Camila Cabello is setting the record straight about her friendship with Drake.
The pop singer previously had fans buzzing about her connection to the Toronto rapper after video footage of them riding jet skis together in Turks and Caicos made the rounds on social media. In an interview Billboard published on Wednesday, May 29, Cabello explained their day out on the water was all part of their recording sessions for her forthcoming album C,XOXO and nothing more. She also explained how a courageous DM exchange sparked the unexpected collaboration.
“He’s the f**king GOAT, so it felt like shooting for the stars,” she explained.
“I showed him the album when I felt comfortable enough and he really liked it," she continued. "[The feature] came out of a nontransactional place. He had this idea of a song called ‘Hot Uptown,’ and it just felt like I was in the city. I was in Miami.”
Drake and Camila had originally planned to include "Hot Uptown," which is a Caribbean-inspired banger, on the album. However, after some more brainstorming, the two decided to let Drake take the reigns on a nearly two-minute interlude called "Uugly." The second song is sequenced right after "Hot Uptown" and features Drizzy crooning "over soft synth beats and Cabello’s ghostly backing vocals."
“Why does he have his own song? Because selfishly, I just want to hear Drake on my own album,” Cabello said about the second track. “I love that for me — it’s like that rebellious mood. Who says I can’t do that? It’s Drake talking his s**t.”
Camila Cabello's next project is led by "I LUV IT" featuring Playboi Carti and "He Knows" featuring Lil Nas X. C,XOXO is set to drop on June 28.