Normani fans are eagerly awaiting her debut album as a solo artist. Since her Fifth Harmony Days, Normani has released songs “Love Lies” with Khalid, “Dancing With a Stranger” with Sam Smith, “Diamonds” with Megan Thee Stallion, “Wild Side” feat. Cardi B, and her 2019 hit “Motivation.” Then, last year, she premiered her heartbreak song “Fair,” the lead single off her upcoming album.
“When you go through heartbreak and adversity that often creates the best record,” she previously told “Today.” “And for me, this was really just an opportunity to showcase my vulnerability. I think that I’ve never really been comfortable with being vulnerable in front of people. So for me, this was really a breakthrough and really just shattering the idea of perfection.”
“As a songwriter, I’ve grown tremendously. With me trusting myself, you’ll hear that confidence for sure.”
Normani said her album will be a blend of genres. “I think that’s one thing that in the beginning of the process was limiting to me creatively because I’m like, ‘OK, is this pop enough? Is this urban enough?'” she continued in the Today interview. “Like, I was really, really putting myself through it and not enjoying just making good ass music, which for me is the most important.” She added that she was inspired by some of her favorite ’90s musicians, such as Brandy, Monica, Toni Braxton, and Destiny’s Child.
In an April 2022 interview with BET, the singer said the album is a representation of her growth as an artist. “There’s a range from what you can hear from the records I’ve already put out along with the next record I’ll be putting out — there’s so much dimension to me as a person so I really wanted my artistry to reflect that,” she said. “As a songwriter, I’ve grown tremendously. With me trusting myself, you’ll hear that confidence for sure.”
While the album was expected to drop in 2022, the new projected release date is sometime in 2023. Five years on from the initial album announcement, fans are hanging in there, but she did give a taste of what’s to come in a Bose ad released in June. “In terms of my career and my music, I know the wait has been extensive but it’s definitely going to be worth it, and I just feel like the partnership couldn’t have come at a better time,” she told Billboard after previewing her single, “Candy Paint.”
Normani added that the new album will evoke her sillier side and all her “personality to shine.” “It’s a performance record first, which I know my fans have been waiting for, for a very long time,” she said. “It’s fun, energetic, bossy. It’s bold. It’s sassy but assertive, and yeah, I’m really excited to shoot the [‘Candy Paint’] music video.”