# Havana (Camila Cabello song)

**Havana** is a song by the Cuban-Mexican singer-songwriter [Camila Cabello](https://www.edgepedia.org/camila-cabello) featuring the American rapper [Young Thug](https://www.edgepedia.org/young-thug), released on August 3, 2017, and included as the lead track on her debut solo album *Camila* (2018).<sup>[1](https://music.apple.com/us/song/1445215788?l=en-US)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[2](https://time.com/5098882/camila-cabello-album-review/)</sup> Built on clave (repeating rhythmic pattern underlying Latin music) percussion and a salsa-style piano loop, it became Cabello's breakout solo hit after her departure from the girl group [Fifth Harmony](https://www.edgepedia.org/fifth-harmony), topping the Billboard Hot 100 and spending five weeks at Number 1 on the UK Official Singles Chart, and it was named the world's best-selling digital single of 2018 by the IFPI.<sup>[3](https://stereogum.com/2293184/the-number-ones-camila-cabellos-havana-feat-young-thug/columns/the-number-ones)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[4](https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/camila-cabellos-havana-revealed-as-the-worlds-biggest-song-of-the-past-year__25738/)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[5](https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/camila-cabellos-official-top-10-biggest-songs-so-far-havana-se%C3%B1orita-and-more__35369/)</sup>

| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | August 3, 2017, as a single; lead track of the debut album *Camila*, released January 12, 2018<sup>[1](https://music.apple.com/us/song/1445215788?l=en-US)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[2](https://time.com/5098882/camila-cabello-album-review/)</sup> |
| Featured artist | Young Thug, chosen on the day the hook was written because the lyrics reference East Atlanta, where he is from<sup>[6](https://www.songwriteruniverse.com/ali-tamposi-songwriter-2019/)</sup> |
| Writers | Ten credited writers, including Cabello, Young Thug, Pharrell Williams, Ali Tamposi, Andrew Watt, Brian Lee, Starrah, Louis Bell, Kaan Gunesberk, and Adam Feeney (Frank Dukes)<sup>[3](https://stereogum.com/2293184/the-number-ones-camila-cabellos-havana-feat-young-thug/columns/the-number-ones)</sup> |
| Chart peaks | No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in January 2018, one week at the top; five weeks at UK Number 1<sup>[3](https://stereogum.com/2293184/the-number-ones-camila-cabellos-havana-feat-young-thug/columns/the-number-ones)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[5](https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/camila-cabellos-official-top-10-biggest-songs-so-far-havana-se%C3%B1orita-and-more__35369/)</sup> |
| Global standing | IFPI's best-selling digital single of 2018, with 19.0 million converted track-equivalent units<sup>[4](https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/camila-cabellos-havana-revealed-as-the-worlds-biggest-song-of-the-past-year__25738/)</sup> |
| Streaming | 888 million Spotify streams by June 2018, then the most-streamed song ever by a female artist on the platform; 2.6 billion streams worldwide across all providers<sup>[4](https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/camila-cabellos-havana-revealed-as-the-worlds-biggest-song-of-the-past-year__25738/)</sup> |
| Grammy recognition | "Havana (Live)" nominated for Best Pop Solo Performance at the 61st Grammy Awards<sup>[7](https://www.grammy.com/artists/camila-cabello/243167/)</sup> |

## Background and writing

Cabello left Fifth Harmony in late 2016 to pursue a solo career, and "Havana" grew out of the writing sessions for her first album. The producer [Frank Dukes](https://www.edgepedia.org/frank-dukes) (Adam Feeney), who was executive producing the album, played the group a piano loop he had previously written and recorded; the writers worked on other ideas for the first days of the session, and the hook was crafted on the last day when the piano idea was brought back up.<sup>[6](https://www.songwriteruniverse.com/ali-tamposi-songwriter-2019/)</sup> The songwriter Ali Tamposi, who co-wrote the song with Andrew Watt and others, described the writing as fast and collaborative: Cabello later worked with [Pharrell Williams](https://www.edgepedia.org/pharrell-williams) on ideas for verses, and Brian Lee and Starrah joined for the pre-chorus.<sup>[6](https://www.songwriteruniverse.com/ali-tamposi-songwriter-2019/)</sup> The producer [Louis Bell](https://www.edgepedia.org/louis-bell) was brought in later, after the writers had been stuck for a few months on making the chorus stand out and keeping the song from feeling too linear, and he worked on the melodies, the pre-chorus, and Young Thug's verse.<sup>[8](https://www.songwriteruniverse.com/louis-bell-songwriter-2018/)</sup>

