The Untold Truth Of Lauren Jauregui

Fifth Harmony may be gone, but all five young women are making moves of their own. Both Camila Cabello and Normani have made big names for themselves, landing high-profile endorsement deals and musical collaborations. It's not only those two who have made it on their own, however; Dinah Jane, Ally Brooke, and Lauren Jauregui have all started to release music under their own names.

For Lauren Jauregui, stepping away from Fifth Harmony freed her up to do the things she had always wanted. And as she's gotten older, Jauregui has finally been able to come into her own as not just a singer but also a songwriter. Her debut single, "Expectations," was released in 2018, and Jauregui described it as "very raw," telling V Magazine, "It's a very emotional song." For the artist, the road to this state of expression was a winding one. Like all artists, Jauregui's work has been shaped by her experiences, and it has taken her a long time to feel as ready as she does now.

Like fellow Fifth Harmony member Camila Cabello, Lauren Jauregui is of Cuban descent and was raised in Miami. "I'm second-generation American," Jauregui told La Opinión in 2015. "My mom was born in Cuba but she moved over when Fidel [Castro] first came into power. They moved here with absolutely nothing."

The artist also explained that she grew up speaking Spanish at home and that she didn't really start speaking English frequently until she began school. Jauregui also felt that one basically had to be bilingual to live in Miami, saying "I think that it propelled me in a positive direction because I'm bilingual, and in terms of education that's a great thing to have on your side."

Jauregui's Cuban background has also impacted her artistry. In 2018, Jauregui told V Magazine, "I grew up listening to... Latin music of course, Cuban music like crazy. And Colombian," in addition to multiple other genres like pop, R&B, and soul. "All of those different elements are interwoven sporadically," she explained.

Artists in the 21st century are often expected to use their immense followings to help advocate for important issues, and Lauren Jauregui hasn't missed a beat on that front. In 2016, Jauregui wrote an open letter to supporters of President Donald Trump in Billboard wherein she gave her opinion on his election.

"I am a bisexual Cuban-American woman and I am so proud of it. I am proud to be part of a community that only projects love and education and the support of one another," she wrote. She added later, "We are not 'whining' about our presidential choice losing, we are screaming battle cries against those whose political and personal agendas threaten our lives and sanity. We are making sure you hear us, no matter how much it bothers you, we EXIST."

Months later, Jauregui spoke out against Trump once again, this time taking him to task over his Muslim ban. "To tell another human being that the disastrous tortures of war are not important and to... insult their plight for freedom by labeling them 'terrorists' is just disrespectful to humanity," Jauregui wrote, according to People. Jauregui did not let up over the course of Trump's term, posting well into 2020 on Instagram to raise awareness for Breonna Taylor and to encourage her followers to vote.

After Fifth Harmony went on an indefinite hiatus in 2018, Lauren Jauregui began working on a solo career. Rumors swirled around Fifth Harmony for a long time, particularly concerning Camila Cabello's relationship with her bandmates, and Jauregui didn't exactly praise her time in the girl group after she struck out on her own. "The energy that I had was in the group is, like, this is a job. I show up, I sing, I dance, I do interviews," Jauregui told V Magazine in 2018. "It just was like... My soul wasn't present because I couldn't really connect to the music like that."

Jauregui also hinted that her self image wasn't the best during her time in Fifth Harmony, saying she felt like she couldn't truly express herself until she left, explaining, "I held myself back thinking I wasn't good enough to even express myself." The artist gave a similar statement to Marie Claire. When asked about her time with the group, Jauregui said, "Those six years were such an intense time in my life... It was intense and scary — sometimes lonely and dark."