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He Knows

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"He Knows"
Single by Camila Cabello and Lil Nas X
from the album C,XOXO
ReleasedMay 10, 2024 (2024-05-10)
Genre
Length3:02
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Camila Cabello singles chronology
"I Luv It"
(2024) 		"He Knows"
(2024) 		"Hot Uptown"
(2024)
Lil Nas X singles chronology
"Where Do We Go Now?"
(2024) 		"He Knows"
(2024) 		"Here We Go!"
(2024)
Music video
"He Knows" on YouTube

"He Knows" is a song by American singer Camila Cabello and rapper Lil Nas X. It was released through Geffen and Interscope Records on May 10, 2024, as the second single from Cabello's fourth studio album C,XOXO.

Background

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On May 8, Cabello announced the collaboration with the rapper, and revealed the artwork on her Instagram which was a close up picture of Lil Nas X with acrylic nails and sparkling jewels embracing Cabello that was seemingly taken at the Met Gala they attended two days prior.[1] The visualizer for the song was released on the release date of the song, and the music video was released on May 22, 2024.

Writing and composition

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The song contains a sample of "Give It Up 2 Me" by Ojerime.

"Initially, when Jasper and Pablo Diaz-Reixa and I were in a studio session in Miami, I was like, "I've never made something that felt housey and electronic before." So they pulled up this Ojerime sample and I wrote, "He Knows." When we were talking about who could be a fire feature on it, we immediately thought of Nas. He's close friends with Jasper. We immediately were like, "We have to get Nas on this song because that would be the most iconic video."

— Cabello on how the song and collaboration came about, Rolling Stone[2]

Forbes described it as another more mature and NSFW lyrical shift from Cabello's Fifth Harmony days.[3] Nylon described it as a "house-leaning bop" that continues the "unfiltered messy pop girl vibe" she established with her previous single "I Luv It".[4]

Music video

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The video was directed by Onda and it features Lil Nas X in the video. The video is stated to be a "dancefloor battle between friends vying for the attention of a mutual love interest."[5]

Critical reception

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Zachary Horvath of HotNewHipHop described it as improvement of her last single "I Luv It" and praised Lil Nas X's verse as being more fun and animated than Playboi Carti's verse on "I Luv It".[6]

Credits and personnel

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  • Camila Cabello – vocals, writing
  • Lil Nas X – vocals, writing
  • Dale Becker – mastering
  • Jon Castelli – mixing
  • Pablo Díaz-Reixa – production, writing, programming, sampler
  • Jasper Harris – production, writing, bass, synthesizer
  • Daniel Aged - production, writing
  • Brad Lauchert – mix engineering
  • Bart Schoudel – engineering, vocal production

Charts

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Chart performance for "He Knows"
Chart (2024) Peak
position
Canada CHR/Top 40 (Billboard)[7] 33
Japan Hot Overseas (Billboard Japan)[8] 12
New Zealand Hot Singles (RMNZ)[9] 19
UK Singles Sales (OCC)[10] 63
US Pop Airplay (Billboard)[11] 27

References

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  1. ^ Aniftos, Rania (May 8, 2024). "Camila Cabello Announces New Lil Nas X Collaboration 'He Knows'". Billboadd. Retrieved May 8, 2024.
  2. ^ Mier, Tómas (May 21, 2024). "Camila Cabello Says She and Lil Nas X Survived an 'Extreme Situation' the Night 'He Knows' Dropped". Rolling Stone. Retrieved May 21, 2024.
  3. ^ Mendez, Chris Malone (May 10, 2024). "Camila Cabello and Lil Nas X Team Up for New Single 'He Knows'". Forbes. Retrieved May 10, 2024.
  4. ^ Mlnarik, Carson (May 10, 2024). "Camila Cabello & Lil Nas X Are Having the Messiest, Freest Summer". Nylon. Retrieved May 10, 2024.
  5. ^ "Camila Cabello drops video for 'He Knows' featuring Lil Nas X". 101.5 WCIL-FM | Today's Hit Music.
  6. ^ Horvath, Zachary (May 12, 2024). "Camila Cabello & Lil Nas X Provide A Much-Improved Offering With "HE KNOWS"". HotNewHipHop.
  7. ^ "Camila Cabello Chart History (Canada CHR/Top 40)". Billboard. Retrieved June 10, 2024.
  8. ^ "Billboard Japan Hot Overseas – Week of May 22, 2024". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved June 19, 2024.
  9. ^ "Hot 40 Singles". Recorded Music NZ. May 20, 2024. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
  10. ^ "Official Singles Sales Chart". Official Charts Company. May 17, 2024. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
  11. ^ "Camila Cabello Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved June 23, 2024.
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