Reflection (Fifth Harmony album)

Reflection
Standard edition cover. The deluxe edition cover features the same image, except in color.[1]
Studio album by Fifth Harmony
Released	January 30, 2015 (2015-01-30)
Recorded	March 2014 – November 2014
Genre	Pop R&B[2] Dance-pop[2]
Length	37:35
Label	Epic Syco
Producer	The Family Joe London Daylight Taylor Parks Jonas Jeberg Harvey Mason, Jr. Stargate Ori Kaplan Dr. Luke Cirkut Emily Warren Britt Burton Parker Tommy Brown Travis Sayles J.R. Rotem T-Collar Victoria Monet Julian Bunetta Chris "Flict" Aparri Deon Sanders
Fifth Harmony chronology
Better Together (2013) Reflection (2015) 7/27 (2016)
Singles from Reflection
"Boss" Released: July 7, 2014 "Sledgehammer" Released: October 28, 2014 "Worth It" Released: March 2, 2015

Reflection is the debut studio album by American girl group Fifth Harmony. It was released on January 30, 2015, by Syco Music and Epic Records. Lyrically, the album discusses themes of female-empowerment, romance, heartbreak and confidence.^[3][4] Describing itself as a pop album, while showcasing synthpop, grungy hip-hop and R&B. The album features guest appearances from American rappers Kid Ink and Tyga, as well as American pop singer Meghan Trainor, while it was serving collaborations with several producers such as Ori Kaplan, Dr. Luke and StarGate.^[5] The album entered at number 5 on the US Billboard 200, with 80,000 equivalent units (with 62,000 of that coming from traditional album sales) and became their highest-charting release on the charts. The album also performed moderately in other countries, becoming the group's first top 20 entry in the United Kingdom, after peaking at number 18 and charting within the top 30 of ten additional countries. To further promote the album, the group embarked on their first headlining tour, the Reflection Tour, visiting the United States, Canada, Mexico and Europe.

The album was supported by three singles: its lead single, "Boss" was released on July 7, 2014, peaking at number 43 on the US Billboard Hot 100. The second single, "Sledgehammer" premiered on October 28, 2014, reaching number 40 on the Hot 100. The third and final single, "Worth It" featuring Kid Ink, was released on March 3, 2015. The latter peaked at number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100, and has reached the top 10 in thirteen countries. Both "Boss" and "Sledgehammer" achieved platinum certification in the United States, while "Worth It" became a certified triple platinum in the country. In February 2016, Reflection was certified gold by Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for combined sales, streaming and track equivalent units of 500,000.^[6] As of February 2016, the album has sold 155,000 copies in the United States.^[7]

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 Spring of 2014.^[8] The album features production contributions from executive multiplatinum producer-songwriter Julian Bunetta, Stargate, and Dr. Luke, and was released by Syco Music and Epic Records. During the recording sessions, 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, ^[8] their debut EP. 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.^[9] The title and the cover of the album were unveiled on Fifth Harmony's official website on August 12, 2014.^[10] After receiving negative feedback from fans, the group revealed a new album cover on August 23, 2014.^[11]

The album's release date was delayed a number of times during the last quarter of 2014 and early 2015.^[12] The album was ultimately released on February 3, 2015 in the US.^[13]

Singles

"Boss" was released as the album's lead single on July 7, 2014, with the music video released a day later on Vevo.^[14][15] The song debuted at number 43 on the US Billboard Hot 100, with first-week sales of 75,000 copies.^[16]

"Sledgehammer" was released as the album's second single on October 28, 2014.^[17] Its music video was released on November 25, 2014 on Vevo.^[18] The song peaked at number 40 on the Billboard Hot 100, making it the group's highest-charting single in the United States at the time.^[19]

"Worth It" featuring Kid Ink, was sent to radio in the United States, as the album's third and final single on March 3, 2015.^[20] The song has since peaked at number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100.^[21] Both singles; "Boss" and "Sledgehammer" has achieved a platinum certification, while "Worth It" has achieved a triple platinum certification in the United States.^[22]

