When Camila Cabello shocked Fifth Harmony fans—not to mention the four other women in the group with her—by announcing her imminent departure from the girl group that gave her her start, the future was far from certain for anyone involved.
Would the group, formed during the second season of Fox's short-lived U.S. adaptation of The X Factor, survive as a quartet? Should it? And what would become of Cabello? Would fans care about her on her own?
The answer to those questions? In short: no, probably not—though their lone LP sans Cabello, 2017's self-titled album, gifted us the absolute bops "Down" and "He Like That"—more than she probably imagined, and a whole helluva lot.
Though her debut single, the absolutely forgettable "Crying in the Club," failed to capture anyone's attention, Cabello quickly turned things around by tapping into the Latin pop sounds of her heritage on "Havana," the track that gave her the star-making moment she was hoping for. Since then, she's released two full-length albums, landed two No. 1 singles on the Billboard Hot 100, and landed herself the role of Cinderella in an upcoming musical remake produced by James Corden. Not too shabby.
In honor of the pop star's 23rd birthday on Tuesday, March 3, let's take a look at how her solo career stacks up to all those who've come before her. We're talking about those boy band and girl group members who knew they were destined for more on their own. While Cabello seems to have gotten her fairy tale ending, not everyone else was so lucky. You'll see what we mean.