CULTURE

Camila Cabello and Shawn Mendes Might Be Perfect for Each Other Because They're Both Racists

Or, at the very least, they both posted some pretty racist things as teenagers.

Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello47th Annual American Music Awards, Press Room, Microsoft Theater, Los Angeles, USA - 24 Nov 2019

Photo by Matt Baron/Shutterstock

Camila Cabello has been doing damage control for a series of racist Tumblr posts that re-emerged from her teenage years.

The Havana singer came under fire yesterday for using the "n-word" and reblogging racist posts on her since-deleted Tumblr blog, "vous-etess-belles." The revelation came from an eviscerating thread posted by a Twitter user named @motivatefenty and revealed that when Cabello was around 14 and 15, she reblogged a multitude of posts that contained racist slurs as well as racist sentiments about Mexicans, Asians, and Black people, and parodied Rihanna for being a victim of domestic violence.

Cabello responded with a tearful apology. "I'm an adult and I've grown and learned and am conscious and aware of the history and the pain it carries in a way I wasn't before," the 22-year-old concluded. "Those mistakes don't represent the person I am or a person I've ever been. I only stand and have ever stood for love and inclusivity, and my heart has never, even then, had any ounce of hate or divisiveness."

While she expressed sorrow at her actions, some panned her reaction as a "non-apology." Upon a closer look, the apology technically doesn't even express regret or a concrete desire to change. Instead, it attempts to excuse what she did, wrapping it up with a typical "I'm not racist and I was never racist because I'm a good person!" response.

Cabello, as The Daily Beast writes, "is one of many of celebrities who, after being confronted with indisputable receipts, have 'apologized' for past incidents of racism without actually holding themselves accountable."


If this all sounds familiar, you might be thinking of Shawn Mendes, Cabello's current boyfriend and duet partner who—back in August—was forced to offer a similar apology to the public when racist tweets surfaced. Like Cabello's posts, the tweets were posted when he was about fourteen and contained the "n-word" as well as other disparaging comments about people of color.

Like Cabello, his apology attempted to excuse his actions rather than distance himself from them. "I apologize for everything insensitive that I said in the past. But with that being said, I think that's not my personality," he wrote at the time. His response was slammed by fans and critics, so you would think that Camila could have at least tried to learn from her boyfriend's mistakes.

For a while, many of us have thought that Cabello and Mendes' relationship was a PR stunt designed to promote their single "Señorita," which, as one Twitter user wrote, would likely play on loop in Hell. But actually, they probably have a lot more in common than most of us thought. Most likely, they make racist jokes in private while lauding each others' innocence, goodness, and sense of humor, all while expressing no desire to actually change or take ownership of their actions.

Excusing racism with humor and clinging to the idea that it doesn't exist because "you're a good person" is how racism gets perpetuated, but not in Shawn and Camila's world. For now, all we can do is pray to every God we know that we won't get a cheeky "Sorry"-type apology duet.

MUSIC

PAUZA Explore Old Havana in "Se Vende" Music Video

Cuban electronic duo give fans a look into life in their home country.

Cuba's first female electronic duo, Zahira Sánchez and Paula Fernández, otherwise known by the name PAUZA, have returned with a colorful and engaging music video for their latest single "Se Vende."

The video also features the 2018 "Best Alternative Music Album" Latin Grammy-nominated rapper and lyricist, Telmary.

The video is set in the lively streets of Havana, focusing on Telmary and her forays around the city. Viewers witness the Havana-based duo follow the rapper around the city as she dances in the streets, interacts with various street vendors, and raps about everyday life in Cuba. "'Se Vende' has a Havana-based soundscape," says PAUZA. "We wanted to create a soundtrack to pair with how we live as Cubans daily."

According to the duo, the clip, which was directed and produced completely on their iPhones, is meant to highlight the streets of Old Havana in their splendid glory. "We wanted to give viewers a brief look into life in our country!" the duo says of the video.

The music video for "Se Vende" skillfully matches the timeless and delightfully uplifting Cuban sound expressed in the song. PAUZA's re-interpret the cultural current of house music by infusing pure Latin rhythms, demonstrating why they're a force to be reckoned with in the house community.

Telmary's swift and direct Spanish lyrics seductively wash over a downtempo conga infused beat that brings the track to life. The flourishing and prominent trumpet arrangement acts as the strong and consistent base for both the track and the video, complimenting Telmary's overlaying infectious vocals in a charming fusion of the old and new.

Check out PAUZA's music video for"Se Vende" below!


Alessandra Rincón is a journalist, writer, and photographer from Baton Rouge, Louisiana living in New York City. She loves covering music, art and culture news and you can usually find her at a show or with her nose in a book. In her spare time she is a musician, comic book nerd and wannabe cook.


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