Karla Camila Cabello was born in Cuba on March 3, 1997 (age 18)[94] to parents Alejandro and Sinuhe Cabello. She has a sister named Sofía. She is of Mexican and Cuban descent. By the time she was five years old, Cabello had lived in Havana and Mexico before permanently relocating to Miami, Florida. Growing up she listened to Hispanic artists such as Celia Cruz and Alejandro Fernandez.
Cabello auditioned for The X Factor in North Carolina. She first auditioned for the producers' part of the audition and got the call back saying that she will audition for the judges as an alternative, meaning that if after the show, if they were to have time, she would be able to audition. After her audition, she got a 'yes' from all four judges. After elimination during bootcamp, Cabello was called back to the stage along with four other female contestants, to form the girl group that would later become known as Fifth Harmony.
In November 2015, Cabello released a duet with Canadian singer Shawn Mendes titled "I Know What You Did Last Summer".[95] The song has charted at number 55 in the US and 44 in Canada.[