I feel like that's what this album is to me," she explained. "I think that everybody, I guess when they start dating or falling in love or experiencing those things, it can just be a very tumultuous time, especially the first time that you [fall in love] ... I think every time you fall in love."
Cabello continued on, talking to ET about how she co-wrote every song on the album. She joked that, through the lyrics, fans will learn that she's "dramatic" and "emo."
"I think being in your early 20s and becoming an adult, finding your way in the world as your own person, and in relation to another person that you really love... yeah, I think that people are just going to feel, I guess, how intensely I felt those things," she said.
Hear more in the video below.
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