Katrina Rees
Last week, Fifth Harmony announced their hiatus in order to pursue solo endeavours. Whilst we’re saddened by this news, it does also mean that we will now be getting four times the bops from the fierce ladies.
Whilst Lauren, Ally and Dinah all released collaborations with other artists last year, Normani waited until this year to make her solo debut. ‘Love Lies’, a collaboration with Khalid taken from the movie Love, Simon, was released on Valentine’s Day and marks the start of her exciting new journey.
Normani recently spoke to Beats 1 on Apple Music about the reaction to ‘Love Lies’. She said: “It’s always kind of scary, especially because for the past six years, Fifth Harmony’s all we’ve ever known. So, every time we put something out individually, it’s like, ‘Oh shoot! All eyes are on me!’ It’s cool, because Khalid and I have been friends for a minute now. It’s not necessarily an A&R or somebody saying, ‘Hey! You, you! I’m sticking you in a room. Go make a dope record.’”
“It kind of happened really organically and it’s just two genuine friends making music for the sake of the art. I remember him telling me, he was like, ‘Yo, I want this to be my favorite song. Let’s not even go into it trying to create a hit.’ If it’s gonna be, it’s gonna be, but it’s genuinely my favorite song at the moment right now. And that’s like, my proudest moment. When I can listen to a record over and over again — there’s been a few moments where I’m like, ‘Damn, I’m over it,’ — but I’m not quite over this one yet.”
‘Love Lies’ is just the beginning of Normani’s solo project and she told Beats 1 that she is currently working on her debut album. Despite being in the early stages, she has already worked with some exciting names.
“I’m working on my first full-length album. I’m the beginning stages, still,” she said. “I’ve gotten the chance to work with The Stereotypes, I’m going to be in with the Monsters and the Strangerz, Sarah Aarons, Sailor Heart, Victoria Monét, Ester [Dean] — I’m getting in with her very soon, too, so I’m excited.”
Normani added that she wants her debut album to completely represent who she is as a person. She said: “Honestly, I feel like I’ve experienced a lot in the last six years, so I feel like just getting all of that out. Whatever comes to mind, whatever I’m going through at the moment, I just want this to be an album that completely represents who Normani is, and for some people, it may be the first time.”
