Shawn Mendes & Camila Cabello’s “Señorita” Song Review

Hello, I’m MusiCommentator, and it’s been a while since I’ve made a song review! I think my last one was my Polo G’s “Pop Out” Song Review, and it’s been well over a month since then. So, I decided to return to the charts and see what popular song I could make a song review on because song reviews are one of my favorite things to make on this blog (they also bring in the most views, so that’s another good reason). As you have probably read the title, you already know which song I’m reviewing.

I have actually talked about both of these artists on this blog before. Shawn Mendes’s self-titled album was featured on my Top 10 BEST Albums Of 2018 list for its mature-sounding instrumentals and his enhanced songwriting abilities. However, I was never a fan of his music before this album cycle, and his other new single “If I Can’t Have You” is one I find to be incredibly underwhelming (I might do a review on that later, we’ll see), so it’s not hard to say I’m on the fence with Shawn’s music right now. My feelings for Camila Cabello, though, are much more defined: I don’t like her. I don’t know how she is as a person–she might be a great girl–but her music is awful in my opinion. I reviewed her hit song “Havana“pretty positively a while back, but that stands to this day as the only song of hers I like. For the most part, her voice is annoying. She sounds like she is trying to stretch her range all the time, but in the process strains her voice for almost every single note. This makes her singing sound awkward and amateurish, which isn’t something I want to find on pop radio. She also isn’t very interesting of an artist. Most of her songs resemble the most basic types of pop, and her lyrics don’t ever say anything insightful or out of the ordinary. The only thing that separates her from the crowd is the Latin flare found in most of her tunes, making her the musical equivalent of Lele Pons. However, I have some hope for this new song because apparently, Shawn and Camila are a real life couple, so this might make the track interesting. Anyways, let’s see what they have to say on “Señorita“.

“I love it when you call me señorita
I wish I could pretend I didn’t need ya
But every touch is ooh-la-la-la
It’s true, la-la-la
Ooh, I should be runnin’
Ooh, you keep me coming for ya”

Camila Cabello gives us the first chorus of the song, and already we’re off to a rough start. The first couple of lines are fine enough, but “every touch is ooh-la-la-la”? Are you kidding me? You know, one of the things I love about music in general is the imagery it can display, as the music combined with the lyrics can paint a picture that no other medium can. So, what does Camila decide to do, then, to show she loves her partner? She describes his touch as “ooh-la-la-la”. What is this elementary school BS? Also, if you think you should be running from someone, then maybe DON’T go back to them. Did you learn nothing from the #MeToo movement?

“Land in Miami
The air was hot from summer rain
Sweat drippin’ off me
Before I even knew her name”

Luckily, Shawn comes in and provides some of the great romantic imagery that was seen on songs from his “Shawn Mendes” album. He sets the scene incredibly well by focusing on the minute details to really show the audience his emotions during their first meeting.

“It felt like ooh-la-la-la”

Of course, he has to ruin that imagery and tension by throwing THIS in there, but whatever.

“Sapphire moonlight
We danced for hours in the sand
Tequila Sunrise
Her body fit right in my hands”

This, again, displays that descriptive imagery that really sets the mood for the rest of the song. While it is a bit cheesy and stereotypical of a song like this, I really think this helps set up their romantic intentions very well as the song progresses.

“I love it when you call me señorita
I wish I could pretend I didn’t need ya
But every touch is ooh-la-la-la
It’s true, la-la-la”

For the rest of the choruses in this song, Shawn and Camila sing together, which is common in duets like this, but why is Shawn saying “I love it when you call me señorita”? She shouldn’t be calling you that, man. I know on Genius it says that only she sings the “me” line, which means that Shawn sings “I love it when you call, señorita”. That does make a lot more sense, but the fact that I had to do the extra research to make sure a straight, male singer didn’t like to be called “señorita” makes me like this song less.

“Locked in the hotel
There’s just some things that never change”

Moving onto Camila’s verse, she does a very disappointing job compared to Mendes’s contributions. Not only do I find her voice as grating as it always is, but she provides none of the lyrical imagery Shawn is able to. She just says vague phrases remotely related to sex but not hinting at it TOO much or else this song couldn’t be featured on the radio.

“You say we’re just friends
But friends don’t know the way you taste”

Um…ew.

“Ooh, when your lips undress me, hooked on your tongue
Ooh, love, your kiss is deadly, don’t stop”

I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone make kissing sound as unappealing as this.

Overall, this is not a good song. I didn’t talk about it before, but I never liked how heavily Camila relies on her Latin roots in her music, as it comes off as fake most of the time. However, with a song entitled “Señorita”, I expected the instrumentals to be some crazy, over-the-top mariachi style spanish music. However, all we got was this incredibly flaccid chord progression over some occasionally Latin-sounding drums. As far as the two main artists, their performances were generally weak. I liked Shawn a lot better than Camila, especially regarding the lyrics, but his voice sounds a lot more processed on here than on many of his other songs, which makes the emotions of the lyrics sound lost. Camila didn’t do any more than I expected her to do; she provided sub-par pop lyrics with her usual screeching banshee voice. Also, for being a real couple, these two have almost no chemistry! I didn’t think it was possible for two people who are ACTUALLY romantically involved to sound this disconnected and apathetic, but I guess there’s a first for everything. I’m going to have to give this song a 1.5 out of 5. Do you agree?

Thank you for reading my “Señorita” song review. If you liked this review, make sure to follow my website, Twitter, and Instagram, like this post, and be sure to check in to read my future reviews. Also, if you have something you want to see me review, tell me in the comments. Until then, keep on listening to good music! I know I will.