C,XOXO is the fourth studio album by American singer Camila Cabello. It was released on June 28, 2024, through Geffen and Interscope Records, and is her first album following her departure from Epic Records. Primarily a pop record, C,XOXO incorporates hyperpop, dance, and hip-hop music. Guest vocalists include Playboi Carti, Lil Nas X, City Girls, BLP Kosher, Drake, and uncredited vocals from PinkPantheress, with the Magic City Edition including a collaboration with Eem Triplin.
C,XOXO was preceded by the singles "I Luv It" with Carti—which peaked at number 81 on the Billboard Hot 100—and "He Knows" with Lil Nas X, as well as a promotional single "Chanel No. 5". Following the album's release, "Hot Uptown" featuring Drake was released as the third single. "Godspeed" was released as the fourth and final single in September, alongside the Magic City Edition which features 4 additional tracks. The album was met with generally positive reviews from music critics, who praised its sonic experimentation though were ambivalent towards Cabello's new direction.
Background and recording Following the release of Cabello's third studio album, Familia, in 2022, it was announced that she had departed from Epic Records and signed to Universal Music Group's label Interscope Records in September. Around this time, Cabello expressed a desire for greater creative independence. She explained that she had become less reliant on others' opinions and emphasized that she would only release songs she could "stand behind" and wanted to perform.
Cabello recorded much of C,XOXO in Miami rather than her usual base of Los Angeles. She and her team also spent 10 days recording in the Bahamas, where Cabello recalled working in the studio almost constantly. According to the liner notes of C,XOXO, the album was recorded at multiple studios, including A2F, The Sanctuary, Studio 26, Interecope, EastWest, Westlake, Henson, Electric Lady, QC, Palm Villa, The Chapel, Criteria, and the Duney Cave.
Development Cabello depicted C,XOXO as a return to the songwriting-centered approach with which she began her career. In an interview with Alexandra Cooper for Call Her Daddy, she said the album involved "sitting in the discomfort of things" rather than seeking clear answers, and that its development began with her "getting back to that first passion of songwriting" through exploring musical, artistic, and literary references. She also discussed the album's sonic departure from her previous work in an interview with Apple Music's Zane Lowe, crediting producers El Guincho and Jasper Harris with helping her pursue a more unconventional sound. Cabello said that working with the two allowed them to create a space where they could "do what [they] think is fire" without worrying about conventional expectations.
According to Cabello, C,XOXO more experimental direction marks a departure from her usual approach, which encouraged her to adopt a "what's the worst that can happen?" attitude. Cabello drew on the work ethic of her immigrant family, particularly her mother, which she said gave her the "hustle mentality" needed to make the album. Seeking greater independence in the writing process, Cabello adopted her experience of writing verses alone for previous collaborations, identifying "Chanel No. 5" as a turning point; according to her, the song "could only belong to this project" and its creation helped the rest of the album "fall into place".
Unlike Cabello's previous albums, which involved numerous co-writers and producers, C,XOXO was made primarily with producers El Guincho and Jasper Harris. Cabello said she favored producers who "pick the weird sounds" and "aren't just going for what sounds safe", describing them as "risk-takers". Her collaboration with Drake began with a direct message, which Cabello initially sent as part of an effort to reconnect with other artists after describing herself as having been "a hermit" for an extended period. Drake liked the project, and the feature "came out of a nontransactional place", according to her. He had already developed an idea for a song called "Hot Uptown", which Cabello felt captured the atmosphere of Miami.
Composition C,XOXO is a pop record with elements of hyperpop, hip-hop, avant-pop, alt-pop, Afrobeats, R&B, reggaetón, and electronic music. The album draws heavily on hip-hop, incorporating interludes and features from artists including Playboi Carti, Drake, and City Girls members JT and Yung Miami. Its production is built primarily around synthesizers, samples, and aggressive drums, with minimal use of layered instrumentation and no guitars. According to her, Cabello and her collaborators initially experimented with different genres while searching for the album's sonic direction, with "Chanel No. 5" ultimately "crack[ing] open the album".
Cabello described the voice she found on C,XOXO as having a "big baddie energy vibe", which she associated with taking risks and "doing whatever you want". She explained that her blonde hair was part of this transformation, which served as a visual way to signal "a new era" and introduce "a new character". Cabello also associated C,XOXO with a distinct visual palette; she depicted its essence as "velvety blue, pink, purple, lavender" and said that the album felt "like what it is to be a Pisces".
