I got to sit down with Fifth Harmony when they were in Montreal on September 11 before their show at the Corona Theatre. The girl group consists of members Lauren Jauregui, Camila Cabello, Normani Kordei, Ally Brooke and Dinah Jane Hansen. The girls come off as if they have been friends forever, but they only met last year when they were formed as a group during boot camp on season 2 of The X Factor. Fifth Harmony finished in third place overall, and signed a joint record deal to Simon Cowell’s Syco Music and L.A Reid’s Epic Records. They have released two singles, “Miss Movin’ On” and “Me & My Girls”, which will both appear on their debut EP Better Together, which will be released on October 22.
Being a fan of the group since their first auditions, I couldn’t wait to speak with them. They were incredibly energetic, down to earth and we had lots of laughs. Read on to find out about their upcoming EP, their bucket lists, and how far they’ve come in the past year.
CAMILA: I like your handwriting.
CONFRONT: Thank you! You guys are so sweet.
NORMANI: My handwriting sucks.
CONFRONT: *laughs* So, is this your first time in Montreal?
ALLY: Yes! This is our first time over here, and we love it already. We’ve only been here for like 10 hours and we are in love.
NORMANI: We’re trying to speak French!
ALLY: We’re gonna hit up that poutine, is that how you say it?
CONFRONT: Definitely, “poutine”. You have to try it.
CAMILA: Poutine!
NORMANI: “Poutine?”
CONFRONT: Yeah! How’s the tour going so far?
CAMILA: It’s really fun, we’ve been doing a lot of shows with Cher Lloyd on the “I Wish” tour, and it’s cool because it’s not only our fans that are there, it’s hers and the other opening acts that are there, so, you get to see other people.
CONFRONT: And what’s it like being with Cher Lloyd?
LAUREN: Well Cher’s awesome, we’ve gotten a chance to talk to her a couple of times and she’s been really sweet, and she’s given us great advice about just being yourself in this industry and making sure you’re always doing you. She’s really sweet, great performer too!
CONFRONT: What can you tell me about your upcoming EP?
ALLY: It comes out on October 22, you can pre-order it right now on iTunes, and it’s a bunch of our favourite songs from the album. It’s kind of like a little sneak peek of what you’re going to get on the full-length album and we also co-wrote a bunch of the songs. It’s a good mix.
CONFRONT: What was the writing and recording process like?
NORMANI: Basically all we do is get in one room and just vibe off of each other, and kind of like just what you’re feeling that day, and then also we co-wrote a lot of the songs that are going to be on the EP and album, so it’s awesome. It comes from us and we just wanna be honest with the fans and let them know it’s from us.
LAUREN: The recording process was one of the most fun parts of what we’ve been doing, because it’s the creative part, and you get to meet a bunch of different people who have worked with some amazing people, and it was an awesome experience for all of us. It was some of our first times in the studio, like Camila and I had never been in the studio before so it was fun.
CONFRONT: How would you describe your EP in one word?
DINAH: I was gonna say “better together” (the girls laugh). I’d say it’s “fun”.
ALLY: I would say “us”.
NORMANI: Better…
LAUREN: …Together
DINAH: That’s what I was trying to do.
NORMANI: That’s two words though.
CAMILA: Variety.
LAUREN: I second that one!
NORMANI: Disco…Vocals.
CONFRONT: It’s been one year since you were on X-Factor, what is one important thing you took away from the show, something you learned?
DINAH: I think it was a sneak peek of how we were gonna be on this tour, what was gonna come and everything. I’d say the interviews, we would always be in interviews and we had to be “like that all the time” (snaps fingers), it actually prepared us for when we have press.
LAUREN: Definitely a good preparation.
CAMILA: It’s like a boot camp for the industry, one week non-stop, no sleep, so it kind of, you know…
DINAH: Preps you…
CAMILA: Yeah, preps you for what’s coming next. It’s kind of like, “open your eyes, this is what you want to do with your life, is this really what you want to do with your life?” Because this is what it’s like. And it is, because we’re here!
CONFRONT: So over the past year, what would you say has been your favourite experience, or the best thing that has happened to you?
ALLY: Dang. That’s a tough cookie! Well, one of the best things has definitely been touring, we’re out doing what we love and performing every single day, performing our own original songs that we’ve worked so hard on, and also being able to meet our harmonizers, our fans, it’s been such an incredible experience to travel.
NORMANI: And also getting the opportunity to hear ourselves on the radio (the rest of the girls say “yeah!” in agreement) for the first time, I think that’s awesome. Then getting to go on VEVO and type in “Fifth Harmony” and then you see “Miss Movin’ On” pop up.
