On Sunday night, December 18th, Fifth Harmony posted the following message on their Facebook page.

Miss Movin’ On

Camila Cabello has decided to leave Fifth Harmony! Can 2016 get any worse?! At this moment, not much is known about the decision surrounding her split from the group but judging from the note , it seems as if Camila didn’t personally speak to her members about her decision. Especially with the line: “we have been informed via her representatives.” 

Disappointed, But Not Surprised

As a fan of Fifth Harmony, I don’t feel blindsided by the news in the way that I did when Zayn announced his split from One Direction. Rumors circulating the group disbanding and Camila leaving have been circulating for what seems like years. After failing to make it as solo artists on the second season of The X Factor USA in 2012, the five girls were put together as a group. They real in the same fashion as One Direction and Little Mix.

What was clear on the show continued to be clear throughout Fifth Harmony’s career, the five girls never seemed to mesh well on stage. Their style of music was clearly different, but yet they worked together week after week trying to achieve the harmony in Fifth Harmony. The girls showed great potential with their cover of Ellie Goulding’s “Anything Could Happen.” This performance cemented them as a girl group and landed them a spot in the X Factor finale. They placed third in the show, which ultimately didn’t matter as they went on to sign a joint deal with Syco Music and Epic Records.

X Factor Days

I’ve been following Fifth Harmony ever since their beautiful performance of “Anything Could Happen.” I loved that America was finally getting a new girl group. When they released their debut EP, Better Together, I devoured every song. And when they released the Spanish version, Juntos, I was overjoyed. Here was a multi-ethnic pop girl group that was going places!

I got the chance to see Fifth Harmony open for Demi Lovato during her Neon Lights tour and they did not disappoint. Except for their outfits, which were and are still terrible. Can someone please get them a new stylist!! 

What I noted from the X Factor days was that Camila was the star of Fifth Harmony. Even Demi Lovato pointed it out during the show. She stood out to me in the group, and she has always been my favorite because personally, she has the “it” factor.

Haters Gonna Hate

I know a lot of Harmonizers have disliked Camila for being “the center of attention,” but I don’t understand why she was and is negatively looked down upon. Why was Camila the target of hateful comments for pursuing solo projects? I think if every member had the opportunity that she had, they would’ve jumped at the chance to do their own thing. Lauren has also released a new song with Marian Hill, but she hasn’t gotten hate from fans for the project.

Was It The Right Decision? 

I do feel that Camila should’ve stayed with Fifth Harmony until they reached a point where they wanted to take a hiatus/quit (like One Direction). Camila is talented, there’s no doubt about that, with her two hit solo singles. But I don’t think she has reached the same level of fame as someone like Zayn. It would’ve made sense to stick it out until Fifth Harmony cemented themselves as a dominant girl group. But who knows what has been going on behind the scenes.

As a third-party observer, I never felt that Fifth Harmony had the same chemistry and relationships of those of One Direction or Little Mix members. Not that it’s necessarily a bad thing because, at the end of the day, they’re your co-workers. I acknowledge that what artists choose to show us on-screen does not reflect how they truly behave off-screen. But after watching many segments and interviews on YouTube, I had to stick to only watching their music videos.

The group couldn’t ever fully convince me that they genuinely got along. I cringed when they spoke over each other, and disliked their facial expressions when others would speak. They never meshed well on-screen, so it’s not hard to believe that they don’t get along off-screen.

Built Up Resentment?

There must have been a lot of built up resentment among the members that led to Camila leaving. That’s why many groups disband. It’s impossible for every member to achieve the same amount of love and recognition from their fans. And it must be harder to receive a lot of hate from your so-called fans. I don’t recall Beyoncé or Justin Timberlake getting bashed on. But then again, times were different, unlike now in the age of social media. I also got the impression that many Harmonizers didn’t ever like Camila. Which baffles me since people are always going on about how you’re not a “true fan” if you don’t like every member.

Onwards & Upwards

In the end, the news was disappointing, but not shocking. I will continue to follow both Camila and Fifth Harmony and wish them all success in their endeavors. And if Fifth Harmony is looking for a new member, I volunteer! I’m in need of a job and I can sing! 😂

More importantly, will Fifth Harmony change their name to Fourth Harmony?

— Nicole (@Nicole_Tweetss) December 19, 2016

Camila Cabello leaving @FifthHarmony pic.twitter.com/89tVwkdtXf

— Nicole (@Nicole_Tweetss) December 19, 2016