Promotion

After releasing "Boss", the group released another song from the album, "We Know", during sessions for Idolator and Billboard.^[23][24] 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".^[25] Fifth Harmony announced a headlining 23-date tour, The Reflection Tour, commencing on February 27, 2015.^[26] Opening acts are Jacob Whitesides, Jasmine V and Mahogany Lox.^[27] Upon the release of Reflection, MTV aired on February 6, 2015, the "Fifth Harmony Album Release Party Presented By Covergirl" at New York's Webster Hall, where the group took the stage for a private performance, which was filmed by fans in attendance and turned into a music video, followed by an interview.^[28] Fifth Harmony appeared as guests on VH1's Big Morning Buzz Live for the entire week of February 16, 2015, doing interviews and performing on the show.^[29]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	78/100[30]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[31]
Billboard	[32]
The New York Times	8/10[33]
Pitchfork Media	7.2/10[34]
Rolling Stone	[35]
Spin	7/10[36]
Sputnikmusic	[37]

Reflection received mostly positive reviews from music critics and ended up at many mid-year and end of year lists. 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."^[38] Matt Collar, from AllMusic, gave the album four out of five stars 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."^[2] Rick Fiorino, from Artistdirect, gave the album five out of five, saying that each song feels "massive" and has potential to be "blaring out of radios for years to come." He also adds how each of the group's "dynamic voices" fuse into "one focused pop roller coast". Fiorino ends his review by saying that Reflection establishes the group as "21st century's pop music's premier powerhouse."^[39]

Brittany Spanos, from Rolling Stone, gave the album three and a half stars out of five, calling the lyrics "infectious" and the track "Like Mariah" a standout.^[40] Jason Lipshutz, from Billboard, gave the album four out of five stars 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."^[41] 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."^[36] Glenn Gamboa, from Newsday, gives the album a grade of a B (the highest being an A+), highlighting how the track "Brave, Honest, Beautiful" could be an "anthem for the group." He also complements the extended time that the album took to make, as this allowed the group "time to grow" and "plenty of resources." Gamboa finishes his review by raving on the many pop culture icon references in the album, and how the group offers a "particular brand of multicultural girl power."^[42]

Writing for Idolator, Christina Lee gives the album three and a half stars 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."^[43] 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 "Boss" "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".^[44]

Year-end lists

Commercial performance

The album debuted at number five on the Billboard 200 chart with 80,000 equivalent album units (with 62,000 of that coming from pure album sales), becoming their second release to debut inside the top-ten since their first extended play, Better Together.^[52] On February 1, 2016, the album was certified Gold in the United States for combined sales and streaming-equivalent units of 500,000 units, after the Recording Industry Association of America introduced streams in their certification criteria.^[53] As of February 17, 2016, the album has sold 155,000 physical copies in the Unites States.^[7]

Track listing

Notes^[58]

• ^{^[a]} signifies a co-producer.
• ^{^[b]} signifies a vocal producer.
• ^{^[c]} signifies a remix producer.
• "Boss" is stylized as "Bo$$".

Sample credits

• "Like Mariah" contains elements of the composition "Always Be My Baby", written by Mariah Carey, Jermaine Dupri and Manuel Seal, Jr., performed by Mariah Carey.
• "We Know" contains a portion of the composition "A Dream", written by Bunny DeBarge, performed by DeBarge.
• "Body Rock" contains an interpolation from "(I've Had) The Time of My Life", written by John DeNicola, Donald Markowitz and Franke Previte, performed by Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes.
• "Brave Honest Beautiful" contains a portion of the composition "Bootylicious", written by Rob Fusari, Beyoncé Knowles, Kelendria Rowland, Falonte Moore and Stevie Nicks, performed by Destiny's Child

Personnel and credits

Credits for Reflection adapted from AllMusic.^[59]

Charts

Certifications

Release history

References