Fifth Harmony’s Next Album ‘Less Gimmicky, More Urban’ Says Lauren

It's been nearly a year since Fifth Harmony made their full-length debut with Reflection. The album earned the group three platinum singles — triple platinum, in the case of "Worth It" — and it won the X Factor alums more fans than ever before. But that success doesn't stop us from needing to know when their sophomore LP is coming, and what to expect.

Fortunately, member Lauren Jauregui has given Spin an update: 5H2 doesn't have a set release date yet, but it is in the "final touches" stage.

"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,” Lauren told the magazine. “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.”

Juaregui also confirmed that "All Hands On Deck" singer (and dancer extraordinaire) Tinashe co-wrote several tracks on their follow up, which is excellent news. She says she, Dinah-Jane, Camila, Normani and Ally connected with Tinashe in the writing process, and describes her contributions as "melodic pop with R&B pockets." That's not too far from Reflection, is it?

Lauren considers the forthcoming 5H2 "a step up," actually. “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.”

Consider this something to look forward to in the coming winter months, and let us know your thoughts/feelings/concerns about Fifth Harmony's evident new-ish direction.

Fifth Harmony, From 'X Factor' To Today