Meaning of “Havana” by Camila Cabello

Havana is a song by Cuban born American singer Camila Cabello. The lyrics of Havana see Cabello paying tribute to her country of birth, Cuba while singing about a special romantic relationship she once had with someone in Cuba. It is worth taking note of the fact that Havana is the capital city of Cuba and the largest city in the country. The song also features American rapper Young Thug, whose contribution to the song is a rap about an intimate affair he and a girl once had. All in all, the song is a romantic song which pays tribute to Cabello’s Cuban heritage.

Facts about “Havana”

• Havana was written by Cabello and a host of other songwriters, including Pharrell Williams, Young Thug, Frank Dukes, Andrew Watt, and Ali Tamposi.
• The song’s production was handled by Frank Dukes.
• Cabello had never worked with rapper Young Thug until the making of the song. According to her, she is a big fan of the rapper.
• In an interview Cabello had with Mark Savage of BBC Radio 1, she and her team never expected the song to be as successful as it became.
• The song was released on January 12, 2018 as the first single from Cabello’s debut studio album titled Camila.
• The music video for Havana was directed by the famed American music video director Dave Meyers and features Venezuelan born American actress and internet personality Lele Pons and American actor Noah Centineo, who played Cabello’s love interest in the music video.
• The song was Cabello’s first song to top the US Billboard Hot 100. In addition to peaking at the number 1 spot in America, the song also reached number 1 in several other countries including the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada and Israel.
• Cabello later recorded a remix of the song, which she sung in both English and Spanish. In the Spanish version of Havana, rapper Young Thug’s rap is absent. In its place are bars from Puerto Rican rapper Daddy Yankee.
• Cabello’s September 25, 2017 performance of Havana on the American late-night talk show The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon was the very first time she performed the song on TV.

What major awards has “Havana” won?

At the 2018 MTV Video Music Awards, Camila Cabello took home the top prize (Video of the Year) for “Havana”. The song beat other famous songs such as Drake’s “God’s Plan” and Childish Gambino’s “This Is America” to clinch this prestigious award. Cabello received this award from Madonna (the Queen of Pop).

“Havana” also also won Cabello an award at the 2018 Teen Choice Awards in the Choice Song: Female Artist.