Camila Cabello 'Never Used to Sing' in Public Due to Being 'Incredibly Nervous and Socially Anxious'

Claudia Harmata

Camila Cabello had a lot to overcome on her journey to success.

In a candid two-part post on Instagram, the “Señorita” singer, 22, openly discussed her struggles with anxiety — and how as a young girl, she was absolutely terrified of singing in front of anyone, including her parents.

“I never ever sang in front of my parents or friends and would get flustered when they would ask me to, I sang in my room when my parents left for Walmart and cried when one day I saw them filming me through the crack of the door,” she said, sharing that she would even get “teary eyed when people sang happy birthday to me” as all the attention made her feel “overwhelmed.”

“I was generally incredibly nervous and socially anxious when I was little; and people always have this look of disbelief when I tell them that,” she added.

Dia Dipasupil/Getty
Dia Dipasupil/Getty

The Cuban-born singer went on to explain that she was inspired to open up to her fans about her journey, after having recently been prompted to reflect on her determination by an interviewer.

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I remember growing up hearing stories of the singers I loved, all the stories sounded the same, kids who would grow up performing for their families and putting on talent shows for their parents when they were little who grew up to be dazzling to me. I was the opposite, I never ever sang in front of my parents or friends and would get flustered when they would ask me to, I sang in my room when my parents left for Walmart and cried when one day I saw them filming me through the crack of the door, I got teary eyed when people sang happy birthday to me because people looking at me actually made me overwhelmed. I was generally incredibly nervous and socially anxious when I was little; and people always have this look of disbelief when I tell them that. I did an interview the other day where I got it again, the interviewer said something along the lines of “So... how’d you end up here?” The answer is, I feel like my whole life there’s been two Camila’s in me. There’s little Camila that is terrified of the unknown, is aware of all the ways everything can go wrong, (actually can picture them vividly lol), and thinks it’s safer to stay home than to play ball. Then there’s the other Camila. And she knows what she wants out of life, is aware of how little time I have to let little Camila run the show while time passes by, and grabs young me by the hand and forces her out the door saying “Let’s go. You’ll survive, and I’m not gonna miss out on this. Let’s go.” And that is literally how I can sum up how I’ve gotten to this point in my life. (I’m talking about as a person, not success.) remember feeling discouraged when I felt like some people were just “born” to do things. That they always had it in them. “They were always this outgoing, they always loved to entertain, they were always this bold, they were always this outspoken.” (.....continue)

A post shared by camila (@camila_cabello) on Jul 21, 2019 at 10:14am PDT

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“I feel like my whole life there’s been two Camila’s in me,” she explained, describing herself as feeling torn between the two.

“There’s little Camila that is terrified of the unknown, is aware of all the ways everything can go wrong,” she wrote. “Then there’s other Camila. And she knows what she wants out of life.”

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(part 2..) The truth is you decide who you’re going to be. Every day. I’m not talking about talent or success. I just mean the type of person you’re going to be. If you haven’t been very brave, or very social, or wild, or an adventure seeker, if you describe yourself as the opposite of those things... it doesn’t mean you can’t be. The other you needs to grab little you by the hand, yank you by the hairs and tell you, “Let’s go.” Little me hasn’t left. I just don’t let her boss me around as much. I felt like sharing because I think sometimes we see other people do things and think “Ah, well.. that’s just not me. I’ve never been like that.” It’s NOT TRUE. I’m telling you. I went from never wanting to sing in front of my family to being addicted to performing, from being too anxious to hang out with new people to... still being a little anxious but having THE BEST time and making irreplaceable memories. The essence of me is the same, but i’ve changed so much as a person. You choose who you’re going to be. Force yourself to do what you’re afraid of, always- and go after what you want and who you want to be, because you’re worth that. You’re worth the fight. It’s the most worthwhile one there is. Love you ❤️

A post shared by camila (@camila_cabello) on Jul 21, 2019 at 10:20am PDT

Cabello went on to share that while “little me hasn’t left,” she no longer “let’s her boss me around so much.”

“The truth is you decide who you’re going to be. Every day,” she continued, adding that even if “you haven’t been very brave, or very social, or wild, or an adventure seeker, if you describe yourself as the opposite of those things… it doesn’t mean you can’t be.”

RELATED VIDEO: Shawn Mendes Dropped Camila Cabello in Dance Rehearsal For ‘Señorita’ Music Video

Cabello added that she hopes that being so candid she can inspire others to realize that they too are capable of their own aspirations.

“I felt like sharing because I think sometimes we see other people do things and think ‘Ah, well.. that’s just not me. I’ve never been like that.’ It’s NOT TRUE. I’m telling you. I went from never wanting to sing in front of my family to being addicted to performing, from being too anxious to hang out with new people to… still being a little anxious but having THE BEST time and making irreplaceable memories,” she wrote in the post.

Wishing her fans love, she added, “The essence of me is the same, but I’ve changed so much as a person. You choose who you’re going to be. Force yourself to do what you’re afraid of, always- and go after what you want and who you want to be, because you’re worth that. You’re worth the fight. It’s the most worthwhile one there is.”