Over a year after former member Camila Cabello’s departure, the girl group Fifth Harmony altogether decided to take an indefinite hiatus in order to pursue solo careers and broaden their areas of expertise. The group took to Twitter on Monday, March 19 to confirm their brief separation and were met with fans saddened and in shock from hearing the news.

Since the group’s announcement, fans around the world have been in disbelief and using the hashtag “#ThankyouFifthHarmony”, which is trending across multiple social media platforms, to show appreciation for the group and their music over the years.

Despite the news, Fifth Harmony has reassured their fans that the separation is a positive action meant to be taken in for each of the members to have the opportunity to branch out of their comfort zones and that the split is only temporary.

Karo Meraz, a senior who is a fan of Fifth Harmony, agrees with the group’s decision and understands that they may need to take time to discover themselves as artists.

“Of course, I’m a little heartbroken that the group is splitting,” Meraz said, “but hopefully they can come back stronger with more experience and ready to make more hits.”

Not everyone thinks that split could be beneficial for the group. Junior Lissette Garcia, who enjoys listening to music groups, such as HAIM and No Doubt, thinks that the members of Fifth Harmony may become infatuated with their solo pursuits and not want to reunite again.

“I get that they think the break-up is going to help them grow, but I honestly don’t know,” Garcia said. “I feel like they may become very successful as solo artists and not want stop their success by reuniting.”

Originally auditioning as solo acts for the reality television series The X Factor, original group members Camila, Dinah, Normani, Lauren, and were formed into a group by Simon Cowell and were eliminated at 3rd place. Even though group did not win the competition, they still were able to amass a fan base large enough to catapult them to international stardom shortly after.

Milena Ortiz, 12, who has followed the group and their achievements since their “X Factor” days, is still in shock from hearing the news and has yet to understand why the group would do such a thing so out of the blue.

“I remember watching the girls sing by themselves on the “X Factor” no one knew who they were and how famous they would become,” Ortiz said. “I’m still shocked as to what led to their decision and why it happened so suddenly.”

In the past, when music groups, such as Destiny’s Child and One Direction, disbanded there was always one member that attained success indepently while the others were left to fight for their own spotlight. For Destiny’s Child, it was Beyonce and, more recently, for Fifth Harmony it was Camila Cabello, but there still lies uncertainty as to how the rest of the group will fare as solo artists.

Alyssa Gutierrez, a junior who favors group member Normani Kordei, believes that if anyone is going to succeed as a solo artist it would be her.

“She’s just so talented and has a lot of personality which is why she’s my favorite,” Gutierrez said. “I could see her being able to develop a dedicated fan base and crank out a few hits of her own in the near future.”

Of course not all groups and bands in the music industry last forever, yet no one really knows what is in store for Fifth Harmony and whether their split is going to be a phase or something that is set in stone. Above all of the commotion, the love and support the group has and is continuing to get from fans is one aspect that seems to be unaffected by the news they recently decided to publicize to the world.