Yesterday, Fifth Harmony announced they will be taking an indefinite hiatus to pursue solo endeavors. While the “temporary split” comes as no surprise to most, it’s still hard to say goodbye to the girl group of this generation.



Since the formation of Fifth Harmony on X-Factor, Camila, Lauren, Ally, Dinah Jane and Normani have continuously made waves in the world of music.

While the group never reached heights as previous girl groups — such as TLC, Destiny’s Child or even Danity Kane — they did leave a lasting impression.

Fifth Harmony could have — and should have — been so much bigger than they were. They had everything they needed: The look, the diversity, the marketability and not to mention, THE VOICES

Unfortunately, the girls never released music to showcase their assets, and failed to prove they could stand next to the girl groups who came before. With that being said, I do feel that each Fifth Harmony era had moments of promise.

Red (Cover)

After their stint on X-Factor, Fifth Harmony went on to release a variety of covers on their YouTube channel. The girls covered songs from popular artist such as Frank Ocean, Ariana Grande, Ed Sheeran, etc.

These videos were the perfect way to get the girls started. It not only showcased their amazing vocal ability — and ability to actually harmonize —

it also marketed them in a way that was approachable to their demo.

Their cover of “Red” by Taylor Swift is still the best highlight of the group post X-Factor. Accompanied by nothing but a piano, Fifth Harmony showed that their vocals are no joke.

Normani brought the sweet and soothing falsetto. Ally brought the power with those amazingly controlled belts. Lauren brought the soul with her raspy lower register. Camila brought the sweetness and uniqueness. While Dinah Jane brought her R A N G E!

Who Are You? (Acoustic)

Before their debut album, Fifth Harmony released an EP entitled Better Together. The EP spanned 2 singles — “Miss Moving On” and “Me and My Girls” — and three re-releases. (the original, a Spanish version and an acoustic version.)

Among the bubblegum pop tracks that were featured on this EP, the one — and only — ballad, “Who Are You,” is the track that stands out the most.

Featuring some of the strongest harmonies and belts, this piano driven ballad is probably the best track the girls ever released. It allowed each member to show off their vocal strengths, while still showing how great they are as a unit.

As promotion for the EP the girls performed live — more stripped down — versions of the songs and released the videos on YouTube.

Of course, their performance of “Who Are You” was the HIGHLIGHT. From Dinah Jane’s and Ally’s powerful belts and amazing range, to how mature and controlled the vocals from Camila and Lauren are, this performance is probably one of the better live sets from the group.

We Know

Fifth Harmony’s debut studio album was released on January 30th, 2015. After much anticipation, the group was finally ready to show the world who they were.

Unfortunately, Reflection gave fans more trend and recycled sounds, rather than substance and vocals. Yet, Even through all the horns and repetitive hooks, one song stood out amongst the rest.

“We Know,” takes listeners away from the feminine pop style that is the foundation to the album, and brings a mature R&B flavor. The track takes listeners back to the classic feel of 90s R&B, even sampling “A Dream” by DeBarge.

This sound really showcased the girl’s vocal ability and gave opportunity to broaden their sound. Hands down the best track from their debut.

Scared of Happy

By the time the girls reached their sophomore studio effort, they had created a name and lane for themselves in the music industry.

While each member stressed that they finally found their sound and were ready to show a different side to their artistry, 7/27 didn’t hold much difference from their previous release.

However, as you journey through the album, you do start seeing a bit of maturity in their content that you didn’t see before. Most of their tracks such as; “Write On Me,” “Gonna Get Better,” and “No Way” allowed for deeper lyrical content.

The one song that showcases the most lyrical strength and growth would have to be “Scared of Happy.” While the production is a bit generic and easily blended with the rest of the album, the lyrics to “Scared of Happy” are what will pull listeners in every time.

Don’t Say You Love Me

“Don’t Say You Love Me” should have been the lead single from their third — self titled — studio album. It brings maturity, a fresher take on their already established sound, and brings us back to VOCAL POWER!

The lyrics of this song aren’t only universal, but poetic. Trading in their repetitive hooks for full and rich choruses, “Don’t Say You Love Me” is probably one of the more well thought out tracks from the group.

This sound was the direction the girls should have been taken in to begin with. It’s a commercially viable sound, with emphasis on vocal performance over horns.

The soulful delivery hits listeners and the honesty in every word and note help carry the message.

While the Fifth Harmony era may be fading, the solo success for each member is JUST beginning. (Camila has already shown that sometimes group members just do better solo.)

This next chapter is one filled with promise and optimism. Each member has released some great solo content and features already, which tells fans that this is not a “goodbye,” rather a new beginning.

Here is what I would hope to hear from the members going forward:

Lauren would sound amazing with a more alternative pop style. Something to showcase the rasp and soulful lower register she possess. (Something more mature and reminiscent of Amy Winehouse’s Back to Black era.)

I would love to hear Ally go in a more Latin Pop direction. The music world doesn’t have many Latinas and we could really use someone with Ally’s amazing range and belts. With a voice like that delivering emotionally driven Spanish lyrics, Ally would be unstoppable.

Normani’s range is limited, but her higher register has been well developed. With that, she should take her sound to modern day R&B (like SZA, H.E.R., etc.) This will allow her to play with her sweet falsetto, which is heavenly!

Dinah Jane, well we all know there is nothing she can’t do. From her belts to falsetto to how she kills every dance routine, this girl is a star. If given the right songs and promotion, she might take the lead as most successful member.

For now we say goodbye to the girl group of today’s youth and say hello to a fresh start. It was a fun ride and we will hold every great musical memory close to our hearts forever.

I may emphasized these 5 great songs, there is still a great amount of amazing Fifth Harmony tracks, so I created a little playlist below to show off some of my favorite tracks. With that, we say goodbye Fifth Harmony…for now…