# @popbase on Instagram

- **Type:** Video
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/DblXkeihLmv
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/68591990-popbase-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/0671e23330.jpg
- **Posted:** 2026-08-03T16:00:00.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** Pop Base (@PopBase) — https://gondola.cc/PopBase

## Caption

9 years ago today, Camila Cabello released ‘Havana’ featuring Young Thug.

A three day writing session brought "Havana" together, with Camila Cabello working alongside Ali Tamposi, Frank Dukes, and Andrew Watt on the song's undulating piano hook. It started with a conversation between Cabello and Dukes about weaving her Cuban American identity into her sound, and Dukes built the piano loop from there, later bringing in Brittany Hazzard, known as Starrah, to help finish the writing. Pharrell Williams also joined as a co producer on the track, which arrived just eight months after Cabello had left Fifth Harmony.

At the time, "Havana" marked a genuine turning point for her solo career. Sony's Sandra Afloarei has said the song gave Cabello a true, distinct voice separate from her group era, something her earlier singles "Crying in the Club" and "I Have Questions" hadn't quite managed to do. Young Thug's guest verse rounded out the track's mid tempo, Latin-flavored pop sound, and its Dave Meyers-directed video, starring Noah Centineo and Lele Pons, followed a shy homebody encouraged to step outside her comfort zone, echoing the song's own themes of longing and self discovery.

The song became a defining commercial and cultural moment, topping the Billboard Hot 100 and reaching number one in dozens of countries worldwide. It eventually surpassed one billion Spotify streams and, for a stretch, stood as the most streamed song by a female lead artist on the platform. Cabello performed it widely in the years that followed, including a Grammy stage appearance with Ricky Martin, J Balvin, and Young Thug, cementing "Havana" as one of the signature crossover pop hits of the late 2010s.

#camilacabello #youngthug #music #popculture

## Stats

- **Views:** 13,070
- **Likes:** 3,781
- **Shares:** 0
- **Comments:** 41

## Tags

popculture, music, youngthug, camilacabello

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