Hype's Exclusive: Fifth Harmony Reflects On Whirlwind Ride To Success

Fifth Harmony (formerly known as LYLAS and 1432) is an American girl group formed on the 2nd season of “The X Factor USA”. The group consists of members Ally Brooke Hernandez, Normani Kordei, Dinah Jane Hansen, Camila Cabello, and Lauren Jauregui. They signed a joint deal with Syco Music, owned by Simon Cowell, and Epic Records, L.A. Reid’s record label, after finishing in third place behind Tate Stevens and Carly Rose Sonenclar on the show.

Fifth Harmony won the “Artist To Watch” award at the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards. Following their exit from “The X Factor”, their debut single “Miss Movin’ On” was released and peaked at number 76 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was certified Gold by the RIAA for selling over 500,000 digital downloads. Their debut EP, “Better Together” was released in 2013 with a first week position of #6 on the Billboard 200.

Following the release of singles, “BO$$” (2014) and “Sledgehammer” (2014), their debut studio album, “Reflection” was released in February 2015 and the album debuted at number five on the Billboard 200, with 80,000 units sold in the first week and has since sold over 180,000 units in the US. The album was also supported by the group’s first major headlining tour, the Reflection Tour.

With over 1.5 million digital singles sold, Fifth Harmony has emerged as the most successful alumni from “The X Factor USA” franchise and has also been labeled the most “Influential X Factor USA” contestant of all-time. Needless to say, their path to success has been nothing short of a whirlwind ride.

https://instagram.com/p/2eXmo_HbCu/?taken-by=camila_cabello

And on that note, we recently caught up with Camila (as seen in her Instagram post above) via e-mail in between their tour stops and shows, oh you know, just catching up to find out how the industry has been treating them. Here’s what went down:

Hi Camila! Where are you right now and what are you currently up to?

We are in LA going through a really busy week. We’re leaving for the east coast to do some radio shows and then Las Vegas for the Billboard Awards!

Pray tell, what’s Fifth Harmony like character-wise? Is there an exceptionally motherly one in the group or a playful one, etc?

We’re all very different and are all unique in different ways. Ally is definitely the motherly one in the group, Lauren is the intellectual, Normani is the fashionable one, Dinah loves sports and is the one who’s always late, and I love bananas!

Congratulations on releasing your debut album, “Reflection”. What can you tell us about it?

Thank you. Reflection is definitely a “reflection” of all of our different personalities and individual styles. There’s so much versatility on the album that showcases each of our tastes – there’s pop music, R&B, a little electronic, rap. There’s something for everybody.

How long has Fifth Harmony been working on that prior to its release?

A looonngg time! Almost 2 years, we really put our blood, sweat, and tears into it and we’re so proud of how it turned out.

Do you have a personal favourite song off “Reflection”? Tell us about it and tell us why it’s your favourite.

My favourite off the album changes all the time but right now it’s, “This Is How We Roll”.

I heard that Fifth Harmony is going on tour too for “Reflection”! Are you excited and what are you most excited about?

Yeah! We went on tour earlier this year and this summer we’re starting our summer tour, “Reflection: The Summer” tour. I’m so excited to perform the new songs that we haven’t performed live before. It’s always fun to see the fans react to new songs. Also excited for new choreography and costumes. It’s going to be a really fun summer.

How much do you think “The X Factor USA” has shaped you and prepped you for this?

“The X Factor USA” was so hard it really stretched us and showed us that we were capable of more than we thought. I never forget that now. Anytime things seem crazy I know that I’m just being stretched to be able to do more and do bigger things than I realise I’m capable of.

Is it difficult to make decisions since there are 5 of you? Or do you girls usually just leave it to one person to do it?

We do everything by majority rules. With 5 girls with different personalities it’s hard to make decisions so everything is majority rules.

And now that you’re a recording artiste, in a group no less, what’s the one thing that you wish music lovers knew about the industry?

This industry seems super glamorous and shiny but it’s not that at all. You have to work hard to make it, sleep is rare, you live out of hotels and suitcases. It’s so worth it but it’s not easy.

Which groups do Fifth Harmony look to for inspiration as well as personally, which artistes do you look up to?

We all have different tastes in music – Dinah and Normani love Beyonce, Lauren loves Lana Del Rey, Ally loves J.Lo, and I love Ed Sheeran.