The former Fifth Harmony star took her time to release her debut album Dopamine because she refused to put her name to songs she didn’t believe in after being hurt by that in the past.
“I know what it’s like to put out music that I don’t necessarily believe in. It hurts when I don’t feel like I’m able to be fully represented or when I have to stand behind something I don’t believe in, and I did that for so long,” she explained to Dazed. “So I made an oath to myself that, when I got the opportunity, I was gonna do things my way, and be unapologetic about that.”
Normani was a member of the girl group Fifth Harmony between 2012 in 2018, and she launched her solo career in 2019 with the smash hit single Motivation. Although it was a major success, the 28-year-old wasn’t thrilled by her debut solo song because it didn’t feel authentically her.
“It just felt really easy – it felt like the right thing to do, but it didn’t necessarily feel authentic,” she shared. “We knew that it would work, but even with me having that knowledge, I was still like, it’s just as important for me to feel represented. I legit was like, ‘OK, I guess if y’all are happy…'”
She added, “Coming out of the group, I didn’t necessarily know who or what Normani even sounded like. I needed some time to have life experiences, challenge myself in the studio and not be afraid.”
After multiple delays, Normani finally released her debut solo record, Dopamine, in June.
