Camila Cabello's Cringe-Worthy Response To The Voice Contestant Singing Shawn Mendes' Song

Camila Cabello is the newest addition to the panel of coaches featured on the current season of "The Voice." She's joining fellow coaches Blake Shelton, Gwen Stefani, and John Legend (per Rolling Stone). The "Havana" singer is not only known for her solo vocals and time spent in the girl group Fifth Harmony, but she's also known for her romantic relationship with Shawn Mendes. Cabello and Mendes dated for a little over two years before announcing their break up in November 2021 (via E! News). The couple was known for their excessive PDA and for constantly posting photos together on social media, so their split came as a bit of a shock to some.

In a joint statement posted to their Instagram stories, they wrote, "We've decided to end our romantic relationship but our love for one another as humans is stronger than ever. We started our relationship as best friends and will continue to be best friends," (via USA Today). It was unclear what exactly went wrong between the pair, but their decision to remain friends made it obvious to fans that there was no bad blood. 

Since Mendes and Cabello's break up, Cabello has reportedly moved on with dating app founder, Austin Kevitch, according to Entertainment Tonight, but her connection to Mendes hasn't completely disappeared. In fact, a recent audition on "The Voice" made her speak about her famous ex, and the situation was definitely awkward.

Camila Cabello may be the newest judge on "The Voice," but her personality and confidence are already shining through the show's blind auditions. When a contestant, Tanner Howe, decided to audition using Shawn Mendes' song, "Mercy," Cabello wasn't afraid to give her unfiltered thoughts on his performance despite her connection to the original singer. All of the judges turned their chairs around for Howe except for Cabello, who believed he sounded "a little too much" like her ex-boyfriend (via Us Weekly).

"I know [Shawn] better than everyone in this room," she said. The Cuban-American singer then encouraged Howe to distinguish his voice and style going forward in the competition. The contestant agreed and admitted that he hopes to be in Mendes' "lane" in the future, to which Cabello replied, "I was in his lane ... deeply." John Legend asked if Cabello was trying to make things "as awkward as possible," but she didn't seem bothered by the cringeworthy moment.

Fans on social media, on the other hand, couldn't stop talking about the situation. One user tweeted, "awkotaco moment on the voice with camila making those comments about Shawn, anyone else get second-hand embarrassment?" While another said, "Shawmila Stans where are you at [?] Camila was talking about Shawn on the voice." After Cabello's reaction, viewers may be hoping that contestants steer clear of covering Mendes' songs this season, but that seems unlikely.