The album was later retitled Camila with "Havana" serving as its official lead single due to the rising success of the song, and "Crying in the Club" was cut from the final track listing.

Camila was met with generally positive reviews from contemporary music critics, many of whom commended the Latin influences and ballads.

[11] Cabello appeared as a lead artist with Canadian singer Shawn Mendes on his single "I Know What You Did Last Summer" (2015), serving as her first release outside of the group.

[17][18] During an interview with Latina magazine, she commented about her choice and future plans, stating "I needed to follow my heart and my artistic vision.

[25][26] She served as the opening act for Bruno Mars on his 24K Magic World Tour on select dates, performing several songs from her then-unfinished debut effort.

[40] The song was co-written by Cabello, Quavo, Stargate, Noonie Bao, Alexandra Yatchenko, and pop singer Charli XCX.

[50] Following the surprise commercial success of "Havana", Cabello confirmed that she had chosen to push back the album's release date in order to record further material.

[51] She recorded more songs with the album's executive producer Frank Dukes that were influenced by Latin music and contemporary reggaeton, inspired by acts such as Calle 13 and J Balvin.

[68] Rolling Stone's Brittany Spanos said it is "clubby, smooth" track, where Cabello sings about falling in love with "a mysterious suitor from East Atlanta", though she has left her heart in her hometown.

[74][75] Sam Lansky of Time cited the song and the "heartfelt" track "Consequences" as "pretty" ballads which showcased Cabello's voice.

[61] Having signed with Epic Records and Syco Music as a member of Fifth Harmony, it was announced merely days after her departure from the group that Cabello had re-signed with both parties to release her solo work.

[84] She revealed the album artwork on her personal Instagram account, and explained the name change stating "I decided to call it by my name, because this is where this chapter in my life ended.

[88] Retail chain Target sold a deluxe edition of the album, featuring a remix of "Havana" that included Daddy Yankee.

[91] It additionally features a message to Cabello's fans, stating "This album saw me enter the room shattered, and nervous, and insecure, and it's seen me come to life, bright-eyed, and ready for anything.

It also reached the top 10 in a number of countries, including Austria, Belgium, Colombia, Denmark, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand, South Korea, Sweden, and Switzerland.

"Real Friends" served as the only official promotional single for the album due to "I Have Questions" and "OMG" being scrapped from the final standard track listing.

[127][128] "In the Dark" was written by the singer, Te Whiti Warbrick, Simon Wilcox, Madison Love, James Abrahart and its producer Frank Dukes.

[129] Cabello revealed, "I wrote “In the Dark” after a Grammy party last year (2017)... so basically the song was kinda like me making an observation on the outside looking in about somebody that I met.

"[138] The Times' Will Hodgkinson also pointed out that instead of filled with "high-octave pop bangers", the singer has gone the other way, using sparse production techniques to frame songs about love and longing.

"[64] For The Guardian's editor Alexis Petridis, Camila is one of those moments where "the committee approach strikes gold: smart enough to avoid smoothing out the quirks and slavishly chasing trends," he also considered it as "a product of the pop factory that doesn't sound run-of-the-mill.

"[56] Leah Greenblatt from Entertainment Weekly was as positive as Levine and Petridis, giving the album an A she felt it as an "intimate project" where Cabello's voice shines over Latin-influenced songs and powerful ballads.

"[134] Patrick Ryan of USA Today complimented the music which the album was built on, labeling it a "vibrant blend of sounds and styles, bolstered by a reliable stable of hit songwriters and producers."

As did Lansky, Newsday writer Glenn Gamboa believed that with Camila, she proves that she is a forced to be "reckoned with and ready to be one of 2018's breakout stars.

Sheffield and Collar expressed a similar sentiment: Camila is a personal statement, a "produced set of romantic pop, punctuated by several rhythmically infectious Latin-influenced tracks informed by her Cuban-Mexican heritage.

"[142] Similar to other critics, Taylor Weatherby of Billboard noted its "radio-friendly" tracks, but also highlighted the most personal songs, saying "something that should certainly be recognized is Cabello's relentless vulnerability as she sings about the woes of both romantic and friendly relationships."

Concluding his review, he opined: "As a girl who got her start as one of five, Cabello has vocally, lyrically and impressively established that she was always meant to be simply Camila.

[143] In a mixed review for The Observer, Kitty Empire noted the album's "processed sound" "achieves cohesion, despite the many production hands on deck."

"[137] Neil McCormick of The Daily Telegraph commented, "a few songs convey a charming honesty and vulnerability, perhaps a relic of the album's original themes."

However, he argued, "there remains a gulf between the craft of commercial pop and the artistry of confessional songwriting, and there is not much doubt about which has been prioritized on Camila.

[160] Cabello also joined a list of female artists who have achieved a number-one solo album after reaching the chart with groups, alongside Gwen Stefani (No Doubt), Beyoncé and LeToya (Destiny's Child), Lauryn Hill (Fugees), Patti LaBelle (Labelle), Stevie Nicks (Fleetwood Mac), Diana Ross (The Supremes) and Janis Joplin (Big Brother and the Holding Company).