This year's MTV Video Music Awards were a showstopping affair, filled with memorable performances and big statements from multiple artists. Perhaps the strongest piece of symbolism, however, came from Fifth Harmony. Their VMA set was another without theatrics, which included some rain, synchronized mic drops, and a special appearance from the man himself, Gucci Mane, to perform their hit collaboration "Down," However, they also did something more than just turn up, they put their foot down while doing so, kicking off their two-song routine with a faceless mystery fifth member being flung off the stage before their singing began. It was taken by many as a nearly-undisguised shot at Camila Cabello, who left the group without any reported contact with the other ladies in the group when she did so. Talk about old wounds not closing.
During a post-VMAs visit to Good Morning America Tuesday today (August 29th), host Lara Spencer asked them to clarify what exactly was meant by the stage-jumping stunt. While they didn't necessarily deny the link to the Cabello drama, they insisted it was more about showcasing their strength as a unit rather than lashing out at one particular ex-member. "We get asked all the time if we’re getting a fifth member," Ally Brooke told Spencer, "and we wanted to show the world in an artistic way that, hey, the four of us are Fifth Harmony."
That's a decent enough answer, but perhaps not entirely convincing, since the elation shown by the women while they were onstage receiving their awards revealed more than a little "See? We can do this" kind of attitude. Brooke later added on GMA that "We’re stronger and better than we’ve ever been -- and honestly it was such a monumental moment for us. We were at the VMAs! We had rain! We had the splits! We had a mic drop!”
The girls took home one of those moon men (not even sure what the proper name for them is anymore) trophies for Pop Video of the Year for "Down." Somewhere, Camila Cabello may have been silently applauding them - or regretting her decision from last year.