Fifth Harmony is an American five-piece girl group formed on the second season of the The X Factor USA in July 2012. The group consists of members Ally Brooke, Normani Kordei, Dinah Jane, 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 on the show.
Following their exit from The X Factor, they released their debut single “Miss Movin’ On”. Their debut EP, Better Together was released in 2013 with a first week position of number six on the U.S. Billboard 200. The following year, they won the Artist to Watch award at the MTV Video Music Awards.
The group released their debut studio album, Reflection in February 2015 debuting at number five on the Billboard 200 and receiving a Gold certification from the RIAA. The album included the platinum singles “Boss”, “Sledgehammer” and “Worth It”. The latter achieved triple platinum certification in the U.S. and reached the top 10 in thirteen countries.
Their lead single, “Work from Home” from their sophomore album, 7/27, continued to replicate similar success, became the group’s first top 10 single on the Billboard Hot 100. With over 5.5 million certified digital singles sold, Fifth Harmony has emerged as the most successful alumni from the X Factor U.S. franchise.
Fifth Harmony Members
Ally Brooke
Allyson Brooke Hernandez was born in San Antonio, Texas on July 7, 1993 (age 22) to Jerry and Patricia Hernandez. Ally has an older brother named Brandon. She is of Mexican descent.
Ally auditioned for The X Factor in Austin, Texas, singing a track from contemporary Christian and Latin pop singer Jaci Velasquez. During a recap of Season 2 of the X Factor, the Huffington Post described her audition as one of the highlights of the season, stating that “it was a quiet but controlled performance, hitting some amazing grace notes”.
Normani Kordei
Normani Kordei Hamilton was born in Atlanta, Georgia on May 31, 1996 (age 19) to parents Derrick and Andrea Hamilton. She spent her early years in New Orleans. Her family relocated to Houston, Texas after Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Normani has two older half-sisters, Arielle and Ashlee. Hamilton has been performing since she was three, and was an award-winning dancer and gymnast before recording her first single at age 13. She has also had a small role in the HBO series Treme.
Hamilton considered herself a soul and gospel singer until she was incorporated in a girl group. Before The X Factor, she competed in the Miss Texas competition and made it to the final but decided to audition for the reality music competition. Like most of the other members, Hamilton’s first bootcamp wasn’t shown. She credits Beyoncé as her main artistic influence.
Lauren Jauregui
Lauren Michelle Jauregui was born in Miami, Florida on June 27, 1996 (age 19)[91] to Michael and Clara Jauregui. She has two siblings; Taylor and Chris. Jauregui is of Cuban descent. She mentions Journey, Paramore, The Script, Alicia Keys, and Christina Aguilera as her influences. She attended Carrollton School of the Sacred Heart since 7th grade.
At 16, Jauregui auditioned for The X Factor in Greensboro, North Carolina with the song “If I Ain’t Got You” by Alicia Keys. She was given four “yeses” and allowed to move on to bootcamp. She was then eliminated, but later was brought back to form what is now Fifth Harmony.
Camila Cabello
Karla Camila Cabello was born in Cuba on March 3, 1997 (age 19)[92] to Alejandro and Sinuhe Cabello. She has a sister named Sofía. Her father is a Mexican and her mother is a Cuban. By the time she was five years old Cabello had lived in Havana and Mexico, before permanently relocating to Miami, Florida. While growing up she listened to Hispanic artists such as Celia Cruz and Alejandro Fernandez.
Cabello auditioned for The X Factor in North Carolina. She first auditioned for the producers’ part of the audition and got the call back saying that she will audition for the judges as an alternative, meaning that if after the show, if they were to have time, she would be able to audition. After her audition, she got a ‘yes’ from all four judges. After elimination during bootcamp, Cabello was called back to the stage along with four other female contestants to form the girl group that would later become known as Fifth Harmony.
In November 2015 Cabello released a duet with Canadian singer Shawn Mendes titled “I Know What You Did Last Summer”. The song has charted at number 20 in the US and 18 in Canada.] It was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.
Dinah Jane
Dinah Jane Hansen was born in Santa Ana, California on June 22, 1997 (age 18) to parents Gordon and Milika Fot’aika. She is the oldest of six siblings. She is of Polynesian, Tongan and Danish descent. Hansen auditioned for The X Factor singing “If I Were a Boy” by Beyoncé, during which L.A. Reid stated that she “took the song to places that even Beyoncé didn’t”. She cites Ciara, Beyoncé, Leona Lewis, Mariah Carey and Etta James as her musical influences.
During the final round of bootcamp, Hansen sang “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)” by Kelly Clarkson with another contestant. She forgot part of the song throughout the performance. Due to this, Hansen was eliminated as a solo performer, but was later brought back into the competition to form Fifth Harmony.
In 2015, Hansen was considered for the role of the main character in the then upcoming film Moana. The role eventually went to Auli’i Cravalho.
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