It's been over three years since Camila Cabella left Fifth Harmony to pursue a solo career. But many are still talking about how her collaboration with Shawn Mendes triggered her departure, and she is still receiving backlash from fans of her former group.

Cabello has a plan to go solo in the future even when she was still a part of Fifth Harmony, but it came early as anticipated. She left the group in December 2016, and it shocked the fans of the group.

The 22-year-old singer was stunned too when Fifth Harmony released a statement on their Instagram account claiming that the singer's decision blindsided them and they only found out about it through Camila's representative. The Cuban-American singer debunked the claim, saying her groupmates knew all about her plans to have a solo career.

In an interview with The New York Times, the "Havana" hitmaker revealed how her desire to work with other artists and write her music cost her spot in the group. She also revealed what role Shawn Mendez played in it.

Cabello and Mendes did the duet, "I Know What You Did Last Summer" in 2015 while she was still with Fifth Harmony. It was the first time any member of the group released music under their name. Camila confessed that the said collab created tension between her and the other members.

The "Señorita" singer said she wanted to stay in the group while working on a solo album, but the other members shut her out. She also expressed her interest to write lyrics for Fifth Harmony's songs, but her request was rejected.

Things got worse when she began attending writing sessions with music producers such as Diplo, Cashmere Cat, and Benny Blanco. Eventually, she was given an ultimatum. She realized at that point that it is not possible to do solo projects and be in the group at the same time.

"I wanted to learn. I saw all these people around me making music, writing songs...I just wanted to do that and it did not work," Cabello said.

After she left, the tension continued. Camila admitted that she was deeply hurt when her former group dissed her at their performance at the 2017 MTV Video Music Awards. At the start of the group's performance, the camera zoomed in on an elevated platform showing five women in silhouette, but the one at the center pulled off the stage as the four started singing.

The four remaining members-Ally Brooke, Dinah Jane, Lauren Jauregui, and Normani Kordei-of Fifth Harmony continued for almost two more years. They disbanded in early 2018.