In a new interview, Fifth Harmony’s Lauren Jauregui has shared fresh updates on the group’s upcoming sophomore album. Speaking to SPIN for a separate story, the 19-year-old discussed the recording process for the quintet’s Reflection follow-up, saying that though no firm date has been confirmed yet, the LP will be out in early 2016.
[articleembed id=”168037″ title=”Fifth Harmony's Dinah Jane Hansen Says '5H2' Is Better, Bolder, and Realer” image=”168038″ excerpt=”When the girl group Fifth Harmony formed in 2012″]
“We don’t want to make any promises, because we’ve had some situations in the past where our album release date got pushed and pushed and pushed,” she says with a laugh. “We don’t want to disappoint fans, but it should be coming out in the beginning of the year. We’re still working on it, putting final touches on it, making sure we’ve got all of the final tracks that we need. We’re just starting that process now.”
Jauregui confirmed that R&B upstart Tinashe cowrote several of the songs on 5H2 (as fans and the group are both calling it as a stopgap), and she added that the overall feel of the record is much different than its predecessor.
“Honestly, I think there’s quite a few songs on this album that I’m really excited for the fans to hear because it’s a step-up from the last album,” she says. “It’s not even more mature, I think it’s just less gimmicky than last time — not to say that the music was, but in a sense, this sounds more honed in on a sound. We’re going for the more urban, R&B vibes and then we also have a lot of different little moments and genres that are typically tied into the R&B vibe but not so strictly married to it.”
As for the Tinashe collaborations — “melodic pop with R&B pockets” she says — Jauregui admitted that the tracks (one helmed by Max Martin’s camp, the other produced by Dr. Luke) connected with her and her bandmates because of the similarities in age between them and their writer. “She has really sick melody flows and lyrics,” she says of Tinashe. “It’s very cohesive with us. It’s drawing from the same experience. That’s what’s important at the end of the day: having an authentic sound and having someone who understands what we’re going through.”
Look for Fifth Harmony’s new record sometime in the new year.
