While they’ve been friends for years, it wasn’t until July 2019 when Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello announced they were dating. The doting couple had already collaborated on several hit songs together, including their smash hit Senorita, and it seemed as if working on music so frequently is what eventually led them to form a relationship.

But since going public with their romance, fans haven’t been convinced that their pairing is genuine, with many speculating whether the whole thing was just one big PR stunt to further promote their solo careers.

Given that they’ve had a lot of success with their collaborations, pairing up and telling the world that a relationship came out of their frequent studio sessions isn’t that hard to believe, but fans have plenty of reasons to believe this romance is nothing but smoke and mirrors.

Shawn Mendes And Camila Cabello’s Romance

Camila and Shawn first met while touring with pop star Austin Mahone back in 2014. At the time, the “Crying In The Club” singer-songwriter was still part of the former girl group Fifth Harmony while her beau had just signed his first major record deal.

Needless to say, however, Shawn quickly gained popularity for his ever-so-catchy tracks including “Stitches,” “Imagination,” “Never Be Alone,” and “Treat You Better.”

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In an interview with V Magazine, the Canadian heartthrob revealed that while on the road, Camila was definitely a standout among the people he encountered given that she made an effort in getting to know him, despite the fact that Shawn was painfully shy and would often keep to himself.

“I didn’t talk to anybody,” Mendes asserted. “You were the only person that talked to me. Like, you were the only one of everybody on that tour who would say words to me.”

In 2015, the pair would collaborate on their first song "I Know What You Did Last Summer," which went on to sell over two million copies in the U.S. and peaked at No. 20 on the Billboard Hot 100.

With the single’s success came the endless dating rumors, but both Shawn and Camila were adamant on the fact that (at the time) they were nothing more than good friends.

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But things took a gradual turn with their friendship once their second single, "Senorita," was released in June 2019, when both singers appeared very affectionate towards each other — both on-stage and behind the scenes.

The following weeks, Camila and Shawn were seen everywhere, sharing plenty of date nights as their song continued to climb up the charts, eventually reaching the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 and selling well over four million units in the U.S. alone.

By July, the pair went public with their romance, but it wasn’t long before people started speculating whether their supposed love for one another was a PR stunt to help push sales for the record.

Fans on social media were quick to voice their opinions about the news of Camila and Shawn dating, with one person saying, “Which was the worst attempt at a fake relationship PR stunt to promote a collaboration? Zedd dating Selena Gomez or Shawn Mendes dating Camila Cabello?”

Another person had taken to Twitter and tweeted, “Camila Cabello and Shawn Mendes are rumored to be nominees for ‘Best Actor in a PR Stunt’ and ‘Best Actress in a PR Stunt’ at the upcoming Oscar Award Show. Congrats to the pair!”

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Fans also felt that the couple looked incredibly uncomfortable around each other when spotted by photographers out in public together — things appeared too contrived and anything but genuine, though they’ve since denied claims of faking their relationship.

Shawn and Camila stress that they’re in love and happy together.

In his Netflix documentary Shawn Mendes: In Wonder, the 22-year-old spoke about his love for Camila during a candid chat, explaining how his bond with the songstress is undeniable and the fact that they work so well together is a testament to their chemistry.

"I don't think that I'm going to be able to write songs that really do it justice, that can really capture the things and the feelings with her,” she said.

"I think it's like when you see a moon or stars and you try and take a photo of it with your iPhone and then you just can't. It just doesn't look good. And you're like, 'It's not supposed to be captured,' you know? It's just supposed to be for us.”

It would be hard for a couple to “fake” their relationship for this long, but do you think there could be some truth to Shawn and Camila’s romance being a PR stunt?

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