In 2012, on the U.S. version of “The X-Factor,” five teenage girls from across the country were put together by Simon Cowell, who also founded One Direction and Little Mix. Fifth Harmony went on to achieve a massive amount of success and garner a large following.
The original five were Ally Brooke, Camila Cabello, Dinah Jane, Lauren Jauregui and Normani Kordei. Each member of the group is not only a strong vocalist but also a great dancer. All five were contestants on “The X-Factor” and were originally called Lylas. While they did not win, they took home third place and would get signed to Simon Cowell’s label Syco Records, which housed artists such as One Direction, Leona Lewis and James Arthur.
Fifth Harmony released two studio albums together, “Reflection” and “727.” The group experienced some success, their most notable songs being “Work From Home,” “Worth it” and “Boss.” They have also worked with artists such as Ty Dolla Sign, Gucci Mane and Kid Ink.
Fans of Fifth Harmony, who call themselves “Harmonizers,” were shocked in December of 2016 when Camila Cabello announced she would be leaving the group. Both musical acts went on the create great music. Cabello released her own solo album “Camila,” while the remaining four girls released their third and final album “Fifth Harmony.”
In March of 2018, the remaining four members of Fifth Harmony announced their hiatus, so that Kordei, Brooke, Jane and Jauregui could work on their individual careers. While it was still heartbreaking to fans, many saw this coming, as both Jauregui and Kordei began releasing solo music even before the group announced their hiatus.
In February of 2018, Kordei released “Love Lies” a collaboration with Khalid for the movie “Love, Simon.”
Jauregui released “In Your Phone,” with boyfriend, Ty Dolla Sign, was featured on Halsey’s song “Strangers” and provided vocals for the song “All Night” on Steve Aoki’s album in 2017.
While it did not receive as much attention, Brooke and Jane both released solo music in 2017 as well. Brooke joined ASAP Ferg on “Look at Us Now” and Jane partnered with Daddy Yankee and French Montana for “Boom Boom.”
After the group’s hiatus, all of the girls have begun to tease their fans regarding new music. Jauregui and Kordei have released new music, but Brooke and Jane are still in the studio perfecting their songs.
With the success of “Love Lies,” Kordei had high expectations for her new music. In October of 2018, Kordei released “Checklist” and “Slow Down” in collaboration with DJ Calvin Harris. While both songs are very good, they differ from the music she did in Fifth Harmony. During her Fifth Harmony days, the songs were pop and choreography-heavy. Now as a solo artist, Kordei has delved into rhythm and blues, and it definitely suits her.
Similarly to Kordei, Jauregui released her first song since the group’s hiatus, called “Expectations.” Her raspy vocals were absolutely amazing on this R&B track. “Expectations” is the first song to be released from her debut solo album, and expectations are high.
Now that Fifth Harmony is on hiatus, it appears the girls are exploring their own artistic freedom and trying new genres. It is very interesting to see how they have grown over the past six years since their “X-Factor” days. Due to their immense talent, there is no doubt that future projects released by Dinah, Ally, Normani and Lauren will be exceptional.
