Normani is one of those artists that is special. She's way before her time, one of the best performers out there, highly underrated, and making her mark on an entire generation. One cannot help but to stan everything about her, her triumph as a young melanated woman, figuring out her way in a dog-eat-dog industry.
She got her start on America's version of the X-Factor in 2012, but found her way into the group, Fifth Harmony. Since she has collaborated with numerous artists, ultimately finding her own lane as a a solo artist. She released her hit single "Motivation" in 2019, and all of us were totally expecting her to take over pop music.
But suddenly, we didn't hear much else from her solo career afterwards. And as it turns out, it was for a very heartbreaking reason: cancer.
Additionally, according to the multi-hyphenate, cancer was also the exact reason we have her highly popular and current song, "Wild Side" on the playlist now. Normani's mother, who is battling breast cancer, motivated the singer to release "Wild Side" into the world. She went into detail in a recent interview with Los Angeles' Power 106, in which she admitted that her new music "really saved" her while her mom was going through chemotherapy and radiation.
She told host, Bryhana:
"This past year, my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. For me, this work that I was able to put out into the world, like, this really saved me, to be completely honest. Even just being on FaceTime with her as she's going through her chemo and her radiation, and just wanting me to update her on how this video is going, and how the music is coming, it really got her through that. It got my family through the darkest time of our lives."
But her mother pushed her forward in every way.
"This was the second time that she had to go through cancer. The first time I was four. So for it to happen all over again, in such a pivotal and heightened moment for my career... there's so many moments I was like, 'I need to be at home' and I felt guilty for not being able to be physically there with her. I literally remember being in the doctor's office with her, right after she had her surgery. This was in October. She's like, 'Baby, I'm gonna be fine.
"What I need you to do is focus. I need you to be Normani. I need you to be the best version of yourself. I need you to continue to work hard. We gotta get this music out. We have the world to impact.' She was just like, 'I'm gonna be fine.' Anything that my mom says, to be completely honest, I believe."
Whew.
Since, her mother has completed her final round of chemo, which both Normani and her mother celebrated on Twitter.
MY MOM JUST HAD HER FINAL ROUND OF RADIATION ✨🙏🏾🥺🙌🏾 GLORY!!!!!
— Normani (@Normani) August 2, 2021
"Her strength throughout her experience has been the strength that I've needed to even be able to allow this [song] to even be a thought."
Yessss, sis.
Our girl also took a moment to praise Cardi B, who is featured on the song, and who is massively pregnant, yet still taking the time to truly promote the single on her 120M follower social media accounts.
"I just wish that the world could experience her the way I have. I feel lucky to have been able to experience such a genuine person, and a kindhearted person. For me, that goes a long way because like I said, she didn't have to go out [of] the way, you know. The fact that she even made the video -- she's pregnant! I know for her, I know that probably took a level of trust in me."
In the end, if you're anything like us and wondering where the music is, don't worry, she has us covered. In fact, she has on request while we wait: "Trust me."
"Part of it was me overthinking, yes, but also I've been making the best music that I feel like I've personally ever created. In order to get to that place, I needed time."
We. Cannot. Wait.
Watch the full "Wild Side" video, featuring Cardi B, below:
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Featured image by Jerritt Clark/Getty Images for Savage X Fenty Show Vol. 2 Presented by Amazon Prime Video