It is no secret that former Fifth Harmony member, Normani, is a force to be reckoned with. She is a singer with powerful vocals, a dancer with captivating moves and a gymnast flexible enough to make your head spin. All in all she is the full package that has touched our hearts and has given her the title as the new ‘princess of pop’ music.
That is a big deal for a woman of color to dominate a genre of music like this, but lets take a moment to dig deeper. What more do we know about Normani outside of her breaking down inclusive barriers? She opened up to The FADER for a December 2019 cover story interview.
Normani had a long conversation that broke down what brought her to start singing, her time with the talented ladies of Fifth Harmony and how she has rebranded herself as an individual artist. One topic that was particularly interesting was the idea of how she explores her sound as an individual artist. Normani has worked with 6lack, Calvin Harris, Sam Smith and Quavo who all distinctly have different sounds. During that time in her life she learned more than ever how versatile she is when it comes to her music range. “I can give you an R&B record, but I can also be on a pop record with one of the biggest artists in the whole world.” She says.
Having your own creative freedom can be liberating especially when coming from a girl group of 4 other strong-minded women. This is a very important tool to have under her belt as she prepares for her 2020 solo debut album. “I feel like I have so much to offer vocally,” she says. “Even in terms of taste and arrangement, production-wise, I’m proving to myself that I can wear multiple hats.”
Although being a solo artist can have its benefits, it can have its low moments as well. Normani spoke out about how she experienced racial profiling and bullying online as a celebrity. These were tough times for Normani but gave her a platform to speak out on common issues like this. Racism is not a joke, and it is easy for people to sit behind a computer and say what they would like. As an African American woman she went to social media to claim. “…I’ve been racially cyber bullied with tweets and pictures so horrific and racially charged that I can’t subject myself any longer to the hate,” she wrote.
Instead of hiding she also spoke to her audience about why certain behaviors are not okay. She shortly took a detox from social media and she was able to focus on things that brought her joy. We are all depending on women like Normani who opens their mouth when something is not right.Lets not forget that Normani is only 23-years old and still has her entire career in front of her. She is going to make big strides and do positive things for other people as she progresses into a bigger pop star.