Camila Cabello performed at the White House Christmas special, and we couldn’t be more proud! The 24-year-old star appears on the Public Broadcasting Service’s (PBS) pre-recorded show, “In Performance at the White House: Spirit of the Season,” wearing a stunning red gown and accompanied by Mariachi Herencia de México.
For the special show, the Cuban American singer and actress sang her version of the song “I‘ll Be Home for Christmas,” The interpreter also brought her father, Alejandro Cabello, to make herself feel more at home.
© PBS“My mother is a Cuban immigrant, my father immigrated to the United States from Mexico, and I recently became a citizen,” Camila told PBS. “The fact that I can pay tribute to my heritage and represent Latinos and also have my dad share this moment, it’s like, a crazy moment. The fact that we are an immigrant family and we are in the White House is really special and great.”
According to Cabello, she chose to perform “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” because she identifies “with that feeling of illusion.”
© PBS“For me, [that illusion] is being in Miami, being with my family,” shared the three-time Grammy nominee. “Because I‘m traveling a lot throughout the year, holidays are a time when I know I’ll be home and I‘m really looking forward to it. And yes, the mariachi version came about because I’ve been writing my album ‘Familia’ this year, where I have intertwined my heritage and my music a lot. So I thought, ‘How can I do that so that this Christmas song has something to do with this chapter in my life where I’m really digging deeper and deeper into my roots.”
Camila also revealed that she would continue and honor her family tradition. “Latinos celebrate Christmas on [December 24], and it‘s something we call Christmas Eve,” she told PBS. “That’s when we have a kind of party, and there is rice and beans and a lot of the traditional food of our countries.”
Besides being the holidays, the star will celebrate her grandmother’s birthday on the 24th and her mother Sinuhé Estrabao’s birthday on the 25th. “So many things happen in those two days,” said Cabello, “we will celebrate her birthday as well.”
The White House musical special also features Andrea Bocelli singing alongside his son Matteo Bocelli and daughter Virginia Bocelli; Eric Church, the Jonas Brothers, Norah Jones, Pentatonix, and Billy Porter are also set to sing on the Christmas show.
The audience will enjoy performances by the Northwell Health Nurse Choir, Voices of Service, and the United States Navy Band. Actress Jennifer Garner hosted the event, and both President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden delivered a special message to viewers.
The show premiered on PBS on December 21 at 8:00 p.m. EST. Watch “In Performance at the White House: Spirit of the Season” visiting PBS.
