Ally Brooke forced herself “to be happy” whilst in Fifth Harmony.
Ally Brooke
The 27-year-old singer rose to fame as a part of the ‘Work From Home’ hitmakers - which also included Normani, Dinah Jane, Lauren Jauregui, and former member Camila Cabello - before the group decided to go on an indefinite hiatus in 2018.
And now, Ally has said she wasn’t always as happy as she seemed during the height of the group’s success, because she used to force herself to “go out and smile” because fans expected her to be “their sunshine”.
She explained: "I felt my world was out of control. I did not have control nor anybody really encouraging me to be myself, to be happy, to be mentally healthy.
"The fans would call me their sunshine and I felt it was my duty and my responsibility - no matter what happened - to go out and smile. I tried to be that for a very long time but it took a toll behind the scenes when the lights would go off.”
Ally also opened up on being left without prominent singing parts on multiple Fifth Harmony songs, as she said the experience left her feeling “alone”.
She added: “I wasn't allowed to use my voice figuratively and literally. I didn't feel like I was allowed to be myself, I wasn't allowed to speak my mind. I felt alone.”
During one instance when she reached a "dark place because there were things going on behind the scenes that were unfair," Ally has confessed she resorted to alcohol.
She said: "My whole world just came crashing down. The pressure to be perfect, the pressure to pretend that things were okay when they weren't, it got to me. I felt like I couldn't talk to anybody. And when you mix all of that, it's the perfect concoction for disaster and for self-destruction."
Eventually, Fifth Harmony’s tour manager Will Bracey found her in her hotel room, where he was able to calm her down.
The ‘Worth It’ singer said: "He reminded me that God is greater than all of my problems. And even though my problems were very real, that God was going to create a way back to the light. And God did do that.”
And now, Ally is happier than ever.
Speaking to People magazine amid the release of her memoir, ‘Finding Your Harmony’, Ally said: "I'm so happy that now I can feel free to be who I want to be. I’m the happiest I've ever been."
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