Kelly Rowland is proud of Fifth Harmony for "sticking together".
The 36-year-old singer has praised the girl group for not letting the departure of Camila Cabello – who quit the band in December – affect them as a band, and for remaining "strong together" throughout their rise to fame since appearing on US talent competition ‘The X Factor’ in 2012.
Fifth Harmony’s Lauren Jauregui said: "We got advice from Kelly Rowland. She’s so real and so genuine when she speaks to us. She saw us and was like, ‘I’m so proud of y’all for sticking together and being strong together.’ She told us, ‘Let everything out in your music. Just go in there and write your faces off. Let the music speak for itself.’ That was right before we started our album writing process. Her passion for what she was telling us – she was so serious in saying that she believed in us."
And the ‘Work From Home’ hitmakers were pleased to get advice from Kelly – who was formerly a member of Destiny’s Child alongside Beyoncé and Michelle Williams – as she "validated" their belief that they can be "creative".
Lauren added: "She was part of one of the most successful girl groups of all time who we grew up listening to, and she wrote a lot of music. Knowing that, and hearing that from her mouth, was like, ‘We can do this.’ We have so much to draw from. We’re all so creative. I know we can do this. She validated that."
Meanwhile, Lauren’s band mate Ally Brooke said the ‘Down’ singers – who are completed by Dinah Jane and Normani Kordei – are "inspired" by groups such as Destiny’s Child and the Spice Girls.
She told Time magazine: "Like the Spice Girls, Destiny’s Child, all the other groups – they let their individuality shine. They stayed true to themselves. To see that, and to see a range, like in the Spice Girls, they were each not holding back. That’s inspiring for us as a group."