Influences Miami was a major source of inspiration for C,XOXO. Describing it as "a love letter to Miami" and "a Miami art piece", Cabello cited the city as both a personal anchor rooted in her family and childhood and a major influence on the album's sound and atmosphere. She said Miami had also shaped her musical taste, depicting the city as a "melting pot" of sounds including Afrobeat, rap, and salsa. Spending more time in there also deepened her connection to it, as she said she had "fall[en] in love with [her] Miami even more" and described it as "such a big part of who [she was] as a person and as an artist". Guincho stated that Cabello's voice as a writer "felt very much like the city itself", viewing the album as an opportunity to represent Miami within a pop context.
C,XOXO drew on the 2000s hip-hop Cabello encountered after moving from Havana to the United States, as well as the creative philosophy of Rainer Maria Rilke's Letters to a Young Poet whose idea of "living your questions" encouraged Cabello to move forward without waiting to have everything figured out. Harris stated the album was deeply influenced by rap, describing how the team experimented with rap cadences and their swagger alongside contrasting musical elements such as lush guitar and melodic arrangements: "If it's a sweet melody, let's make the music scary. [...] If she has a rap flow, let's make the music acoustic."
Cabello cited T-Pain as an inspiration for her more pronounced vocal manipulation on C,XOXO. The record also references Miami rapper Pitbull, whose music was ubiquitous in the city before his international breakthrough. Coming from a Latin household where Cabello primarily heard Latin music, Michael Jackson, and popular 1980s hits, she studied classic hip-hop and rock albums she had not previously heard, including Nas's Illmatic and Pink Floyd's The Wall. Cabello explained: "I think it's important to always be studying what genres kind of influenced the genres that are informing the genres now."
Lyrics and themes C,XOXO explores Cabello's coming-of-age and romantic experiences following her relationship with Shawn Mendes. She described the album as an exploration of "girlhood into womanhood", saying that "Dream Girls" reflected her own experience of "learning to be a woman". "Twentysomethings" reflects on a relationship that was not working, and it drew inspiration from SZA's reflections on her own twenties. "June Gloom" explores lingering feelings after an encounter with a former partner, using the foggy weather phenomenon of the same name as a metaphor for heartbreak. Its lyrics—which Harris described as "vulnerable and brave"—portray Cabello's jealousy and unresolved feelings, including her admission that the former partner was "all I think about".
Songs C,XOXO opens with "I Luv It", featuring American rapper Playboi Carti. Sampling Gucci Mane's "Lemonade", the hyperpop track combines a hip-hop beat. "I Luv It" was heavily contrasted with Charli XCX's 2017 song "I Got It", which first Cabello felt nagative but later accepted. Its unpredictability represented a deliberate departure from Cabello's previous work; she described its sound as a "kick-the-door-down moment" and added that she would rather make a song new to her than repeat what she had done before. "Chanel No. 5" features R&B-inspired vocals and minimalist production. Cabello identified the song's coy, cheeky, and "kind of devious" tone as the voice she wanted to establish throughout C,XOXO.
"Pink XOXO" is a short interlude that features PinkPantheress's vocals. An electropop song "He Knows" with Lil Nas X combines disco-house and hip-hop with dance influences, sampling Ojerime's "Give It Up 2 Me". "Twentysomethings" is an acoustic track. Piano is featured prominently on a hip-hop anthem "Dade Country Dreaming" which features JT and Yung Miami.
"Hot Uptown", featuring Drake, contains dancehall beat. The next track "Uuugly" only features him, with only Cabello shortly singing. "Dream-Girls" samples the-Dream's "Shawty Is Da Shit" (2007); it is an R&B song with the elements of reggaeton and Latin pop. "B.O.A.T." is an emo track, sampling Pitbull's 2009 single "Hotel Room Service". A pop song with dance elements "Pretty When I Cry" pairs a late-night, melancholic mood with a warped sample of "Hotel Room Service", and further contrasts with Cabello's earlier bubblegum sound. The closing track, "June Gloom", is a synth-driven ballad.
Release and promotion "I Luv It", with Playboi Carti, was released as the lead single on March 27, 2024. The song debuted and peaked at number 81 on the US Billboard Hot 100. "He Knows", with Lil Nas X, was released as the second single on May 10, while "Chanel No. 5" was released as the album's first promotional single on June 21. "Hot Uptown", featuring Canadian rapper Drake, impacted US contemporary hit radio as the third single on June 28.
On August 29, Cabello announced the Magic City deluxe edition of the album, releasing on September 6, alongside the first single "Godspeed" and its music video also being released on the same day.
Live performances On April 19, 2024, Cabello appeared as a surprise performer during Lana Del Rey's set at Coachella; she performed "I Luv It" with the singer. She then appeared as a speaker at the guest panel of American Express and F1 Academy's event, "A Celebration of Women with Drive", on May 1—where she performed an acoustic version of "I Luv It" and the then-unreleased album track "Twentysomethings". Cabello performed "I Luv It" again on the June 12, 2024 episode of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.