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Reflection is the debut studio album by American girl group Fifth Harmony, recorded throughout 2014 and was released on January 30, 2015, by Syco Music and Epic Records. The lead single, "Boss", was released on July 7, 2014. The second single, "Sledgehammer" premiered on October 28, 2014. The album was available to stream via iTunes Radio on January 27, 2015.

Background

After finishing in third place on the second season of The X Factor and releasing their debut EP titled Better Together, Fifth Harmony announced they would be releasing a full-length album in the fall of 2014. The album features production contributions from executive multiplatinum producer-songwriter Julian Bunetta, Stargate, Dr. Luke, and was released by Syco Music and Epic Records.

During the recording phase, Fifth Harmony stated that the album will signal a more mature sound for the group, with the lyrical content and production said to be less pop than Better Together. During the voting stages of the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards where Fifth Harmony was nominated in the Artist to Watch category, fans were asked to vote for the group a certain number of times to help unlock the cover art for the album. The title and the cover of the album were unveiled on Fifth Harmony's official website on August 12, 2014. After receiving negative feedback from fans, the group revealed a new album cover on August 23, 2014.

The album's release date was delayed a number of times during the last quarter of 2014 and early 2015. The album was ultimately released on February 3, 2015.

Singles

"Boss" was released as the lead single from Reflection on July 7, 2014, with the music video released a day later on Vevo. The song debuted at number 43 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart with first-week sales of 75,000 and was certified Gold three months later. "Sledgehammer" was released as the second single from Reflection on October 28, 2014 and the music video was released on November 25, 2014 on Vevo. It peaked at number 40 on the Billboard Hot 100, making it the group's highest-charting single in the United States. "Worth It" featuring Kid Ink will be release in March 2015 as the third single. It debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at number 82.

Promotion

After releasing "Boss", the group debuted another song from the album, "We Know", during sessions for Idolator and Billboard. They performed several songs from the album before its release during Austin Mahone's tour in the summer of 2014. The new songs performed include "Reflection", "We Know" and "Going Nowhere". Fifth Harmony announced a headlining 23-date tour, The Reflection Tour, commencing on February 27, 2015. Opening acts are Jacob Whitesides, Jasmine V and Mahogany LOX. Upon the release of Reflection, MTV will air on February 6, 2015, the "Fifth Harmony Album Release Party Presented By COVERGIRL" at the New York's Webster Hall, where the group will be "taking the stage for a private performance, which will be filmed by the fans in attendance and turned into a music video," followed by an interview.

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	78/100
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic
Billboard
Newsday	B
Rolling Stone
Spin	7/10"

Reflection received generally positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 78, which indicates "generally favorable reviews." Writing for TIME, Jamieson Cox states in a positive review that the group is "agile, and have intuitive understanding of how their differences in vocal texture and range can impact their songs by introducing surprise and tension." He continues to say that, "Reflection is certainly enjoyable on a purely musical level, but Fifth Harmony's perspective and positivity is often even more exciting." Matt Collar, from AllMusic, gave the album four out of five starts saying that it "is a slick production showcasing the group's multi voiced approach to contemporary R&B." He notes the diversity of musical genres, "from electronic-infused dance music to synthy, rhythmically bumptious hip-hop, to retro-'90s R&B," although adding that "it is very much a savvy pop product of the moment."

Brittany Spanos, from Rolling Stone, gave the album three and a half starts out of five, calling the lyrics "infectious" and the track "Like Mariah" a standout. Jason Lipshutz, from Billboard, gave the album four out of five starts saying that "most of the songs work." He adds that the group shows "that they are capable of slick synth-pop, grungy hip-hop and fluttering R&B, the latter clearly indebted to the girl groups of the '90s." Lipshutz also compares the group's message to Rihanna, Nicki Minaj, and Katy Perry's, noting that "the back half of Reflection is basically a misandrist constitution, with the 5H ladies brushing off lazy dudes on "Suga Mama," game-players on "We Know" and the flight-before-fight bros on "Going Nowhere." Writing for Spin, Brennan Carley gives a rating of seven out of ten, calling the album "cohesive and modern," and "self-aware fun." He highlights Meghan Trainor's work by saying that "her feel-good songwriting and female empowerment jams provide some of Reflection's highest peaks."

Writing for Idolator, Christina Lee gives the album three and a half starts out of five, saying that Fifth Harmony "nails every song with absolute precision, as if its members had known each other for far longer than just three years since The X Factor." She also predicted that the group is "bound to move on to the next round in this pop game" with a "No. 1 single, at the very least." Rebecca Mattina, from ANDPOP, gave the album three and a half stars out of five, saying that "the lyrics are fun, strong and full of swagger, and their vocals are always on-point. If they can really hone in on their sound, it won’t be long before they’re dominating the charts." She notes that "Bo$$" "might just be one of the best female empowerment songs since Destiny’s Child’s “Independent Women," and calls the lyrics of "Brave Honest Beautiful" one of the group's most powerful. From Sugarscape, Carl Smith gave the album four out of five stars, calling it "fierce, feisty, and fresh," and complimenting the group for bringing "that injection of girl power in an industry saturated with boybands and dad-rock."

Commercial performance

Reflection is forecasted to sell between 60,000 and 65,000 copies during its opening week in the United States.