CONFRONT: How did you guys react when you first heard your song on the radio?
NORMANI: We cried!
LAUREN: We were in the car, well it took a while for it to actually happen.
DINAH: Actually, I cried when I found us on Radio Disney on the Disney Channel *laughs* because it had been weeks since we heard “Miss Movin’ On” on the radio and then seeing us on TV, it was like “OH MY GOSH IT’S HERE, WE’RE OFFICIAL!”
NORMANI: And then you hear yourself on Pandora too..
ALLY: It’s trippy.
NORMANI: It’s so cool!
CONFRONT: What would you say is the best part of being in a girl group?
(Camila and Lauren were about to answer at the same time, and kept going back and forth saying “you go”)
CAMILA: I think the best part of being in a girl group is probably that there’s a lot of long hours and long days and it can get kind of monotonous and lonesome, so I think it’s cool that there are other people there to have a laugh with, and to kind of make light of whatever situation is happening.
DINAH: She said it.
NORMANI: And we learn different things from each other too, being girls. Did it just get dark outside?
CAMILA: Haha yeah!
CONFRONT: All of a sudden, yeah. Welcome to Montreal! *laughs* So, who are the other female groups or solo artists that inspire and influence you?
LAUREN: One of my female inspirations as an artist would be Lana [Del Rey] personally, and in terms of the group and everything, I think Demi’s a good inspiration for the sound and the kind of message that we’re trying to bring to girls everywhere; to be yourself and to know that being imperfect is okay. I think she kind of wraps up basically what we’re about as well.
NORMANI: For me, one of my inspirations personally is Beyonce, and then another one would be JoJo, but I guess for the group it would be kind of Spice Girls-ish as far as the fun, but vocally Destiny’s Child.
ALLY: I would say one of the girl groups that have inspired me would definitely be the Spice Girls, I love how diversified they were and they were completely 100% themselves, and they were so much fun, cute, relatable, and they had such great personalities and their music was amazing- they’re so iconic.
DINAH: I’d say also the Spice Girls, but vocally Destiny’s Child. I also love The Saturdays, personally like I love their style and everything, and some of my inspirations are also Beyonce, Leona Lewis and Carrie Underwood because I love country also.
CAMILA: Personally, and I think for the group also would be Taylor Swift, her music, I like how it’s stuff that’s happening to her and also happens to teenage girls around the world so when you listen to her music, it’s kind of like “exactly!” (snaps fingers), like I know what you’re talking about, so I think that’s really cool. And personally, I really like Ed Sheeran, ta-dah!
CONFRONT: Ed Sheeran is great.
LAUREN: (whispers) He’s not a female! *laughs*.
CONFRONT: Your Harmonizers are super dedicated, they absolutely love you guys. What is the craziest thing that a fan has said to you, or a crazy experience, or given to you?
ALLY: I think one of the craziest things have been, “we have inspired them and helped them to stop self-harming”, and to take that is really heavy and that’s so deep, and that’s such an accomplishment that is beyond this world, and to be able to say that we were able to help somebody in that way is just phenomenal. That’s why we do it, so that’s one of the things for me.
NORMANI: Making people’s day, kind of like the other day, we had two fans that, well we asked them “Are you guys coming to the show?” and they were like, “No, we don’t have enough money to go, we wish we could afford it.” And we were like, “okay, well, we’ll get you tickets!” and they were like “Oh my God! This is the best thing that has ever happened to me!”
CONFRONT: That’s amazing!
DINAH: I saw them!
CAMILA: You saw them?
DINAH: I saw them in the back, they were like, “I’m here! I’m here!”
NORMANI: They were like, “Okay, I guess my dad will have to give me a ride!” (we all laugh). It was really cute.
CONFRONT: Alright, so your fans had so many questions to ask you, @fifthharmonei asked: What is the craziest thing on your bucket list?
ALLY: Oh! Let me think about that.
DINAH: For me, I wanna jump with the kangaroos in Australia.
ALLY: That’s so fun!
DINAH: And I want to dress them up like Kangaroo Jack.
LAUREN: Like Kangaroo Jack! That was such a good movie.
NORMANI: That was a sad movie, didn’t he get ran over?
(We all laugh)
NORMANI: That was so sad.
LAUREN: I don’t think that happened…
DINAH: Yeah, I think it did.
LAUREN: I think he survived it though, that was the whole thing.
DINAH: Oh okay *laughs*.
