Camila Cabello Just Shut Down Those Silly Rumors That Taylor Swift Made Her Leave 5H

Not that she should have to defend a cherished friendship, but maybe doing so will give fans more answers. Camila Cabello says Taylor Swift didn't make her leave Fifth Harmony and explains why their friendship is much more than people may think. In her interview with The Dan Wootton Interview podcast on Thursday, Cabello denied that Swift had a part in her decision to go solo in December 2016. Further, she explained why it frustrates her that her famous friend is even associated with her bold move to begin with.

In a November 2017 interview with The Daily Star, Cabello claimed she got approval on solo songs from Swift. In early March 2018, fans learned that Swift named Cabello as an opening act of her Reputation Tour. Although these events may have led fans to believe otherwise, Cabello assured them why Swift is completely unrelated to her Fifth Harmony departure in this new interview.

"It annoyed me that people said that she was encouraging me because I know she probably got a lot of flack for that or a lot of negative criticism," she said. "I’m really protective over my friends." And, although they have passion for music in common, that's not the only thing their relationship is based on.

"To be honest with you, she’s never, ever had anything to do with that," Cabello continued. "It’s so funny because when Taylor and I talk, and, whenever we hang out, we talk about love and boys and we strategize over it." Because genuine friendships are hard to come by in Hollywood (cue her song "Real Friends"), the singer is super protective of Swift and their special bond. "Our friendship is very innocent in that way and it’s so, like, pure and I so fiercely protect my friendships with people in the industry that are like that," she explained.

Cabello has previously given insight about why she chose to leave the group, but she reassured fans that trusting her gut and acting on it has always been a trait of hers. "Absolutely nobody could ever persuade me to do something," she said. "The whole world could be telling me to not do it and I’ll do it. I’ve always been that way."

It's a good thing she listened to her intuition, because she's been slaying the game and it seems she hasn't looked back. In January, Cabello became the first woman to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 Albums Chart in three years with her debut album Camila. That same month, her hit "Havana" hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Her decision to go solo was an unexpected move that created polarizing feedback from fans, but it seems Cabello's current work is more creatively fulfilling to her. In her original statement about leaving Fifth Harmony (which Cosmopolitan referred to as "a move right out of her good friend Taylor Swift's playbook"), the singer explained it was primarily due to artistic reasons. "I will be working on my own music and giving you a big chunk of my heart," the statement said.

In a later interview with Seventeen, Cabello reiterated why her music comes first, saying, "Fifth Harmony wasn't the maximum expression of me individually." Still, Cabello wished Fifth Harmony well in the January 2017 interview with Seventeen (even though the group and she had a bumpy, back-and-forth battle of PR statements before then). ""I'll continue to wish them all the best, and I'm happy they are continuing their journey as Fifth Harmony," she told the magazine. "I'm also looking forward to hearing new music from the group and their solo endeavors."

It seems Cabello is only looking to the future at this point — and perhaps that future will eventually include a collaboration with her friend Taylor Swift.