Track listing

Charts

Release history

References

1. ^ "Top 40 Rhythmic Future Releases". All Access Media Group. Archived from the original on January 30, 2015. Retrieved January 30, 2015.
2. http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop-shop/5923161/fifth-harmony-to-focus-on-finishing-debut-album-in-april
3. http://www.bustle.com/#/articles/57648-what-are-fifth-harmonys-new-songs-about-the-reflection-track-list-holds-some-lovely-clues
4. "Fifth Harmony To Focus on Finishing Debut Album in April". Retrieved 2014-08-18.
5. http://www.idolator.com/7529066/fifth-harmony-debut-album-cover-tweet-to-unlock
6. "Fifth Harmony Unveil Their Sassy 'Reflection' Album Cover, Prep For VMAs Pre-Show Performance | Music News, Reviews, and Gossip on". Idolator.com. Retrieved 2014-08-18.
7. "Bo$$ Move: Fifth Harmony Changed Their Album Art For The Fans". MTV News.
8. "Fifth Harmony's Debut Album Delayed to January, Says Camila Cabello". Billboard. United States: billboard.com. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved November 7, 2014.
9. "WATCH: Fifth Harmony Perform "Sledgehammer" Live on 'Today Show' on 'Reflection' Release Date [VIDEO]". Music Times. February 3, 2015. Retrieved 4 February 2015.
10. Morgan Chalfant. "Girl group Fifth Harmony calls Michelle Obama a 'boss'". Red Alert Politics. Retrieved 2014-08-18.
11. "Fifth Harmony Is All Grown Up In 'Bo$$' Music Video". Huffingtonpost.com. Retrieved 2014-08-18.
12. http://edgepublicity.co.uk/press_release/us-girl-group-sensation-fifth-harmony-announce-debut-uk-single-boss/
13. http://fifthharmonyofficial.com/news/230553
14. Hiramine, Brie. "Fifth Harmony Debuts Brand New Song "We Know"". J-14. Retrieved 2014-08-18.
15. "Fifth Harmony Studio Session: 'Bo$$' Performance & New Song 'We Know'". Billboard. Retrieved 2014-08-18.
16. "Fifth Harmony Debut New Songs "Reflection" & "Going Nowhere" In Concert: Watch". Directlyrics.com. 2014-07-26. Retrieved 2014-08-18.
17. http://fifthharmonyofficial.com/news/236843
18. http://www.mtv.com/news/2054377/fifth-harmony-reflection-webster-hall/
19. ^ http://www.metacritic.com/music/reflection/fifth-harmony
20. Collar, Matt. "Reflection – Fifth Harmony". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved February 3, 2015.
21. Lipshutz, Jason (February 2, 2015). "Fifth Harmony Shows Who's Bo$$ on 'Reflection': Track-by-Track Review". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved February 3, 2015.
22. Gamboa, Glenn (February 2, 2015). "Fifth Harmony's 'Reflection' review: An appealing debut". Newsday. Cablevision. Retrieved February 3, 2015.
23. Spanos, Brittany (February 3, 2015). "Fifth Harmony's New Album: Reflection". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media. Retrieved February 3, 2015.
24. ^ http://www.spin.com/reviews/fifth-harmony-reflection/
25. http://time.com/3692465/fifth-harmony-reflection-album-review/
26. http://www.allmusic.com/album/reflection-mw0002730073
27. http://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/fifth-harmony-reflection-20150203
28. http://www.billboard.com/articles/review/6458265/fifth-harmony-reflection-track-by-track-review
29. http://www.idolator.com/7579116/fifth-harmony-reflection-album-review
30. http://www.andpop.com/2015/01/27/track-track-review-reflection-fifth-harmony/
31. http://www.sugarscape.com/music/news/a1074805/album-review-fifth-harmony-reflection/
32. "Fifth Harmony - Reflection". Dutch Charts. Retrieved February 6, 2013.
33. ^ "Fifth Harmony – Reflection". Ultratop. Retrieved February 6, 2015.
34. The Netherland release of Reflection:
    • "iTunes - Muziek - Reflection van Fifth Harmony". The Netherlands: iTunes. January 30, 2015.
    • "iTunes - Muziek - Reflection (Deluxe) van Fifth Harmony". The Netherlands: iTunes. January 30, 2015.
35. Canadian release of Reflection:
    • "iTunes - Music - Reflection by Fifth Harmony". Canada: iTunes. Retrieved January 20, 2015.
    • "iTunes - Music - Reflection (Deluxe) by Fifth Harmony". Canada: iTunes. Retrieved January 20, 2015.
    • "Reflection: Fifth Harmony: Amazon.ca: Music". Canada: Amazon.com. Retrieved January 20, 2015.
    • "Reflection (Deluxe Version): Fifth Harmony: Amazon.ca: Music". United States: Amazon.com. Retrieved January 20, 2015.
36. North American release of Reflection:
    • "iTunes - Music - Reflection by Fifth Harmony". United States: iTunes. Retrieved January 20, 2015.
    • "iTunes - Music - Reflection (Deluxe) by Fifth Harmony". United States: iTunes. Retrieved January 20, 2015.
    • "Amazon.com: Fifth Harmony: Reflection: Music". United States: Amazon.com. Retrieved January 20, 2015.
37. Mexican release of Reflection:
    • "iTunes - Music - Reflection by Fifth Harmony". Mexico: iTunes. Retrieved January 20, 2015.
    • "iTunes - Music - Reflection (Deluxe) by Fifth Harmony". Mexico: iTunes. Retrieved January 20, 2015.

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