Camila - Will Never Be The Same

After the public breakup with her chart-topping group Fifth Harmony, Camila Cabello had a lot to prove. Eighteen months and a number one, can’t-stop-grooving-to-it hit later, it’s safe to say the doubters have been shut down. Listen in as she talks to Cosmo about taking control of her life, what she looks for in love, and the happiness habit she swears by.

- Michele Promaulayko

I drive to meet Camila Cabello on the kind of L.A. day that could make a winter-weary East Coaster like me weep with joy... 75 degrees and sunny, with towering palm trees popping off a clear blue sky.

Camila, I discover, is oblivious to the dreamy Southern Cali weather. She has been sequestered on a dark soundstage in Burbank, rehearsing for her 24-city solo tour and to be the opening act of her pal Taylor Swift’s arena return. When she flings open the door to our interview room, she’s breathless and blotting sweat from her forehead. She whips off her damp sweatshirt and pulls on a yellow cropped hoodie before giving me a hug hello. She’s in good spirits—buoyant, even— as she takes a seat on the sofa, folding one leg under her butt. After a big swig of coconut water, she’s ready to dive in.

MICHELE: Happy belated birthday! It was your 21st, so did you go a little crazy celebrating?

CAMILA: Not really. Drinking was not this forbidden thing in my family. Plus, I don’t really enjoy feeling horrible the next day. I’m such a lightweight!

MP: Your solo tour is called Never Be the Same. What’s the meaning behind the name?

CC: All these experiences I’ve had this past year—how I’ve changed from the inside and how my world has changed from the outside—make it feel like I’ll never be the same. I’m forever a different person.

MP: In what ways?

CC: I’ve realized how much your mind shapes your reality—and just the power of belief in yourself. Everything, if you choose to see it this way, can be an opportunity to grow—friendships, relationships, everything.