Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello love story

Camila Cabello is opening up about her breakup from Shawn Mendes for the first time since the pair announced they had amicably parted ways after two years together in November 2021. 

Camila recently stopped by Apple Music’s New Music Daily with Zane Lowe to talk about her new single “Bam Bam” and upcoming album, Familia. Since its release on March 4, many fans have speculated Camila’s new song, a collab with Ed Sheeran, takes inspiration from her and Shawn’s breakup, and have been specifically analyzing the song's opening verse. 

“I said I’d love you for life, but I just sold our house / We were kids at the start, I guess we’re grown-ups now / Couldn’t ever imagine even having doubts / But not everything works out," sings Camila at the start of “Bam Bam.”

During her chat with Zane, the singer took a minute to explain the personal references included in the song and opened up about the split at length. Explaining the new song’s lyrics, Camila told Zane that what she was trying to get across is “that things change and things take really unexpected turns.” 

“I f*cking love Shawn. And I feel like there is literally nothing but love for him,” the singer said. “This song is mostly just about like, ‘Okay, how do I make a song that shows the cycles of love, and life'… You know, whatever it is that’s going on in your life. Whether it is a breakup or a divorce, or like you said, a friend breakup, or you’ve just gone through something that just is really sh*tty. Hopefully, this can make you be like, ‘It is that way now, but things are always taking crazy turns.'”

Camila also told Zane that her priorities and focus have always “fluctuated” over the years, including the years she was dating Shawn. “Those years that we were together. My focus was just, how can I live a happy life and be in a healthy, happy relationship? I was doing therapy a lot. My focus really has shifted. And even now while I’m in promo mode, honestly, if I’m not having fun, what’s the f*cking point?” Camila said. “I think as I get older, the priorities shift. And I feel like that was that way for both of us. Because we both started so young too, we’re really learning how to be healthy adults. And that sometimes means not having your number one focus be your career. And that’s okay.”

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Musicians Camila Cabello and Shawn Mendes first met in 2014. After years of friendship, the two began dating in July 2019. 

From sweet social-media interactions to saucy duets, here's a timeline of Cabello and Mendes' relationship:

2014: The two met when they were both opening acts for Austin Mahone's Live On Tour

During this tour, Shawn Mendes and Fifth Harmony (the band Cabello was part of until she left in December 2016) opened up for the artist Austin Mahone. 

In a 2019 interview with V magazine, Cabello recalled her first impression of Mendes when they met on the Mahone tour, saying, "I remember I wanted to hang out with you, but you were always on the tour bus, just learning guitar."

Mendes remembered, "You were the only person that talked to me. Like, you were the only one of everybody on that tour who would say words to me."

March 2015: Mendes fueled some dating reports when he played a radio game 

During a game of "Lips, Wife, Leave It!" on Capital FM, Mendes sparked reports that he might like Cabello as more than a pal.

The interviewer asked him to choose who he'd marry out of Camila Cabello, Jade Thirlwall (of the band Little Mix), and actress Chloë Grace Moretz.

"Because I know Camila well, I'd probably wife Camila," he told the interviewer. Although it was just part of a game, his answer had some fans wondering if something was going on between him and Cabello. 

It's official — after dating for more than two years, Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello called it quits in November 2021 when they each issued a statement on their Instagram stories. For Shamila shippers, the news seemingly came out of left field as the pair seemed happier than ever and even dressed in a matching couples costume for Halloween. So, you may be wondering why Shawn and Camila broke up to begin with. Ahead, find everything we know so far about the couple's decision to break it off.

According to sources, Shawn and Camila's split was allegedly due to their hectic work schedules. The couple reportedly grew close during the COVID-19 shutdown, once they resumed their normal work routine, their relationship became "different." A source told People, "They had this intense relationship last year and spent months together during the lockdown in Miami. They both seemed very happy and looked like they enjoyed having a break from working." The source added, "Things are different now, though. It's more back to normal life. They have careers that are taking them in different directions. They went from spending every day together to now not really spending any time together."

Shawn and Camila started out as friends in 2015 when they were both on tour together and wrote their first duet, "I Know What You Did Last Summer." Since then, they have both written music about each other on their respective albums and evolved from best friends to romantic partners.

