Pop star Camila Cabello got a gift from Miami. See the ‘full circle moment’
Gift Article
Miami has a new queen.
Camila Cabello not only was the special honoree at this year’s Three Kings Parade along Calle Ocho in Little Havana Sunday, but the 28-year-old also received a key to the city.
The pop star was recognized for her “cultural impact, artistic achievements, and longstanding connection to the city she calls home,” according to a release from the city of Miami.
As her 2017 hit “Havana” played, Cabello, dressed in all black, took the stage with iHeartRadio host Enrique Santos and Mayor Eileen Higgins, who presented the award, calling the star “the real deal and the total package.”
“This is probably one of my favorite moments of my career, to be honest,” Cabello said with a huge smile. “It’s a very full circle moment for me.”
Full circle, as in a good bit of Cabello’s early life was spent in the 305 after emigrating from Cuba with her folks and settling in the West Kendall area when she was 6. Cabello, then using her real first name Karla (Camila is her middle name) briefly attended Miami Palmetto Senior High, but withdrew in the ninth grade after wowing the judges on “The X Factor.”
Cabello, who later got her high school diploma through homeschooling, talked to the Palmetto Panther newsletter in 2014, before releasing the new album “Reflection,” with her former group Fifth Harmony.
When asked what she missed most about Palmetto, she gave a shocking answer: homework.
“It sounds so cheesy, but I really do miss learning something new every day,” she told her alma mater, whose alumni include Jeff Bezos.
On Sunday, the solo artist waxed nostalgic about more things she missed about her hometown — the people.
“How many Latinos do we have in the house?” Cabello yelled in an Instagram video shared by Hola! magazine reporter Irene Diaz. “And that’s what I love about Miami. People here don’t care about what you do, how much money you have. They’re down to grab a beer and talk s--- and hang out.”
Only true locals can likely appreciate the unusual things in Cabello’s hometown highlight reel.
“I think of the broken English and the peacocks and the orange street lights,” she said. “And I think of the place that opens its arms to every mutt and every lost kid and says, ‘Quieres un cafecito?’ ‘” — Do you want a coffee?
Cabello ended her speech by giving a shoutout to the folks from way back in the day.
“I just want to say thank you to the kind strangers and community of immigrants that helped my mom and dad find work when they first came here when they had no family,” the “I Love It” singer said. “Because you became the family we made along the way.”
This story was originally published January 12, 2026 at 12:05 PM.
