Fifth Harmony's New Deal: Quartet Re-Ups With Epic After Camila Cabello's Exit: Exclusive

 

Now a foursome, the label has exercised its option for a third full-length album, Billboard has confirmed.

 

The group Fifth Harmony splintered over the Christmas holiday, announcing on Dec. 19 that founding member Camilla Cabello, 19, was leaving the group to pursue a solo career and that the four remaining girls -- Ally Brooke, 23, Normani Kordei, 20, Dinah Jane, 19, and Lauren Jauregui, 20 -- will continue on as a four-piece. Three days later, Epic Records and Syco exercised their option on the pop act, Billboard has confirmed, moving full-steam ahead with a third Fifth Harmony album to be released in 2017. Cabello, meanwhile, is expected to drop her first single -- after appearing alongside Shawn Mendes and Machine Gun Kelly on two Hot 100 top 20 hits -- in April or May.

 

After selling 7 million U.S. digital downloads and nearly half-a-million albums (according to Nielsen Music), scoring a top five Billboard Hot 100 hit ("Work from Home” in 2016) and racking 1.6 billion U.S. on-demand streams in a career launched on Fox's The X Factor in 2012, Fifth Harmony has reached the sort of career milestone that graduates of reality shows rarely see. “There’s a stigma attached to a reality show that they have eclipsed,” says Joe Willis, longtime manager of American Idol winner Jordin Sparks. “That Fifth Harmony has been able to build their fan base, as One Direction did, was a masterstroke by Simon Cowell.”

 

And success provided the act the leverage to renegotiate what is typically an onerous contract -- signed by the girls as individuals before even stepping foot on the TV stage that would give them their Cowell-constructed shot -- with terms that dictate a length of seven years and assign them to specific companies and affiliates within the Sony Music system. (Syco Entertainment is a joint venture with Sony.)

 

“The standard contract is worse than a 360 nightmare,” explains Loeb & Loeb attorney Debra White, who negotiates similar deals for contestants of NBC's The Voice, adding that a company like the Cowell-founded Syco Entertainment "gets to be the record company, the publisher, the manager, they have a piece of touring and merchandise." Re-signing allows for a re-evaluation and offers an opportunity to diminish or eliminate terms that seem unfair to an artist who has had hits and brought the label revenue. According to a source, negotiations are ongoing, with the Fifth Harmony members having already reclaimed ownership of their trademark. Adds White: “If it were me, I would want a higher royalty rate; I would try to get all of the ancillaries uncrossed and limit the amount of product and length of the contract. I would also fight hard to increase the committed money for marketing and promotion, and creative approval.”

 

Representatives for Fifth Harmony would not comment beyond affirming that “Epic has in fact exercised their deal option with Fifth Harmony,” but a source in the camp says staying put is a win-win. (The group shared its first official photo as a quartet on Jan. 5, below.)

 

“They’re in a position to have more creative involvement and really direct where they want their music to go,” the insider offers. “They're a huge name on the Epic roster so it makes sense to keep them there and work on another hit album. While, at the same time it benefits the girls to stay as well and really own the direction they're going in rather than litigate themselves out of a deal.”

 

Another label source says Epic Records chairman Antonio "L.A." Reid “Doesn't ‘let go’ of successful artists -- ever. He even has a hard time parting with the unsuccessful ones.”

 

As for Cowell, a rep assures that he has remained "committed as ever to the group he envisioned."

 

The girls' contentious division -- made all the more awkward with both Fifth Harmony and Cabello signed to the same label and working on music separately but at the same time -- shouldn’t worry fans, either, says White. “It proves that Epic/Syco is really believing in the brand, and they don't give a shit if it's Fourth or Fifth Harmony. They’re going to find amazing songs and make a go of it.”

 

https://twitter.com/TheFactsOfShade/status/...673154681905152

I'm surprised no one had posted a topic about this. I know there is a fair bit of criticism for the group generally on this site with just as much interest in them but I am ridiculously excited for what is coming :wub: more Flex's and Squeeze's and I need some ballads! What does everyone else want to hear from 5H3?

I was fairly sure they'd implode after the whole Camila fiasco, although on the one hand maybe they'll now thrive as a group (with chemistry) without the egomaniac.

Tbh, I think Camila will be better off without them and I can honestly see it working for them without her too, so I'm hopeful. However, I was watching some video about them shading and getting angry with one another or something yesterday and it was not good! You really wouldn't believe they were a group. But ehhhh... just give us some more 'Work From Home' type bangers and we're set tbh.

I think as a group they are a bit of a disaster TBH, they seem to basically hate each other and am sure they are all waiting for their time to shine as solo artists.

 

They also need some consistency in order to shift some albums - they seem to release a banger followed by a few flops before the era is over.

First performance without Camila.

 

 

Still seem sloppy to me. Although the last 10 seconds dance breakdown was good. I'd like to think they could work as a 4 piece, but I still get the feeling there's some tension in the group. But I dunno. Maybe that's just me :lol:

I think it is obvious that Ally is going to be the new Camila in terms of being hated by the band. They really need to get a vocal coach because their solo parts were awful

I thought they rocked it, I prefer them like this and the new beginning was great.

Oops

Edited January 19, 20178 yr by Hayzayy

Some dodgy vocal moments but I'm quite impressed.

I honestly really enjoyed the performance as a 4-piece! Sure there's definitely room for improvement, but the look of having no visual center actually works well for them. I just need them to push at least one more song from 7/27 while they're working on 5H3. I know they have takes of the other girls doing the parts Camila ended up with, and even if they didn't, re-recording a few lines for a single mix wouldn't be extremely difficult. Hell, they could have the girls go in and just redo the album's singles and 1-2 older singles as a 4-piece and put it out as a "tour edition" of 7/27 for their shows coming up in Texas and Asia to extend the album's life a bit while they prepare for their next era. It just seems so wasteful to not piggyback on the attention they got from Camila leaving.

Loved the performance!

Lauren sounds so much better singing Camila's part :P

They weren't perfect but they look a lot cleaner and tighter as a four piece ! it was decent I think they will be just fine without Camila.

Edited January 19, 20178 yr by troylovesmusic

I loved that performance by no means was it amazing but it was pretty decent :wub:

The performance as a four piece group was amazing, and Lauren is EVERYTHING :wub:

 

Interesting that they appear to be writing on this album - I'm not expecting anything they've written to make the album after what they said about 7/27 such as Max Martin involvement and their writing involvement which neither materialised.

25th August

 

Self-titled by the looks of it!

I am so rooting for this. I hope they're in the U.K. on release day like they were for 7/27 and can do some promo over here!

 

Yep selfi titled confirmed by Jimmy Fallon! https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=9IrwRnC1lco & Ally screaming about it on her story :lol:

Edited July 25, 20177 yr by Saenerys