While in the group, Cabello began to establish herself as a solo artist with the release of her collaborative singles "I Know What You Did Last Summer" (with Shawn Mendes) and "Bad Things" (with Machine Gun Kelly)—the latter peaked at number four on the US Billboard Hot 100.

Cabello's debut studio album, Camila (2018), peaked atop the US Billboard 200, received platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and saw generally positive critical reception.

Largely influenced by Latin music, its lead single "Havana" (featuring Young Thug) received diamond certification by the RIAA, peaked atop the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and did so in 23 other countries, including the UK and Canada.

Her 2019 duet with Shawn Mendes, "Señorita" was met with similar success as the former—becoming her second song to peak the Billboard Hot 100—and was included on her second album, Romance (2019).

[5] Further leaning into Latin pop, Cabello released her third studio album Familia (2022) to continued success; it was preceded by the single "Don't Go Yet" and peaked within the top ten of the Billboard 200.

[5] Cabello has amassed billions of streams on music platforms, and "Havana" became the best-selling digital single of 2018, according to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI).

In 2024, Camila Cabello released her fourth studio album, C,XOXO, a project that explores genres like hyperpop, hip-hop, and experimental pop.

Cabello's father was unable to obtain a visa at the time, and joined the family approximately 18 months later; upon his arrival in the country, he would work washing cars in front of Dolphin Mall.

After elimination during the "bootcamp" portion of the process in Miami, Florida, Cabello was called back to the stage along with other contestants Ally Brooke, Normani, Lauren Jauregui, and Dinah Jane to form the girl group that would later become known as Fifth Harmony.

[37] On October 14, 2016, American rapper Machine Gun Kelly released a joint single with Cabello called "Bad Things",[38] which reached a peak of number four on the US Billboard Hot 100 songs chart.

[54] She joined Bruno Mars' 24K Magic World Tour as an opening act for several shows in 2017[55] and partnered with clothing brand Guess as the face of their 2017 Fall campaign.

[75] On October 9, 2018, Cabello released the video single "Consequences", having first surprised 12 of her biggest fans in advance with a "Most Amazing Mystery Gift & Personal Letter".

[78][79] Her performance of "Havana" with guests Ricky Martin, J Balvin and Young Thug at the start of the ceremony made her the first female Latin artist to open the show.

[81][82] In April 2019, it was announced that Cabello would star in an upcoming film adaptation of Cinderella, directed by Kay Cannon for Sony Pictures.

[89] She also recorded the song "South of the Border" with British singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran and American rapper Cardi B, which was released in July 2019[90] and reached Number 4 on the UK Singles Chart.

[100] In mid-March 2020, Cabello participated in iHeart Media's Living Room Concert for America, a benefit to raise awareness and funds for the COVID-19 pandemic.

[119] On December 6, 2021, it was announced that Cabello would open for Coldplay during the Latin American leg of their Music of the Spheres World Tour in September 2022.

[133] In a similar review, Rolling Stone critic Tomás Mier wrote that the album is "an imperfect yet revealing mosaic of Cabello's Cuban [and] Mexican heritage."

While noting the multiple changes in style as quite disorienting, Mier complimented the album's raw and honest lyrics, comparing it to reading Cabello's diary.

In a review for The Guardian, Alim Kheraj praised the album's vibrant Latin motifs—"honest and humming with artistic intent"—and noted the recurring theme of "self-sabotage and paranoia.

[144] On July 27, 2022 Stromae released a remix of his song "Mon amour" starring Cabello,[145] with an accompanying music video that is a play on shows like Love Island.

[157][161] The album incorporates elements of reggaeton, hip hop, and dancehall[161][162][163] and took inspiration from contemporary Latin artists such as Calle 13 and J Balvin, as well as from the songwriting of Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran.

[166][167][168][169][170][171][172] In February 2016, Cabello announced she had partnered with Save the Children to design a limited-edition "Love Only" T-shirt to help raise awareness of issues involving girls' equal access to education, health care and opportunities to succeed.

[173] In June 2016, Cabello, producer Benny Blanco, and members of the nonprofit arts organization OMG Everywhere helped to create the charity single "Power in Me".

[177] In late 2017, she joined Lin-Manuel Miranda and multiple other Latin artists on the song "Almost Like Praying" for Puerto Rico hurricane relief.

[185] On October 22, 2019, Cabello appeared with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge at Kensington Palace in support of the finalists for the BBC Radio 1 Teen Heroes Awards.

[186] In March 2020, Cabello participated in iHeart Media's Living Room Concert for America, a benefit to raise awareness and funds for the COVID-19 pandemic.

[101] In March and April 2020, Cabello participated in Global Citizen Festival's Together at Home virtual concert to raise awareness and funds for the COVID-19 pandemic.

[196] On August 22, 2022, Cabello announced that she had provided vocals and written a song with Hans Zimmer for the documentary series Frozen Planet 2.

Her Tumblr account was deleted soon afterward and Cabello issued an apology, stating that she was "uneducated and ignorant" when younger and that she was deeply embarrassed to have ever used "horrible and hurtful" language.