Normani Says Her Debut Album Is Dropping Soon & It's 'Worth The Wait'
While many looked to Camila Cabello as the breakout star of the now-defunct Fifth Harmony, most of us could see the star power Normani Kordei illuminated long before her solo endeavors entered the pictured. We swooned to “Waves,” twerked to “Motivation,” and indulged our “Wild Side” as the starlet dropped singles in the years following the group’s split, waiting in bated breath for Normani to drop her debut album. However, we’d be waiting a while. The 26-year-old chatted with Bustle in a recent interview where she responded to one of the most asked questions her fanbase has, “Where’s the album, sis?”
She told the outlet, “Status of the album? Summer for sure. Tour? Coming.” After four years, Normani is ready to release her official body of work and we are all ears to listen. She continued, “I understand that [waiting] might not be the easiest in regards to supporting me, but I think that people really don’t understand, especially coming out of a girl group, what most may have thought was the perfect time for me to release — during ‘Motivation’ — was not it at all because I would’ve put out a body of the work that I wasn’t confident in.”
There was much speculation surrounding what was to blame for her debut album being pushed back over the years, but Normani said she needed growth and to undergo artist development in order to feel her best on stage. Fast-forward to now, the 26-year-old feels more than ready and assures that her debut is "definitely going to be worth the wait.” Keep reading for what else we learned from her conversation with Bustle.
Normani on the hardest part of being a solo artist and being in the public eye…
“All eyes are on you, whether it’s bad or good. And I would also say, not just even in terms of my solo endeavors, but I think being an artist, in general, is really hard, especially being in the public eye since I was 15. The last 10 years of my life have been really, really tough. Being a teenager and not being able to make the mistakes that teenagers typically would … in a sense [I was] not normal, from that point on to the rest of my life, honestly. So the sacrifice of it all I would definitely say…
“But it’s also a blessing. As ugly as it can be, it’s also just as beautiful. Not complaining, but it is hard.”
On her message to her fans for always showing support…
“A lot of people still don’t know my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. I wanted to go home, but the reason I was able to push through was because me being in the studio, and me working toward finishing this album, got her through her chemo and got her through that whole process, which was very, very devastating for our family. People are so quick to speak, but don’t know. To my fans, I’m appreciative because they’ve walked with me and they have been patient, and I know that it’s frustrating, but I would ask them to trust me.”
Normani on her single “Fair” and embracing vulnerability as a Black woman...
“I was going through a really tough breakup after two years, and I’m still feeling it even now, but I’m allowing myself to just kind of go through the process, just taking it day by day. It was very therapeutic, and in a sense, triggering every time I hear it, because it takes me back. But it also allowed me to be vulnerable, and that for me was really a breakthrough because I’ve never been comfortable with being vulnerable and not being okay in front of people.
"I feel like Black women, in particular, we’ve always been taught because of society and historic events, we’ve always had to suck it up and be strong and pull through and be perfect just to even get a little bit of credit.”
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Featured image by Arturo Holmes/MG22/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
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ItGirl 100 Honors Black Women Who Create Culture & Put On For Their Cities
As they say, create the change you want to see in this world, besties. That’s why xoNecole linked up with Hyundai for the inaugural ItGirl 100 List, a celebration of 100 Genzennial women who aren’t afraid to pull up their own seats to the table. Across regions and industries, these women embody the essence of discovering self-value through purpose, honey! They're fierce, they’re ultra-creative, and we know they make their cities proud.
VIEW THE FULL ITGIRL 100 LIST HERE.
Don’t forget to also check out the ItGirl Directory, featuring 50 Black-woman-owned marketing and branding agencies, photographers and videographers, publicists, and more.
THE ITGIRL MEMO
I. An ItGirl puts on for her city and masters her self-worth through purpose.
II. An ItGirl celebrates all the things that make her unique.
III. An ItGirl empowers others to become the best versions of themselves.
IV. An ItGirl leads by example, inspiring others through her actions and integrity.
V. An ItGirl paves the way for authenticity and diversity in all aspects of life.
VI. An ItGirl uses the power of her voice to advocate for positive change in the world.
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Another season of Love Is Blind has come to a close, and almost two months later we’re still unpacking the drama that is Clay and AD. The finale, reunion, and post-interviews with Clay and AD after season six of Love Is Blind left millions of people wondering - why couldn’t AD see the signs? Clay told her he had a fear of marriage, his parents experienced infidelity, and he seemed to have many doubts about saying, "I do."
