LAUREN JAUREGUI ‘Expectations’ (Single Review)

Former Fifth Harmony member Lauren Jauregui has finally spread her wings and landed her first official solo debut release with her new track Expectations. Following in the footsteps of former band member Camila Cabello who has gone on to gain immense worldwide success, Lauren is ready to embark on her own journey and show the world that each member of Fifth Harmony is just as capable. By collaborating with some of the hottest artists in the last few years including Marian Hill, Halsey and Steve Aoki, it’s now Lauren’s time to stand on her own two feet and do it on her own. Lauren rose to fame on the US X Factor in 2012 where she was put in a group with her former Fifth Harmony members where they placed third. The group then went on to release two successful albums and mega smash hit Work From Home, as well as a third album after the departure of Camila.
The instrumental of the track begins with the strums of a bass guitar. As the track begins to progress with the addition of Lauren’s vocals, the tempo stays quite consistent as the starlet uses a simple instrument throughout without any bold or flashy effects. As we get to the bridge, the rhythm begins to pick up as an electric guitar supports the climax of the instrumental and lyrical content. It’s super refreshing to see how Lauren has kept the structure and production of her debut track simple, yet effective. It greatly highlights the raw strong vocals of her talent, as well as a solid focus on her message. We also hear a strong foot drum, as well as her vocals used as a background sound to layer the progression of the track perfectly.

“I wish I had no expectations,
I wish that I could get it through your head”

This track focuses on themes of communication and relationships. Lauren sings about her frustration with her lover as a series of the same events keep occurring. She wishes she had no expectations and that her lover would understand their wrong doing without having to argue about it. However, they’re not giving her the communication and respect she needs or deserves. I feel that Expectations is the perfect example of a classic scenario that is shared between many relationships today and that this track will hit a lot of people in the head, as well as the heart. Lauren truly sheds the idea that without communication or respect in a relationship, there will always be doubt. Along with stellar vocals and riffs, the uprising star engages listeners from start to finish with her powerful tone and demanding attitude.
After hearing a mix of Lauren’s potential sound as a solo artist through previous collaborations, I do have to say that her first debut is the perfect path to explore her own individual sound. It’s simple, it’s memorable, and it’s chucks a lot of fuel to her fire. After being one of my personal stand outs through the Fifth Harmony era, I’m overly excited and I’m sure the world is as well to see Expectations blow up and lead the starlet into solo stardom. With talks of a debut studio album on the horizon sometime in the future, this only marks the beginning of what will probably be an extraordinary debut into the music industry as her own artist. Check out the music video down below; there will definitely be no disappointments.