Camila Cabello delivers a stunning mariachi version of 'I'll Be Home for Christmas'

Camila Cabello on PBS's "In Performance at The White House."
Holy moly, Camila Cabello single-handedly evokes the holiday spirit with her rendition of “I’ll Be Home for Christmas.”
Cabello was part of a truly star-studded lineup for PBS’s “In Performance at The White House: Spirit of the Season,” joining legends like Norah Jones, Pentatonix, Billy Porter, three Bocellis … it seems the only thing missing from this show was a partridge in a pear tree.
The singer tweeted, “Such an incredible honor to perform again at the white house. Wishing you all a wonderful holiday with your loved ones.”
.@Camila_Cabello sings "I'll Be Home for Christmas" with Mariachi Herencia de México from "In Performance at the White House: Spirit of the Season." Premiering tonight at 8/7c! #WhiteHouseConcertPBS pic.twitter.com/Flsjruj0Ds
— PBS (@PBS) December 21, 2021
Watching it (for the fourth time now), it’s hard to not think of Cabello’s performance of the 1940s tune as the epitome of “classic with a twist.”
I mean, the all-red jumpsuit (those gloves especially), the flowing siren hair, the jazzy, chanteuse-y vocals—those alone feel iconic.
Then cue the mariachi band. And it has all the romance of a Spanish ballad. Just … wow. When music becomes a creative vehicle that transports you somewhere else. That’s simply magic.
The song received an overwhelming amount of praise, both from tried-and-true Cabello fans and never-before-listeners:
She was really damn good!
— herschel stratego (@straTWEETgo) December 22, 2021
Hadn’t even heard of her. That was really impressive. A beautiful arrangement by the mariachi band too.
Excellent performance and glad our culture is being brought to the white house. Class all the way❤️👏
— iimasociates (@iimasociates) December 22, 2021
She never disappoints when it comes to live performance. Periodt 👏
— Phanna Duong (Pauna) (@phanna_duong) December 21, 2021
She sounds AMAZING , she looks FLAWLESS , her vocals are ON POINT , her outfit is GORGEOUS 👼❤❤😭 I'm so proud of you Camila , your voice always is like PURE MAGIC ❄🌌💕
— 🌟🇪🇬 (@lovepeace_8) December 21, 2021
I love that she incorporated the mariachi band into this song. Elevates the performance so much. #RepresentationMatters
— Amy (@Amy_inWonder) December 21, 2021
This version is absolutely beautiful and brilliant, couldn't take my eyes from the gorgeous Camila
— Boleynanne2nd 🦄 & C's oh na na na 💃 (@boleynanne2nd) December 22, 2021
This was everything!! Camila sounded amazing and the mariachi band accompanying her took this performance to the next level!!
— Milisa (@mili_hearts) December 21, 2021
Cabello had recently performed her mariachi cover as part of "Michael Bublé’s Christmas in the City" for NBC. On Instagram she wrote, "I wanted to pay tribute to my Mexican heritage with this Christmas cover…I wanted to bring it to an audience that normally doesn't get to hear the beauty of Mariachi music."
I’d say she succeeded, because that cover is truly beautiful. Music is an amazing gift, whether giving or receiving it.
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There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."
This article originally appeared in May.