In November 2020, Camila penned a heartfelt caption about her relationship with Shawn on Instagram. "I've learned a lot about love with this guy," the "Don't Go Yet" singer wrote. "It's not just the happy blissful moments you see in pictures and videos. When you're in a relationship with someone, it feels like they are this mirror reflecting yourself back to you."

"I constantly have to confront my fears, my anxieties, my insecurities, my patterns of thinking, my beliefs about life and about myself," she continued. "It's not as simple as it looks in pictures sometimes. Sometimes, it's messy and uncomfortable and ugly lol. But there's nothing like the pull, the FORCE that is love, to be the light in the darkness—to be the gravitational pull that gives you the relentless strength to be braver, wiser, and better than you were yesterday."

Shawn and Camila first announced their split via Instagram on November 17, 2021. "Hey guys, we've decided to end our romantic relationship but our love for one another as humans is stronger than ever," Shawn and Camila wrote in their statements. "We started our relationship as best friends and will continue to be best friends."

After the former couple posted their joint statements on Instagram, a source told E! News that Shawn had "initiated the conversation" with Camila about the stance of their relationship. The source also shared that although Camila was "very upset over the split," it "was not a bad breakup at all."

"The relationship was getting stale and complacent and they decided they are better off being friends," the source told the outlet.

A different source explained to Entertainment Tonight that their decision to split was mutual. "They realized they are in totally different places in their lives at this point, and it was time to end things," the source told ET. "They're both sad about the split, but doing their best to take care of themselves, stay busy, and surround themselves by loved ones."

A few months after the couple was quarantined together in Miami during the Coronavirus pandemic, a source told InTouch Weekly that the couple took a break for a while. "The [original plan] was that Camila would go back to Los Angeles with him. But they decided they needed to take a break from each other," the source told the outlet at the time. "Despite their busy careers, they've spent much of the past year together. They were in love and were best friends — they still are...The past year was a whirlwind for them and they supported each other so much. Nothing really went bad between them, they just realized they need some time apart."

Shortly after InTouch's reports were released, Page Six broke the news that Camila was crying on a lunch date with Shawn in September 2021. The reason she cried was unknown, but there's a chance it could have related to the fate of their romance. The public's opinions and media coverage surrounding their relationship has also seemingly taken a toll on the former couple, according to Camila.

She told Glamour that she and Shawn actively tried to avoid social media when it came to their relationship, but that it "inevitably seeps in." "When stuff that's negative is out there, it's going to get to you," she told the outlet. "So yeah, that's very, very challenging. I feel like it's another thing therapy has been really helpful for."

Shawn took to Instagram to announce he was dropping a new song, titled "It'll Be Okay," on December 1, 2021. It's full of heartfelt lyrics that relate back to his romance with Camila, painting the scene of their downfall and how they tried to make things work. There are even lyrics that allude to their plans of potentially getting married, but now that the couple has split, their future has "faded to black." This marks the first song Shawn released since the breakup, and while he hasn't explicitly commented on their split, "It'll Be Okay" definitely provided more insight into what happened between him and Camila.

Since then, Camila has commented on what led to their decision to break up. In a March 2022 interview with Apple Music's Zane Lowe about her new song, "Bam Bam" featuring Ed Sheeran, the Fifth Harmony alumna reflected on her relationship with her ex-boyfriend.

"My priorities have fluctuated and my focus has changed throughout my life," she started. "Those years that we were dating, I don't even feel like, even while I was writing this album, and even still now, I guess, my focus is really on, how can I be a well-rounded person?" She went on to say that her priorities shifted because of their relationship ending and that she created more intimate bonds with her album collaborators.

"And same thing with those years that we were together," Camila continued, addressing her relationship with Shawn. "My focus was just, how can I live a happy life and be in a healthy, happy relationship? I was doing therapy a lot. My focus really has shifted...I think as I get older, yeah, the priorities shift. And I feel like that was that way for both of us. Because we both started so young too, we're really learning how to be healthy adults. And that sometimes means not having your number one focus be your career. And that's okay."

Sam is the editorial assistant at Seventeen, covering pop culture, celebrity news, health, and beauty. When she isn't draping her cheeks in blush, you can probably find her live-tweeting awards shows or making SwiftToks.

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