Havana (Camila Cabello song)

"Havana"
Left profile picture of Camila Cabello with disheveled brown hair, in front of a bright red background.
Single by Camila Cabello featuring Young Thug
from the album Camila
ReleasedAugust 3, 2017 (2017-08-03)
Studio
Genre
Length3:37 (album version)
2:53 (no rap/radio edit)
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Frank Dukes
Camila Cabello singles chronology
"Know No Better"
(2017) 		"Havana"
(2017) 		"Never Be the Same"
(2017)
Young Thug singles chronology
"Trap Trap Trap"
(2017) 		"Havana"
(2017) 		"Homie"
(2017)
Music video
"Havana" on YouTube
Audio sample
Camila Cabello – "Havana"

"Havana" is a song by American singer and songwriter Camila Cabello featuring fellow American singer and rapper Young Thug, from her debut studio album Camila (2018).[1] It was released on August 3, 2017, alongside "OMG" initially as a promotional single; it was later serviced to radio on September 8, 2017, as a single.[2] Due to its rising success, "Havana" later became the official lead single of Camila, replacing "Crying in the Club".[3]

In November 2017, a remix version of the song with Puerto Rican rapper Daddy Yankee was released.[4] The first verse and pre-chorus of the remix is sung in Spanish while Daddy Yankee replaces Young Thug's verse.[5]

"Havana" received critical acclaim with music critics calling the song "sultry" and "bouncy". "Havana" peaked at the top of the Billboard Hot 100, becoming the first number one song for both Cabello and Thug. Outside of the United States, "Havana" topped the charts in 23 countries worldwide, including Australia, Canada, Chile, France, and the United Kingdom. It is certified Diamond in six countries. Its music video, directed by Dave Meyers, shows Cabello playing herself as Karla, as well as a telenovela actress and a film protagonist. It won the Video of the Year award at the 2018 MTV Video Music Awards, receiving three other nominations. A vertical video, directed by Sam Lecca, was released on November 10, 2017, on Cabello's official Vevo account.[6] The clip shows the singer and several dancers in the New York City Subway.[7] The clip was previously a Spotify exclusive.[8]

Cabello performed "Havana" at several award shows, including the 2017 MTV Europe Music Awards, the 2018 iHeartRadio Music Awards, and the 2018 Billboard Music Awards. In September 2018, Cabello released a live version of the song featuring her solo performance.[9][10][11] The live version of the song would later be nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Pop Solo Performance at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards.[12] It was the best-selling digital single of 2018 according to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), with equivalent sales of 19 million units worldwide.[13][14]

"Havana" was certified Diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America in October 2021 for selling 10,000,000 units,[15] making Cabello the first Hispanic singer to achieve this milestone.[16]

  1. ^ "Havana" Audio on YouTube
  2. ^ "Camila Cabello and Zane Lowe on Beats 1 [Full Interview]" (Interview). Interviewed by Zane Lowe. Beats 1. May 22, 2017. Archived from the original on November 17, 2021. Retrieved August 3, 2017 – via YouTube.
  3. ^ "Camila Cabello diz que 'Crying in The Club' não estará no seu 1º álbum solo!" [Camila Cabello says 'Crying in the Club' won't be on her 1st solo album] (in Brazilian Portuguese). Terra. September 29, 2017. Archived from the original on September 30, 2017. Retrieved September 30, 2017.
  4. ^ "Havana (Remix)" Audio on YouTube
  5. ^ "Camila Cabello, Daddy Yankee – Havana (Remix – Audio)". YouTube. November 11, 2017. Archived from the original on July 28, 2019. Retrieved November 14, 2017.
  6. ^ "Havana" Vertical video on YouTube
  7. ^ "Camila Cabello Takes on New York in New 'Havana' Music Video". MTV UK. November 10, 2017. Archived from the original on August 28, 2019. Retrieved November 10, 2017.
  8. ^ "'Havana' [Playlist Video] on Spotify". Spotify. Archived from the original on April 20, 2019. Retrieved August 3, 2017.
  9. ^ "Havana (Live)" Audio on YouTube
  10. ^ Camila Cabello (September 21, 2018). "celebrating 1 billion streams i decided to put out a live version of Havana from my London show, this is one of my favorites to perform live and never gets old #HavanaLive". Archived from the original (Caption) on December 26, 2021 – via Instagram.
  11. ^ Camila Cabello (September 21, 2018). "#HAVANALive from London! the never be the same tour represents such an important part of my life, and this live show was one of the things I'm the most proud of ever working on! it was a magical, exhilarating experience every night for all of us". Archived from the original (Caption) on December 26, 2021 – via Instagram.
  12. ^ Cite error: The named reference Grammy was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  13. ^ Cirisano, Tatiana (March 6, 2019). "Camila Cabello's 'Havana' Is IFPI's Best-Selling Single of 2018, in List Dominated By 2017 Tracks". Billboard.
  14. ^ Cite error: The named reference IFPI was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  15. ^ "Gold & Platinum". RIAA. Archived from the original on January 5, 2016. Retrieved October 19, 2021.
  16. ^ Montalván, Karla (October 5, 2021). "Camila Cabello is the First Hispanic Woman Honored With Diamond-Certified Single Award". People en Español (in Spanish). Archived from the original on October 22, 2021. Retrieved October 19, 2021.