MUSIC for This MOMENT

Featuring NORMANI, GRACIE ABRAMS, FLO MILLI, COCO JONES

- SAMUEL MAUDE

NORMANI

In 2018, Normani tweeted these six words: "I have my album title y'all." Ever since that moment, where she announced the title without announcing the title, whenever the former Fifth Harmony member has posted anything, her comments section has exploded with fans wondering when she'll drop her debut album. "That [title] didn't see the light of day," she jokes. "At one point, it was 1906, because that was the address of my grandmother's house that I was raised in. Then it evolved and turned into Butterfly Effect. That was a whole thing, but it didn't stand the test of time."

Now, six years later, she's finally shared its name with the world. Dopamine, which was preceded by the single "1:59" featuring Gunna, is set to be released later this year, and Normani is planning to go on tour. The album shows a different side of her: Dopamine has dance tracks but also features songs exploring her struggles, during and after Fifth Harmony. Both of Normani's parents were diagnosed with cancer (they're doing well now), and she had to fight for creative control earlier in her career. She's also faced heartbreak and intense, unwarranted internet scrutiny. As she says now, "This body of work really is just a representation of my resilience."

There's a lot of pressure for this album due to the wait. How does that feel?

I know what it's like to put out music and records that I don't wholeheartedly believe in. When we were in [Fifth Harmony], we didn't have the opportunity to have a real opinion until the last project we did. I promised myself, "If God gives me another opportunity to do things in my own way, I'm not going to take that for granted."