Normani also talks about her turbulent time as a member of Fifth Harmony Ally Brooke, Camila cabelloDinah Jane and Lauren Jauregui.
In a long profile for The cut, the 27-year-old singer recalls her experience as 1/5 of the extremely successful girl group. Fifth Harmony was formed in 2012 after the five girls competed in a competition The x factor. In 2016, Cabello announced her decision to leave the groupand two years later, Normani, Jane, Jauregui and Brooke announced that the band would be taking an indefinite hiatus to accommodate this Focus on your solo endeavors.
The “Wild Side” singer calls the group “a blessing that also traumatized her” and describes her time in the group as “an ordered and properly served prison sentence.”
“I didn’t want to be on the front line. It was only later that I felt like I was a sign,” she expresses her thoughts after being told she wasn’t ready for a solo career X factor Judge. She later admits that she tried to hide it It’s not the first time Normani has admitted to using the group in order to do this.
Normani recalls the alleged lack of response from LA Reid’s label Epic Records via Syco Music following a 2016 incident in which she woke up to death threats in her inbox and messages from strangers calling her “Normonkey.” The racist messages were apparently a reaction to this Normani casually describes Cabello as “quirky” and “sweet” in an interview that fans, sensing tension between the girls, interpreted as a dig.
Andrea Hamilton tells The cut She remembers seeing “my daughter’s photoshopped face on bodies of people being whipped” on social media.
“We just kept doing shows and I feared for my life,” claims Normani. “But they kept bringing me on stage. It was kind of like ‘The show goes on’.”
The singer admits that this experience destroyed her relationship not only with the label, but also with journalists, the other girls in the group and those who consider themselves her fans. “That was probably the lowest point for me,” she says of that summer.
A few years later, Cabello’s Racist Tumblr posts from the group’s early days resurfaced on social media. In an interview with Rolling Stone in February 2020, Normani responded to the incident with a long emailShe explained that she didn’t want her words to be misunderstood. She pointed out that as a black woman, she actually faces “senseless attacks on a daily basis.”
“Direct and subliminal hatred has been directed at me for many years simply because of the color of my skin,” she wrote. “It would be dishonest if I said that this particular scenario did not harm me. It was devastating that this came from a place that was supposed to be a safe haven and a sisterhood, because I knew that if the tables were turned, I would defend each of them in a single heartbeat.
Normani then criticized how Cabello initially handled the situation, including the racist messages she allegedly received while they were still part of Fifth Harmony.
“It took days for her to realize what I was dealing with online and then years for her to take responsibility for the offensive tweets that had recently resurfaced,” she added. “Whether it was her intention or not, that made me feel like I was secondary to the relationship she had with her fans.”
“I truly hope an important lesson was learned from this,” Normani wrote. “I hope there is a real understanding as to why this was completely unacceptable. I’ve said what’s on my heart and pray it’s transparent enough that I never have to talk about it again. To my brown men and women, we are like no other.” . Our power lies in our culture. We have won and will continue to win in everything we do. We deserve to be celebrated deserve to be celebrated and I’m just getting started.
But Normani is now looking to the future, including the release of her long-awaited debut album. Dopamine.
The singer revealed the upcoming album back in Februarynearly six years after Normani and her Fifth Harmony group members announced they were taking an indefinite hiatus.
By the time, Normani told ET that the group’s decision was “very scary.”
“And it’s heartbreaking for me personally. The first day we even announced the break was the hardest day,” she added. “So many people say, ‘Oh my God, what happened? What’s up?’ Just paying attention to something that you already know is real, and the fact that now everyone else knows it’s real, is like, “Wow, this is really happening.”
Since then, the singer’s solo career has consisted of sporadically released singles in recent years, although most releases have been well received. Her 2019 breakout hit “Motivation” was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America, received Diamond certification in Brazil, and landed on various publications’ year-end lists. It was even mentioned as one of the songs defined iHeartRadio’s 2010s and was voted number 79 of the best songs of the 2010s Crack Magazine.
She also released a two-song EP with Calvin Harris in 2018, collaborated with and joined 6lack and Sam Smith birds of prey Soundtrack with “Diamonds” alongside Megan Thee Stallion in 2020.
She was recently released “Wild Side” with Cardi B in 2021 and “Just” in 2022.
While the long wait for her debut album made Normani the subject of many memes, the delay came with personal strain for the singer.
She revealed this in June 2023 Her father, Derrick Hamilton, was diagnosed with cancer A year after her mother Andrea Hamilton battled cancer for the second time.
In an interview with Who wears whatNormani shared this when her mother told her the newsThe first thing she did was realize herself: “Fuck this whole thing. This is bigger than the music. It’s bigger than what I’m trying to achieve. This is a matter of life and death. All I wanted to do was be there for her.
The singer said her parents’ cancer diagnosis forced her to reflect on her own purpose as an artist, which gave her perspective on how she wanted to move forward in the future. “Honestly, music got her through the cancer treatments. I remember being on FaceTime with my mom during her chemotherapy and wondering, ‘How are things going in the studio today? How’s the music going?'” she told the outlet. “As hard as it was for me not to be with them as much as I wanted, ultimately persevering has made the circumstances of the last few years feel a little easier for my parents.”
“It was in those moments with my parents that I realized I had the opportunity to make a difference in this life,” she added. “I know that everything I have been through is not in vain. God wants me to always see something this season. This is all to make me better for whatever he actually has in store for me.”
And there are four people who are just as excited as Normani’s fans to see this impact come to fruition: her Fifth Harmony girls.
After the “Motivation” singer announced the news of her highly anticipated debut album, her former group members took to the comments to share their excitement.
Cabello responded with a series of rocket emojis.
Brooke responded with a series of pink heart emojis and a hand clap.
“There she is,” Jane added with a series of flame emojis and a pout.
“Let’s go,” Jauregui wrote.
Normani noticed the love, and replied to a tweet With blue hearts they call for the girls’ support.
Dopamine will be available to stream on June 14th.
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