After getting her start back in 2012 on the popular music competition show, The X-Factor, Normani Hamilton, better known by the entertainment world as “Normani,” surprised everyone by venturing into a solo-career after Fifth Harmony’s hiatus.
While in Fifth Harmony, the popular girl band that many will remember for catchy songs such as “Wok From Home” and “Worth It,” Normani was the most underrated member—all eyes were on band member Camila Cabello. But, after dropping hit-singles like Motivation, and Dancing with a Stranger, which was a collaboration with Sam Smith, there is only one thing left to say: Normani is a rising star.
Star Factor
“I had found out about Normani because of [Fifth Harmony]. I got to watch them on X factor and ever since then my love for Normani has been growing non stop,” said Sebastian Diaz, a Normani fan who goes by the user kordeigrande_ on Twitter.
Many fans and supporters of Fifth Harmony believed the same thing, which led there to be a high level of anticipation following the disbandment of the band.
So when Normani Kordei’s first single as a solo performer dropped, it was well received.
Released through on February 14, 2018 ‘Love Lies‘, a collaboration between Normani and R&B star Khalid, achieved charting success and peaked at Number 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
With inspiration from 90s R&B—especially from the works of of Missy Elliott, Lauryn Hill, and Janet Jackson—Normani is able to pull through with dance, voice, and attitude while maintaining her own style.
“She just has it all. She has a beautiful voice and can really sing, she can dance, and she has incredible stage presence. But most importantly, she has a clear vision of what she wants to achieve in the future and she’s willing to work hard for it and I think that’s something that really sets her apart from other artists,” stated Julia Brauner, another Normani fan who goes by “ShinyStew” on Twitter.
Since the Fifth Harmony girls went their separate ways, all eyes had been on Camila; and with Normani’s quick rise in stardom in the past year, many people have begun to criticize her abilities as an artist and entertainer.
Many have taken to calling her “overhyped” because they believe that Normani doesn’t possess the vocal skills necessary to reach a high level of musical recognition, while others believe that her dancing leaves much room for improvement.
“Clearly, a lot of people like what she is doing. The streaming numbers, the praise she gets from other people in the industry – that does not come from nowhere. I do not think she is overhyped. The fact that some people have already decided that she is not worth the hype when she hasn’t even had a real chance to show her full potential as an artist is confusing to me,” explained Brauner.
“If people do happen to like her and her work, that’s great, and if they don’t, that’s their problem.” Brauner emphasized.
With the support of her loyal fan base, Normani has risen to stardom and it only seems as though she can only go up from here.
“Seeing little black girls loving and embracing normani makes us the “Nation”, feel so good because she is an inspiration, especially for dark skinned girls who doesn’t see a lot of representation in the music business and as an entertainer, normani is shaking the table and making artist improve on their own performances,” said Diaz.
“She’s bringing back something that was lost. But, her time is coming.”
For now, we just have to be patient.
