It was recorded at Conway Recording Studios in Hollywood and Luke's In the Boo in Malibu, California.
Luke contributed to the track "This Is How We Roll" along with Cirkut. Jaycen Joshua mixed the song, assisted by Ryan Kaul and Maddox Chhim, at Larrabee Sound Studios in North Hollywood, California. It was recorded at three different studios: Westlake Recording Studios in Los Angeles and Windmark Recording Studio in Santa Monica, California, and The Hide Out Studio located in London, England. The Norwegian production duo Stargate wrote and co-produced the song "Worth It" with musician Ori Kaplan who also played the saxophone. ĭuring the album's production, the group worked with a variety of collaborators.
"We've started recording and getting into that process, we have shifted the lane a bit and made it a more mature sound, because obviously, we're growing up too." Lauren Jauregui also told Billboard during an interview that the album's recording was set to begin in April 2014, and said its sound would be less pop than their earlier work on Better Together. Dinah Jane, on the background and recording of the album's third single, "Worth It" ĭuring an interview with Billboard before the album's release, Fifth Harmony said the album would signal a more mature sound for the group. Then we went into the studio without thinking we were ever going to take it this far." When Stargate gave us the song, we changed some of the lyrics and a bit of the concepts to make it fit our perspective. "We walk into the studio-we were given this song-and it was basically Kid's song. The album's release date was delayed several times during the last quarter of 2014 and early 2015, and was ultimately released in the United States on February 3, 2015. After receiving negative feedback from fans, the group revealed a new album cover on August 23, 2014. The title and the cover of the album were unveiled on Fifth Harmony's official website on August 12, 2014. 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 album's cover art. Reflection has since been certified Platinum by Recording Industry Association of America for combined sales, streaming and track equivalent units of 1 million.Īfter finishing in third place on the second season of The X Factor, and releasing their debut extended play titled Better Together, Fifth Harmony announced they would be releasing a full-length album in the spring of 2014. Since its release, the album has sold 155,000 pure copies in the United States. In the United States, both "Boss" and "Sledgehammer" achieved platinum certification, while "Worth It" was certified triple platinum. "Worth It" became the album's most successful single, charting in the top ten in thirteen countries. All three singles made appearances in the top fifty of the Billboard Hot 100, peaking individually at 43, 40 and 12, respectively.
Reflection was supported by three singles: its lead single, " Boss", released on July 7, 2014, followed by " Sledgehammer" premiering on October 28, 2014, and " Worth It" featuring Kid Ink, the last single, was released on March 3, 2015. To further promote the album, the group embarked on their first headlining concert tour, the Reflection Tour, visiting the United States, Canada, Mexico and Europe. The album charted within the top thirty in ten other countries. Reflection entered the top twenty in the United Kingdom, after peaking at number eighteen, and charted within the top ten in countries such as Canada, New Zealand and Spain. Commercially, the album entered the Billboard 200 at number five, earning the group their first top-five entry in the United States with sales of 80,000 equivalent units-62,000 of those coming from traditional album sales. The album received generally positive reviews from contemporary music critics. The album features guest appearances by American rappers Kid Ink and Tyga, as well as American singer-songwriter Meghan Trainor, and collaborations with several producers including Ori Kaplan, Dr. Musically, Reflection is primarily a pop record and showcases synthpop, "grungy" hip hop and R&B sounds. Lyrically, the album discusses themes of female-empowerment, romance, heartbreak and confidence. It was released on January 30, 2015, by Syco Music and Epic Records. Reflection is the debut studio album by American girl group Fifth Harmony.