This is What Made Lauren Jauregui Start Speaking Out About Politics Online

Lauren Jauregui is one of those artists whose political voice on social media is consistently strong and passionate, but it hasn’t always been that way.

In a new interview, the Fifth Harmony singer opens up about what incited her to start speaking out.

“When I first found out that Donald Trump was even eligible to be President of the United States, I was like, ‘Holy sh-t, I need to pay attention,’” she told Complex. “‘What’s happening here? What’s going on? Where is America really, in terms of what we believe and awareness?’”

The 21-year-old realized that she had a platform that could help inform and educate.

“I have a few million followers,” Lauren said. “If I’ve got all these young people watching me and caring about what I have to say, I should say something important, because I’m so passionate about it. I’ve been writing about it since I was like 10. I thought, why not just say it out loud and have people read it and maybe learn something.”

Lauren has recently spoken out against the white supremacist march in Charlottesville, to give just one example of her using her powerful voice to encourage change.