After changing his mind at the altar and hearing AD question why she feels like she’s never enough, I was finished watching. I didn’t need to hear anything else because, at that moment, I realized this wasn’t about Clay; this was about AD feeling inadequate before she ever met Clay.
If I’m honest, I don’t watch much dating television. TikTok keeps me updated with the clips that I need to see in order to be kept in the loop, but it’s difficult for me to watch an entire season of dating TV because seeing Black women settle for less and questioning their beauty is a trigger for me. In many ways, there were points in my life where I was AD, settling and ignoring red flags because I wanted to be loved.
Now, on the other side, it doesn’t feel good to see Black women lower their standards on national television. There have been many hot takes on this couple and who was in the wrong. Did Clay play in AD’s face or did she not listen to the truth of what he told her from day one? Was his reason for joining the show to promote his business and not to find the one?
We’ll never know the truth, but what we can do is learn tactics to better our self-worth. Founder and CEO of The Self Love Organization Denise Francis shared her expertise with xoNecole on what tangible steps to take to improve feelings of worthiness. “Self-love blooms in a garden where self-worth is planted, nourished, and whole. However, when your self-worth is challenged, displaced, or broken, it could be difficult to rebuild," Denise explains.
How To Rebuild Self-Worth
During her self-love coaching sessions, Denise likes to walk her clients through the cornerstones of rebuilding self-worth: grace and self-compassion. To her, self-worth is never lost, it's only displaced, so practicing self-compassion and giving yourself grace is a must. "We tend to place our self-worth in entities and people of ourselves such as relationship status, physical appearance, material possessions, social media followings, what others think of us, and more. Self-worth is not something to be measured by anyone or anything outside of ourselves because we all innately hold value and worth.
"Self-worth is not something to be measured by anyone or anything outside of ourselves because we all innately hold value and worth."
"When we place our value into people or things, we tend to feel that we are not enough, worth it, special, or important when relationship status, job titles, friendships, and physical appearances are lost or changed. We then tend to feel lost within ourselves because we’ve placed our value outside of ourselves. Using grace and compassion, you can rebuild your self-worth by returning home to who you are at your core," she concludes.
How To Return Home To Yourself
Denise advises taking a step back and using self-reflection through journaling by answering the following journaling prompts:
First, ask yourself, "What do you tend to attach your self-worth to and why?"
Is it your relationships, your job title, your finances, your appearance, etc.? Why do you think you place so much emphasis on external status? How does it make you feel when you are defining yourself through these entities and/or people outside of yourself?
Then, ask yourself, "Without these things, who am I?"
Once you have your answers, show yourself kindness, remove the shame, and, as Denise says, "Redefine yourself by detaching your value from the things and people you have no control over and no longer serve you. Challenge yourself to define yourself outside of titles and societal values."
"By returning home to your core, you find value in who you are as a person. You begin to find value in the way you love instead of your relationship status, your compassion instead of your popularity, your drive instead of your income/job title, and your heart instead of your physical appearance," she adds.
"By returning home to your core, you find value in who you are as a person."
"Be intentional with healing your self-worth by leaning into the people and things that nourish your core values. Surround yourself with the people who love and cherish you, they will always remind you just how valuable you truly are."
It all goes back to self-compassion and grace. As Denise explains, leading with those two things as you heal and rebuild your self-worth allows you to reduce negative self-talk that might come up for you. "This weakens thoughts like, 'I am not enough... why am I never enough?'" she shares, "And 'I don't deserve this while strengthening thoughts like 'I deserve better,' 'I am enough,' and 'I am worth it.'"
Denise continues, "Once you return home and remember the irreplaceable person you are, you can rebuild your self-worth by placing it back where it belongs. It belongs to you."
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Featured image by LaylaBird/Getty Images
