A very public breakup isn’t going to get Camila Cabello down. That’s the message behind “Bam Bam,” the latest single off the singer’s upcoming album, Familia. The song, which was first teased by Cabello in late February, marks the second single off the LP, following “Don’t Go Yet.” Since its arrival, “Bam Bam” has held steady in the Top 5 on Genius’ Top Songs chart.
Produced by Edgar Barrera, Cheche Alara, and Ricky Reed, “Bam Bam” pairs a cumbia-infused beat with silky bilingual vocals. The track also features a verse from U.K. singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran, whom Cabello has worked with once before. They previously appeared together on the 2019 Sheeran track “South of the Border,” which also featured rapper Cardi B.
The lyrics on “Bam Bam” appear to directly reference Cabello’s breakup with fellow singer-songwriter Shawn Mendes. Cabello opens the song by calling out her ex for taking up surfing post-breakup. Fans were quick to point out Mendes posted a few surfing shots to Instagram shortly after he and Cabello split in November 2021.
You said you hated the ocean, but you’re surfin’ now
Cabello later references selling the house she shared with her ex. In December, just one month after she and Mendes officially called it quits, the pop star sold her Hollywood Hills home for $4.3 million.
I said I’d love you for life, but I just sold our house
We were kids at the start, I guess we’re grown-ups now, mmm
On the pre-chorus, Cabello is still processing how different things are now that the two have parted ways.
Now I’m out dancin’ with strangers
You could be casually datin’
Damn, it’s all changin’ so fast
Cabello tries not to overthink the change, though. On the hook, she reminds herself, “Así es la vida, sí,” which translates in English to, “That’s life, yeah.”
Así es la vida, sí
Yeah, that’s just life, baby
Yeah, love came around and it knocked me down
But I’m back on my feet
Cabello may be recalling late singer Selena’s 1994 hit “Bidi Bidi Bom Bom” on the post-chorus. Cabello once cited Selena Quintanilla as her “inspiration” before performing a cover of her 1995 song “Dreaming of You” at the Houston Rodeo.
Ba-da, bam-bam-bam-bam, bam-bam
Ba-da, bam-bam-bam-bam, bam-bam
Sheeran steps in for the second verse, where the singer chooses to reflect on the pain of the pandemic rather than the pain of a breakup.
It’s been a hell of a year, thank God we made it out
Yeah, we were ridin’ a wave and trying not to drown
Later on in the verse, Sheeran, who’s been happily married since 2019, credits his wife with keeping him sane during the chaos of the last couple years.
Where would I be? You’re all that I need
My world, baby, you hold me down
Cabello and Sheeran share the bridge, where they urge their listeners to “keep dancing, yeah” in both Spanish and English.
Y sigue bailando, a-ha
(Keep dancing, yeah)
Familia is set to arrive on April 8. “This album is my whole fucking heart,” Cabello wrote in an Instagram post announcing the release date.
You can read all the lyrics to “Bam Bam” on Genius now.
