When the queen herself, Nicki Minaj, said at the 2018 MTV Video Music Awards stage: “Don’t be coming for Fifth Harmony because Normani is that b*tch,” you’d better listen. Since Normani’s 2018 departure from the pop girl group Fifth Harmony, she has been coming out with hits that have climbed their way onto the Billboard Charts, like “Motivation” and “Dancing with a Stranger” featuring Sam Smith. Some could say she is bringing back that missing unique stardom in the industry with a Beyoncé likeness through her difficult choreography, beautiful vocals, and insane visuals, from her music videos to runway looks! This 25-year-old is building up excitement from fans for the future of her career, as her solo discography is giving not rookie but icon quality.
Stellar Choreography
As Normani has quite an athletic background, from gymnastics to being trained by the best dance professionals, this reflects in her dance stamina and incredibly hard choreographies she performs alongside her dancers. Jaws dropped during her 2019 MTV Video Music Awards “Motivation” performance as she nailed the splits and danced on top of a basketball hoop! She was the talk of the night and proved herself a force to be reckoned with. The mere fact that she can keep up with professional dancers reminds us of Beyoncé–everyone knows Miss Sasha Fierce is a dance machine that lights up the stage.
Music Videos
From “Waves” to “Wild Side,” Normani and her team are serving us top-tier creativity! Recently, her “Wild Side” music video featuring Cardi B’s risqué liberating rap showed Normani’s admiration for the 2000s’ R&B music scene with elaborate visual effects and sonic commemoration to late R&B star, Aaliyah, with the song sampling from the 1996 song “One in a Million.” The internet-breaking music video was incredibly sensual, living up to the song’s name “Wild Side.” The velvet backdrops, rooftop dancing, and water pouring down on Normani and Cardi were pure art.
Her Message
While the music industry is saturated with light skin mainstream Black female artists such as Doja Cat and Jhené Aiko, Normani is a breath of fresh air, as she is paving the way for dark skin Black women. At the beginning of the “Motivation” music video, we see young Normani sitting in front of the television watching 106 & Park in her grandmother’s living room, where the hosts announce Normani as the artist performing. Essentially, this scene showed fans that dark skin representation of Black women matters where little Black girls are able to see themselves on the TV and be proud of who they are!
While the current music industry has birthed amazing artists, Normani is bringing back the 2000s’ stardom of multi-talent artistry. Keep an eye out, because Normani isn’t playing.