Who is Lauren Jauregui? Fifth Harmony singer arrested for drugs possession – here’s what we know
From The X Factor USA to chart hits on both sides of the Atlantic, this Fifth Harmony band member has had a varied run of success
As a member of American girlband Fifth Harmony, Lauren Jauregui has had access to all the pleasures that fame and wealth can bring.
Unfortunately she has also suffered the occasional knock-back as well - most likely also due to her celebrity status - with an arrest making headline news when she was caught with an illegal substance while trying to board a flight.
However there is much to know about this sassy Cuban American singer - so here is a run down of what we know about her so far.
How old is Lauren Jauregui and where is she from?
Lauren Jauregui was born on 27 June 1996 and was raised in Maimi, Florida.
She is Cuban American and her mother, who was born on the Caribbean island, moved to America when Fidel Castro came to power, arriving in the USA “with absolutely nothing”.
Lauren is fluent in both English and Spanish – saying her grandparents only speak Spanish and she would speak Spanglish (a combination of Spanish and English) in her family home.
How do you pronounce Lauren Jauregui?
Lauren is of Latina origin and her exotic last name is pronounced differently from how it is spelt for native English speakers.
During her X Factor audition in 2013, Lauren introduced herself and made it clear how her last name is pronounced.
Asked by show judge Simon Cowell what her last name was, she replied Jauregui – pronouncing it like “Her-Ah-Gee”.
Why is Lauren Jauregui famous?
Alongside Ally Brooke (born 7 July 1993), Normani Kordei (born 31 May 1996) Camilla Cabello (born 3 March 1997) and Dinah Jane (born 22 June 1997), Lauren is one fifth of top 10 selling girl band Fifth Harmony.
The ladies were brought together on the second season of the American version of The X Factor in 2012 after failing to make it to the live shows as solo artists and put together as a group by Simon Cowell and his co-judge Demi Lovato.
The band were originally called LYLAS (standing for Love You Like a Sister) but were forced to change their name as a band called The Lylas already existed.
Their replacement name, 1432 (standing for I Love You Too) was slammed by Cowell and eventually the name Fifth Harmony was selected by the viewing public – and went on to come third in the competition behind winner Tate Stevens and runner-up Carly Rose Sonenclar.
What music have Fifth Harmony released?
The band released their debut album Reflection in January 2015 and follow up album 7/27 in May 2016.
Their first album spawned mild hits Boss and Sledgehammer before RnB smash Worth It (Featuring Kid Ink) took them to the top end of the charts (landing at No 3 in the UK).
Follow up single Work From Home (featuring Ty Dolla $ign) became their biggest hit to date – making No 2 in the UK single charts and 4 in America – while singles All in My Head (Flex) and That’s My Girl failed to replicate the same success.
The girls also offered music to the soundtrack of animated children’s film Hotel Transylvania 2 with their song I’m in Love with a Monster.
Will Fifth Harmony break up?
Near the beginning of 2016 rumours swirled that the ladies were about to break up as a band once their second album was released – and band member Camila Cabello already branched out alone for a duet with Canadian singer Shawn Mendes on his track I Know What You Did Last Summer.
However the girls took steps to dismiss the claims in March that year with Dinah Jane stating to Entertainment Tonight: “Fifth Harmony is definitely our first love… it’s always been the foundation of everything.”
However rumours of in-fighting dogged the band for much of the remainder of the year, tour dates were cancelled, and reports surfaced that each of the ladies were working on solo material.
Is Lauren Jauregui going solo?
In December 2016m, the first solo effort of Lauren Jauregui appeared as she lent her vocals to a track without her 5H bandmates.
The single was titled Back to Me with Lauren’s vocals being a feature for the band Marian Hill.
Strictly speaking it wasn’t a complete solo tune as Marian Hill – an American elector/dance band – consists of Jeremy Lloyd and Samantha Gongol.
However speculation of Lauren working on solo material had been rumbling since July 2016 – however the band had previously speculated fans could expect a third album.
Why is there a rivalry between Lauren Jauregui and Perez Hilton?
On 13 November 2016 gossip blogger Perez Hilton posted photographs of Lauren Jauregui affectionately kissing another woman on the lips while at one of her friend’s wedding ceremonies.
Fans of the singer – and girl band Fifth Harmony – blasted the gossip blogger for appearing to out Lauren as lesbian.
Perez (real name Mario Lavandeira) found himself under fire from loyal fans who hounded him on social media – however he remained unrepentant about sharing the photographs.
Is Lauren Jauregui a lesbian?
Following the photo storm instigated by Perez Hilton, Lauren Jauregui wrote an open letter which was published by Billboard on 18 November 2016 stating she is bisexual.
Writing about her sexuality, Lauren wrote: “I am a bisexual Cuban-American woman and I am so proud of it. I am proud to be part of a community that only projects love and education and the support of one another.”
Her letter had a political impact as well as she commented on Trump voters (who succeeded in being elected President of the United States of America on 9 November 2016), saying: “your actions have led to the single-handed destruction of all the progress we’ve made socially as a nation.”
Who is Lauren Jauregui dating?
Lauren Jauregui has been romantically linked to a number of music stars – but has not had the best luck when it comes to dating her music peers.
In January 2015 she was linked to British singer James McVey of The Vamps – but he caused outrage by stating everyone in the band had “had a go” at flirting with Lauren.
She was also linked to fellow X Factor USA contestant Keaton Stromberg (of the band Emblem3) and was linked to One Direction star Louis Tomlinson – but suffered the standard savage backlash from jealous 1D fans killing all hopes of a romance.
When was Lauren Jauregui arrested for possession of marijuana?
On 13 December 2016 Lauren Jauregui was arrested while attempting to board a plane at Dulles Airport in Washington D.C.
Following a search by airport staff, a bag of marijuana was discovered in the singer’s carry-on luggage and she was arrested by police who arrived at the scene.
She had been due to perform on stage in Brazil with her band – who were forced to carry on as a four piece as Lauren remained in the USA to deal with the crisis.
Does Lauren Jauregui use Instagram?
Lauren Jauregui has an impressive number of followers on – gathering over 3.5 million fans on the photo sharing app before the end of 2016 with only Camilla having more followers in the band (with over 7.9 million).
The star keeps fans up to date with photos from her private life as well as snapshots of life on the road an in the studio with Fifth Harmony.
She can also be found featured on the feed as well – with the band having over 7.5 million followers.
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