**Young Thug's feature** was decided on the day the hook was written: the lyrics mention East Atlanta, and Young Thug, being from Atlanta, made sense as a collaborator.<sup>[6](https://www.songwriteruniverse.com/ali-tamposi-songwriter-2019/)</sup> In total, ten people, including Cabello and Young Thug, hold songwriting credits.<sup>[3](https://stereogum.com/2293184/the-number-ones-camila-cabellos-havana-feat-young-thug/columns/the-number-ones)</sup> Pharrell Williams contributes the ad-libbed vocals on the intro.<sup>[3](https://stereogum.com/2293184/the-number-ones-camila-cabellos-havana-feat-young-thug/columns/the-number-ones)</sup> Dukes later said the song took six months to create.<sup>[9](https://www.okayplayer.com/hip-hop-producer-frank-dukes-on-working-with-frank-ocean-his-artistry-the-mixtape-era-premiere/613657)</sup>

The song's subject draws directly on Cabello's biography. Born Karla Camila Cabello Estrabao in 1997 in the Cojímar district of Havana, Cuba, to a Mexican father and Cuban mother, she moved to Miami with her mother at the age of six.<sup>[3](https://stereogum.com/2293184/the-number-ones-camila-cabellos-havana-feat-young-thug/columns/the-number-ones)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[7](https://www.grammy.com/artists/camila-cabello/243167/)</sup> TIME described the song as "a sweet-and-sour ode to her hometown" that capitalized on the Latin-pop boomlet of 2017, alongside [Luis Fonsi](https://www.edgepedia.org/luis-fonsi) and [Daddy Yankee](https://www.edgepedia.org/daddy-yankee)'s "Despacito."<sup>[2](https://time.com/5098882/camila-cabello-album-review/)</sup> Cabello herself has described its approach as mixing salsa with pop.<sup>[10](https://los40.com/2024/09/30/el-secreto-de-x-factor-que-camila-cabello-cuenta-once-anos-despues/)</sup>

## Release and chart performance

The single was released on August 3, 2017.<sup>[1](https://music.apple.com/us/song/1445215788?l=en-US)</sup> Cabello released "Havana" and "OMG" at the same time and let her fans decide which to push; "Havana" took off.<sup>[6](https://www.songwriteruniverse.com/ali-tamposi-songwriter-2019/)</sup> By late October 2017 it had passed 200 million Spotify streams, peaked at number 2 on Spotify's global chart, reached number 20 on the Billboard Hot 100, and gone platinum in Canada, Australia, Sweden, and Ireland.<sup>[11](https://www.sonymusic.ca/press_release/camila-cabello-premieres-the-music-video-for-havana-featuring-young-thug)</sup>

Once the song was a hit, Cabello recorded a remix with the reggaeton artist Daddy Yankee to buoy its chart performance, in the same way a [Justin Bieber](https://www.edgepedia.org/justin-bieber) feature had extended "Despacito."<sup>[2](https://time.com/5098882/camila-cabello-album-review/)</sup> The original single and the remix together reached Number 1 in 95 countries.<sup>[4](https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/camila-cabellos-havana-revealed-as-the-worlds-biggest-song-of-the-past-year__25738/)</sup>

**Chart peaks.** "Havana" reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in January 2018, holding the top spot for one week.<sup>[3](https://stereogum.com/2293184/the-number-ones-camila-cabellos-havana-feat-young-thug/columns/the-number-ones)</sup> In the United Kingdom it spent five weeks at Number 1 on the Official Singles Chart, becoming the first UK Number 1 for both Cabello and Young Thug and, at the time, the longest-running Number 1 single by a female artist since Adele's "Someone Like You" (2011).<sup>[5](https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/camila-cabellos-official-top-10-biggest-songs-so-far-havana-se%C3%B1orita-and-more__35369/)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[12](https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/52474/camila-cabello-featuring-young-thug/)</sup> It was the 17th biggest song of 2018 in the UK.<sup>[4](https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/camila-cabellos-havana-revealed-as-the-worlds-biggest-song-of-the-past-year__25738/)</sup>

The song's commercial life was long as well as high. Fifteen months after release it was still drawing nearly 9 million U.S. streams per week according to Nielsen Music, and with 1 billion Spotify streams it was, as of late 2018, the platform's most-played song by a solo female artist.<sup>[13](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/00s/2018/Billboard-2018-12-15.pdf)</sup> The IFPI named it the world's biggest song of 2018, ahead of Drake's "God's Plan" (15.3 million units) and [Ed Sheeran](https://www.edgepedia.org/ed-sheeran)'s "Shape of You" (14.9 million).<sup>[4](https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/camila-cabellos-havana-revealed-as-the-worlds-biggest-song-of-the-past-year__25738/)</sup>

## Music video and cultural reception

The cinematic music video premiered on October 24, 2017. Directed by Dave Meyers, it opens with a telenovela-inspired dream sequence and plays out like a mini-movie featuring appearances by the Latin internet personalities [Lele Pons](https://www.edgepedia.org/lele-pons) and LeJuan James.<sup>[11](https://www.sonymusic.ca/press_release/camila-cabello-premieres-the-music-video-for-havana-featuring-young-thug)</sup> The video closes with a message dedicated to the dreamers, young undocumented immigrants who entered the United States as minors.<sup>[14](https://www.pluggedin.com/track-reviews/camila-cabello-havana/)</sup>

