Camila Cabello knows it C,XOXO wasn’t her most popular album, but it takes its cue from where it counts: namely, personal heroes Taylor Swift and Beyoncé.

In a new one nylon In the cover story published on Monday (December 2), the 27-year-old “I Luv It” singer opened up about how the Eras Tour headliner and “Break My Soul” singer’s endorsement of her work supported her , when she felt like most people. misunderstood” their latest LP. “Oh shit, now I’m going to sound nameless,” she told the publication. “But Beyoncé told me she loves my album, okay? That’s the gold star.”

“And I walked away with tears in my eyes,” Cabello continued. “She is someone I have watched since I was a child. Her and Taylor saying nice things about the album really meant a lot to me. Every time an artist I respect says something to me like, “Hey, I really love what you do,” it recharges my battery. I often felt so misunderstood.”

The Cinderella Star went on to say that people have been “questioning her authenticity” all along C,XOXO Rollout, which she believes could be because “I’ve always been such a good girl.” “Being in the industry, I’ve built a tougher shell and a tougher exterior,” she added. “Like Rihanna, Beyoncé, Taylor – that kind of bravery comes through in their later works. It builds armor. My previous albums were clearer.”

Cabello’s fourth solo studio album was released in June and debuted at No. 13 on the Billboard 200. From the start of its release, some critics criticized the singer’s exploration of other genres on the record – in particular C,XOXOs hyper-pop sensibility that some people wrote off as a Charli XCX imitation.

Regarding the comparisons to the Von Dutch musician, Cabello said, “People were into this thing before the album even came out.”

“(Charli) is one of my favorite artists, you know?” she continued. “(But) I can tell that the people who said that didn’t even hear the music. You didn’t do the reading. They didn’t listen.”

The “Havana” artist also gave an update on where she stands with former Fifth Harmony bandmate Normani, who she reunited with at Paris Fashion Week in September to the delight of fans. “With space, we can go back and use that,” Cabello said. “The last few times I’ve seen her, I say something and she laughs really hard. It doesn’t feel like we’re strangers. We’re going back to the times when we were really close.”

See Cabello on the cover of nylon and photos from the shoot below.