Honestly, pop music in 2024 and 2025 has basically turned into a high-stakes soap opera where the script is written in song lyrics and TikTok captions. If you’ve been anywhere near the internet lately, you know the drama I’m talking about. It’s the triangle that launched a thousand theories: Sabrina Carpenter, Shawn Mendes, and Camila Cabello. When Sabrina dropped Short n' Sweet, specifically the track "Taste," the internet collectively lost its mind. Fans were convinced it was a direct shot at Camila. And for a while, everyone was just waiting to see if Camila would bite back or play it cool.
She did a little bit of both.
The Moment Camila Cabello Responds to Sabrina Carpenter Diss Track Rumors
The most direct answer we got didn't come from a notes-app statement or a tearful video. It happened on a stage. While Camila was performing at the iHeartRadio Music Festival, she was doing her usual thing with "Señorita"—you know, the steamy duet she has with her ex, Shawn Mendes. But when she got to the line, "You say we’re just friends / But friends don’t know the way you taste," she didn't sing the last word.
She just stopped.
She put a finger over her lips, gave the crowd this incredibly cheeky, "I know what you're thinking" side-eye, and just let the silence do the talking. For fans who had been dissecting Sabrina’s lyrics for weeks, this was the smoking gun. It was subtle, yeah, but in the world of pop stan culture, that’s basically a shout from the rooftops.
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Later, during a live appearance on Alex Cooper's "Unwell Tour" for Call Her Daddy, the question finally came up in a game of "Never Have I Ever." The prompt was about having a song written about you. Camila’s response was legendary. She basically said that she’s been lucky enough to contribute to the great music of the 21st century. "Sometimes I have written them. Sometimes they have been written about me," she told the crowd. Then she added a very pointed, "So, you're welcome, motherf***ers."
Deciphering the "Taste" and "June Gloom" Connection
To understand why everyone is so obsessed with this, you have to look at the timeline. It’s messy. Basically, Shawn and Camila broke up in 2021, but then they had that very public Coachella reunion in April 2023. Right before that, Shawn was spotted out and about with Sabrina Carpenter.
When Sabrina released "Taste," the lyrics felt way too specific to be a coincidence. She sings about a guy going back to his ex and says, "I heard you’re back together and if that’s true / You’ll just have to taste me when he’s kissin’ you." Ouch.
Camila had her own lyrical "receipts" too. Her song "June Gloom" from the C,XOXO album has these lines: "She’s cool, I heard / Won’t act surprised, I saw the pictures." She even posted a TikTok lip-syncing that exact verse right after Sabrina’s album started trending. It felt like two heavyweights circling each other in the ring, except the ring is a Spotify playlist.
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What Shawn Mendes Had to Say About the "Noise"
For his part, Shawn Mendes finally broke his silence on X (formerly Twitter) and in a few podcast appearances. He admitted he was "a little annoyed" with all the projection and "noise" over the last few months. He’s usually the guy who stays quiet, but he felt the need to clarify that he and Camila have a "private little fire of love" and a lot of respect for each other.
Interestingly, he also went on John Mayer’s SiriusXM show and admitted that no one gets out of these situations without hurting someone or getting hurt themselves. He didn't name names, but he did mention telling "someone" he was going to see his ex because he had unresolved feelings. Most fans took that as a confirmation that there was indeed an overlap or at least some very blurred lines between his time with Sabrina and his reunion with Camila.
Why This Isn't Just "Another Celebrity Feud"
What makes this response from Camila so interesting is that it breaks the mold of the "angry ex" trope. Instead of a messy Twitter war, she’s leaning into the theatricality of it all. She’s acknowledging that her life is fodder for art—both her own and other people’s.
There’s a certain power in that. By saying "you're welcome," she’s claiming her spot as the muse rather than the victim. It’s a very "it girl" move. It also highlights how 2024 and 2025 have seen a shift in how female pop stars interact. It’s less about hating the other woman and more about calling out the guy in the middle or just acknowledging the weirdness of the situation.
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Moving Past the Rumor Mill
If you're looking for a definitive "we are friends" photo op, you might be waiting a while. But it's clear that Camila isn't losing sleep over the "diss track" labels. She’s busy promoting C,XOXO and leaning into her "new era" (blonde hair and all).
The takeaway for fans? Don't take it all so seriously. Most of these songs are snapshots of moments that happened a year or two ago. By the time we hear the "diss," the people involved have usually moved on, even if the fans haven't.
Next Steps for the Pop-Obsessed:
- Listen to the lyrics: Go back and play "June Gloom" by Camila and "Coincidence" by Sabrina back-to-back. The "Palm Springs" and "desert" references in Sabrina's track are a direct nod to the Coachella incident.
- Watch the iHeartRadio performance: Look for the clip of Camila skipping the word "taste" in "Señorita." It's a masterclass in subtle shade.
- Follow the "On Purpose" podcast: Shawn's interview with Jay Shetty gives a lot more context on how he and Camila navigated the public pressure of their breakup and reunion.
At the end of the day, whether it’s a diss or just "pop storytelling," we got some great music out of it. Camila seems content to let the music speak for itself while throwing just enough fuel on the fire to keep things interesting.