Just a few short days ago, Fifth Harmony announced its decision to embrace an indefinite hiatus. The official statement was released on March 19, 2018 by the girl group’s official Twitter account. According to the statement, the four remaining members – Dinah Jane, Lauren, Normani, and Ally – are looking to pursue individual projects after six years of a non-stop group effort. Despite a last couple of group shows at the end of the year, it seems as though this could be the end of post-Camila Cabello Fifth Harmony as we know it.
Pop group break-ups are, unfortunately, not uncommon in today’s music industry. Just two short years ago, One Direction announced its own hiatus after a year without Zayn Malik. Several parallels exist between the two groups’ downfalls – a leading member left, the others stayed together long enough to produce a new album, and eventually, the rest of the group went looking for solo work. If Fifth Harmony does take a One Direction-esque route, however, fans are almost guaranteed new and exciting solo projects in the near future. Each of the four girls has already started at least one new endeavor, perhaps the most prominent being Lauren Jauregui’s 2017 collaboration with Halsey in “Strangers,” featured on Halsey’s second album, hopeless fountain kingdom.
It is impossible to know exactly how long this hiatus might last, or if it is going to end at all. The group assured fans that the break would allow for the girls to learn life lessons and gain insights, both of which could be brought back to the Fifth Harmony family. While the break may result in an eventual and permanent split, for now it seems as though new music and creativity is on the horizon.