Singing reality TV shows are good fun. In the beginning, we see the bizarre, the weird, the tone-deaf and we catch a glimpse of a talented few.
The judges talk about this so-called 'X-factor'. In reality, these shows are about the entertainment factor – for ratings, for PR and social media juice.
That's the winning formula for a hit show. As the weeks drag on, most of the talent really starts to shine. More often than not, some favourites do get eliminated.
While some disappear into the abyss, some use the platform to their advantage and make, arguably, an even bigger name for themselves than the actual winners. An example? Fifth Harmony.
In 2012, the world got to meet five talented young women in the US edition of The X Factor. Each auditioned in their own capacity but joined forces as a girl group. They placed third in the competition, and that was the beginning of an exciting journey for the ladies.
There was a bit of a hiccup at the end of 2016 when Camila Cabello decided to go solo. That didn’t slow the momentum of the remaining four members in the group. Last year, they released their new self-titled ‘Fifth Harmony’, which peaked at number 4 on Billboard’s Hot 200 list. While fans eagerly await their performance in the capital tomorrow night, here are a few notes to what Fifth Harmony are about:
#1: The songs
From Meghan Trainor to Fetty Wap and most recently Pitbull, the Fifth Harmony members have collaborated with music's most revered. In their own right, they've dominated the charts though too. Their biggest single to date is the hit song, Work from Home which has over 1.8 billion views. For the last six years, they've been regulars on music charts around the globe with a string of other hits including Sledgehammer, All in My Head, Worth It and BO$$
#2: The inspiration
The bunch of Ally Brooke, Normani, Dinah Jane and Lauren Jauregui are described as a pop / R&B group, so it shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise that they cite the likes of the Spice Girls, Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston and Destiny’s Child.
#3: The awards:
Throughout their career, the group have scooped 55 awards and over 100 nominations across the board. These include American Music Awards, Billboard Women in Music and several MTV Europe Music Awards too. They'll be vying for the Favourite Music Artist Award at Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Award this year. Competition is stiff, with the likes of Coldplay, Maroon 5, The Chainsmokers, Twenty One Pilots and Imagine Dragons all in the category.
#4: The Harmonizers
In case you don't know, every group or musician these days has a name for their fans, often named by the fan-base themselves. In this case, the Fifth Harmony fan-base refer to themselves as "Harmonizers".
Say anything bad about the group and you will face the onslaught of dedicated admirers. It’s hard to establish who the biggest Harmonizer is, but a contender in this regard is definitely Sam Smith. You have to watch the moment they ‘gate-crash’ his Carpool Karaoke with James Corden. It’s priceless:
#5: Going solo? … We just don’t know
By now it's a well-known fact that Camila has gone on to do big things as a solo artist. The remaining four members had to cancel a few gigs in Australia recently, which sent Harmonizers into a spin. Shortly after the gigs were cancelled, Normani's feature on the Grammy-nominated Khalid's new song Love Lies dropped.
Besides news has just surfaced that Ally just signed as a solo artist with Larry Rudolph's Maverick/ReignDeer Entertainment, who are home to Britney Spears, Aerosmith and Pitbull among others. Rudolph also manages Fifth Harmony.
"I can’t think of anyone I trust more to take care of me and my vision. I now have the best of both worlds with Larry at the helm of Fifth Harmony, and Larry in my personal career,” Ally said.
They’ve been together for a good six years, so it’s natural for them to want to explore solo careers, but despite that, they still appear to be solid.
So there's a lot to learn, love and expect from Fifth Harmony in the future, but for now, if you're in the UAE and you're a fan, you'll get to see them at du Forum in Abu Dhabi on March 16. Tickets are available at ticketmaster.ae and Virgin Megastores across the UAE.
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