[Academic writing](https://www.edgepedia.org/academic-writing) has treated the song as a case study in diaspora identity and Latin representation in American pop. Scholars have analyzed it as the narration of a romance between a Cuban woman and an American man, read through the lens of reclaiming Cuban cultural identity from the diaspora, and situated it within the Latin-pop wave and the emotional communities of Latin American immigrants in the United States.<sup>[15](https://jurnalsastraubb.id/index.php/elit/article/view/43)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[16](https://www.revistas.udesc.br/index.php/orfeu/en/article/view/15834)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[17](https://periodicos.ufac.br/index.php/tropos/article/view/3462)</sup>

The song also anchored the album era that established Cabello as a solo artist. *Camila* debuted at No. 1 on the [Billboard](https://www.edgepedia.org/billboard-magazine) 200, and "Havana (Live)" earned a Best Pop Solo Performance nomination at the 61st [Grammy Awards](https://www.edgepedia.org/grammy-awards); the album itself was nominated for Best Pop Vocal Album.<sup>[7](https://www.grammy.com/artists/camila-cabello/243167/)</sup> TIME ranked *Camila* among the ten best albums of 2018, noting that "Havana" was the big hit but the rest of the record was subtler.<sup>[18](https://time.com/5455075/best-albums-2018/)</sup>

## References

1. [Havana (feat. Young Thug) - Song by Camila Cabello, Apple Music](https://music.apple.com/us/song/1445215788?l=en-US)
2. [Camila Cabello Shines in Her Solo Act on 'Camila', TIME](https://time.com/5098882/camila-cabello-album-review/)
3. [The Number Ones: Camila Cabello's "Havana" (Feat. Young Thug), Stereogum](https://stereogum.com/2293184/the-number-ones-camila-cabellos-havana-feat-young-thug/columns/the-number-ones)
4. [Camila Cabello's Havana revealed as the world's biggest song of the past year, Official Charts](https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/camila-cabellos-havana-revealed-as-the-worlds-biggest-song-of-the-past-year__25738/)
5. [Camila Cabello's Official Top 10 biggest songs so far, Official Charts](https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/camila-cabellos-official-top-10-biggest-songs-so-far-havana-se%C3%B1orita-and-more__35369/)
6. [Ali Tamposi Interview - Co-Writing The Hit Songs "Senorita," "Havana", Songwriter Universe](https://www.songwriteruniverse.com/ali-tamposi-songwriter-2019/)
7. [Camila Cabello Grammy Awards and Nominations, Recording Academy](https://www.grammy.com/artists/camila-cabello/243167/)
8. [Louis Bell Interview - Hit Pop Songwriter And Producer, Songwriter Universe](https://www.songwriteruniverse.com/louis-bell-songwriter-2018/)
9. [Hip-Hop Producer Frank Dukes on Working With Frank Ocean, His Artistry & the Mixtape Era, Okayplayer](https://www.okayplayer.com/hip-hop-producer-frank-dukes-on-working-with-frank-ocean-his-artistry-the-mixtape-era-premiere/613657)
10. [El secreto de 'X Factor' que Camila Cabello cuenta once años después, LOS40](https://los40.com/2024/09/30/el-secreto-de-x-factor-que-camila-cabello-cuenta-once-anos-despues/)
11. [Camila Cabello Premieres the Music Video for "Havana" Featuring Young Thug, Sony Music Canada](https://www.sonymusic.ca/press_release/camila-cabello-premieres-the-music-video-for-havana-featuring-young-thug)
12. [Camila Cabello ft Young Thug - Official Chart history, Official Charts](https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/52474/camila-cabello-featuring-young-thug/)
13. [Billboard, December 15, 2018 issue](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/00s/2018/Billboard-2018-12-15.pdf)
14. [Havana - Plugged In track review](https://www.pluggedin.com/track-reviews/camila-cabello-havana/)
15. [The Reclaiming Cuban Cultural Identity While Living as a Cuban Diaspora in America as Depicted in Camila Cabello "Havana", Lire Journal](https://jurnalsastraubb.id/index.php/elit/article/view/43)
16. [Camila Cabello's Havana (ft. Young Thug) Song and Its Representations, Orfeu](https://www.revistas.udesc.br/index.php/orfeu/en/article/view/15834)
17. [Música pop, afetos e comunidades emocionais latino-americanas nos EUA: a canção Havana de Camila Cabello e os Dreamers, Tropos](https://periodicos.ufac.br/index.php/tropos/article/view/3462)
18. [The 10 Best Albums of 2018, TIME](https://time.com/5455075/best-albums-2018/)

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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musical works and recordings › Compositions and songs › Asian-pop and non-Western popular songs › Latin and Iberian songs*

*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*

*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*

License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license