ALLY: This might change for me, I don’t know, but as of now, it’s always been a dream of mine to get married at Disney World *laughs*.
CONFRONT: That’s so cute! Like in the castle?
ALLY: Yeah, in front of the castle! (All the girls laugh) Yeah, so!
LAUREN: I don’t necessarily have anything crazy, crazy yet, but I want to go skydiving. But I don’t think that it’s that crazy.
CONFRONT: That’s pretty crazy.
*Photographer interjects*: That’s insane, let me tell you.
CONFRONT: Yeah, that’s definitely crazy!
LAUREN: Is it really? *laughs* It’s like, it’s such a generic thing, though, you know? Like “I want to go skydiving”. But I want to travel, though.
NORMANI: I want to swim with the dolphins.
CAMILA: I was gonna say that!
NORMANI: But hopefully I don’t get eaten, because didn’t that happen at Sea World?
LAUREN: You can’t get eaten by a dolphin.
CONFRONT: Not dolphins! Isn’t it sharks?
NORMANI: Oh, was it a whale?
CAMILA: No, it was a shark!
NORMANI: No, it was a whale. It was a killer whale.
LAUREN: Oh, a killer whale!
NORMANI: But yeah, swim with the dolphins. And then they kiss you, it’s so cute.
ALLY: *sings* And let me kiss you! (One Direction song)
LAUREN: I’ve always wanted to do that too.
ALLY: Camila has the same one as Normani.
CONFRONT: Alright! @harmonynugget wants to know “What is one movie you wish you could live in?”
(All the girls say OHHH!!! simultaneously.)
DINAH: It would have to be a Disney movie.
LAUREN: Avatar, for me. I would love to live there.
CAMILA: That’s a good one!
LAUREN: In the nature, and all that beautiful… like, oh God, I would love to live there.
NORMANI: Probably in a Barbie movie. Barbie and The Nutcracker *laughs*
DINAH: Bratz!
NORMANI: Yeah, Barbie and The Nutcracker for me.
DINAH: That’s you, that’s totally you.
ALLY: I have two because I can’t choose: one would either be in The Notebook because it’s so quaint and beautiful, and such a sweet, lovely time. Also, maybe on the train of the Polar Express, I would love to because it’s Christmas all the time and it’s so beautiful and magical.
DINAH: Okay I have three.
ALLY: Get it girl!
DINAH: Realistically, A Walk to Remember… It’s either that one, or Lilo and Stitch, or The Lion King.
CAMILA: We can pick stuff like that?!
CONFRONT: Any movie!
DINAH: It was a really good movie, I love The Lion King.
CAMILA: Aww, that’s hard. I was gonna pick Zenon. *laughs*
ALLY: They have those cute little outfits too.
NORMANI: Raven was in that!
CAMILA: What was that thing they always said? Luna?
(Girls respond “No”)
CAMILA: (remembers) ZETUS LAPETUS!
DINAH: And they had that little iPad thing, like ding ding ding!
CAMILA: Zetus Lapetus! I’m going to start saying that now.
LAUREN: You should.
CONFRONT: One more question: @MiaIAm_ wants to know how you feel when you see your fans singing along, back your songs to you at a show?
DINAH: It actually tears me up, I start crying and I’m like “Oh my gosh, that’s actually our song that they’re singing!” You know? That’s actually the first song we’ve done together as a group [Miss Movin’ On], so it makes me cry sometimes.
NORMANI: Because we go to concerts, and we sing our idols’ songs back at them and it’s like “Oh, we’re actually doing that for people” so it’s cool.
LAUREN: Yeah, and it’s cool to know that the work you’re doing is like…
NORMANI: Paying off.
LAUREN: Yeah, and it’s being sung back at you, it’s one of the most beautiful things ever.
CONFRONT: Well thank you guys so much!
FIFTH HARMONY: (in unison) Thank you!
ALLY: Group hug!
(They pulled me into a group hug. We were Sixth Harmony for about 5 seconds and it was awesome. We took a picture as a group, another round of thank yous, and Camila threw in one last “ZETUS LAPETUS!” )
Listen:
“Miss Movin’ On”
Learn More:
Pre-order “Better Together” here: https://itunes.apple.com/ca/album/better-together-ep/id701119756?s=143455&ign-mpt=uo%3D4
Official Website: http://www.fifthharmonyofficial.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/FifthHarmony
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fifthharmony
Fifth Harmony - Interview September 11th 2013
Pictures from CONFRONT Magazine's interview with Fifth Harmony in Montreal.September 11th, 2013
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