Camila Cabello 'surprised' by lack of female headliners

It's been a pretty busy few days for Camila Cabello, but you wouldn't have been able to tell from her Saturday evening performance at Glaastonbury's Other Stage.

Her fourth studio album, C,XOXO came out on Friday and she's spent the week performing at a host of European and African musical festivals.

The 27-year-old delighted fans with hits like Havana and Pretty When I Cry, set against a skate park and playground-themed set.

Afterwards, she told the BBC she was "a little nervous", because she'd never played Glastonbury before.

"You hear how legendary it is and everybody's always so excited about it.

"I didn't know what to expect but [the crowd] was so lovely, it was a surprise," she adds.

Cabello rose to fame on The X Factor USA in 2012, auditioninbg as a solo artist before being placed with four other contestants to form Fifth Harmony.

The band went on to become one of the best-selling girl groups of all time, but Cabello left in 2016 to pursue a solo career.

She plays Glastonbury in a year when the festival has, for the first time, scheduled two female headliners. Cabello says the fact it had never happened before was "quite surprising".

"I love Dua and I love SZA. It's so deserved [that they're headlining]," she said, while acknowleding that female artists face "a different kind of pressure".

She added: "We work 10 times harder and put in 10 times more work in order to be seen, taken seriously and respected.

"Because of that, we've had to adapt to be stronger and better".

Cabello spent the first years of her life moving between Cuba and Mexico, before relocating permanently to Miami, Florida when she was six years old.

Her heritage has often been reflected in her music as a solo artist, with her 2018 album Camila featuring Latin influences like salsa, dancehall and reggae.

C,XOXO marks another departure, with critics declaring she has entered her hyper pop era.

"This album is really different. I feel like sonically I've taken a lot of risks and been very experimental," she said.

"I'm having more fun than I ever had on an album and more fun performing than I ever have - so hopefully that shows".

Her album boasts dozens of big-name collaborators, including Playboi Carti, Lil Nas X and Drake.

The Canadian rapper, whose beef with Kendrick Lamar has made headlines for weeks, features on two songs - Uuugly and Hot Uptown.

"Working with Drake has been so fun, he's such a gem of a person," Cabello told BBC news.

"I actually FaceTimed him last night, because our song had just come out, and he's always so supportive".

Cabello, who secured the collaboration by sending Drake a direct message on social media, said she "absolutely adores him".

"I wish everybody got to have a song with Drake because he's the best to hang out with.

"Collaborating can be difficult as you have two totally different personalities but with him it was effortless."