Fifth Harmony may want to change their name to Fourth Harmony. The popular girl group has announced that Camila Cabello has left after nearly five years and two albums together.
The band made the announcement of Cabello’s departure in the early hours of the morning via their official Facebook and Twitter pages, and stated that the remaining members–Lauren Jauregui, Ally Brooke, Normani Kordei and Dinah Jane–will continue on as a four-piece as well as their own solo projects.
The ladies had spent the past few weeks taking part in the iHeartRadio Jingle Ball tour, and played their final show together in Miami just hours before they shocked their fans with the news of Cabello’s departure.
Although they had found chart success with their collaborative singles “Worth It” (featuring Kid Ink), “All in My Head” (featuring Fetty Wap) and “Work From Home” (featuring Ty Dolla $ign), Cabello was the first of the 5H ladies to explore solo projects. Last fall, she teamed up with fellow teen idol Shawn Mendes for the single “I Know What You Did Last Summer” and is currently featured in Machine Gun Kelly’s latest single “Bad Things.”
While her early solo work may have been an indication that Cabello would be the first to leave the group, the shocking announcement draws a very similar parallel to Zayn Malik’s departure from One Direction in March 2015. Both groups originated at the hands of Simon Cowell on The X Factor, spent about five years together, gained a large fan base and social media following, and their subsequent announcements of their first members leaving are eerily similar.
Nonetheless, it seems like Camila Cabello is on her way to becoming a bona fide solo pop star, while the remaining ladies of Fifth Harmony still have plenty of potential for continued success.