We’ve seen many of our favorite pop stars try to reinvent themselves and enter new eras, and Camila Cabello felt it was time for her bad girl revamp. She entered the next stage of her career with her fourth solo album C,XOXO, but is her party girl rebrand worth the hype?
Cabello teased C,XOXO as an album that sees her stepping out of her comfort zone and embracing her wild side. Her new era came with a total makeover, including bleached blonde hair, but many fans felt this change seemed too forced for the former Fifth Harmony singer even before she even shared any new music.
Things only got worse when the lead single “I Luv It” drew comparisons to Charli XCX’s song “I Got It”, while its follow-up, the Lil Nas X collaboration “He Knows” failed to make any impact on the charts despite featuring two major stars.
Cabello finally got the chance to prove the naysayers wrong on June 28, when she shared C,XOXO in full, but ended up serving more of the same. It gives us some solid dance-pop moments, but most songs are instantly forgettable unless you lean into the cringe.
Some of the features on C,XOXO elevated this album, while others don’t do it any favors. “Hot Uptown” ft. Drake is pretty solid, but their second collaboration “Uuugly” makes it feel like Cabello is a guest on her own album, and PinkPantheress’ “Pink XOXO” does the same.
After over a decade in the industry, Cabello’s career is certainly ripe for reinvention, but C,XOXO isn’t the big shift she was aiming for. Its sound is not authentic enough to hook us in, and most of the songs it has in store are too disposable to make any real impact in the long run.
