Normani Opens Up About How She Stopped Stressing That Her Work Wasn't "Black Enough"

Published on Nov 17, 2020 at 6:45 PM

Dennis Leupold for Women's Health

While it's easy to buy into the ultraconfident hype that celebrities seem to exude most of the time, our favorite superstars are stressing out just as much as we are. Case in point, Women's Health's December cover star, Normani, revealed that one of the main things she's been working on while staying at home is letting go of what she can't control. "Before I talk to anybody, before I look at a text, before I go on Instagram, I center myself in my room and pray and do breathing exercises and create my own space so that I have a foundation to walk on throughout the rest of the day," she explained in her cover interview. A very zen approach to stressing that many of us should probably look into.

But what could Normani possibly be stressed about? It's not as if she has the ever-looming presence of her unreleased debut album and millions of fans awaiting her official debut! The 24-year-old singer admitted that she's faced some insecurities while working on her solo career, grappling with the fear that her music wouldn't be "Black enough" or "pop enough." But she's come to realize that her music just needs to be authentically her, which is all her fans could ever want. (As well as a release date for the album, of course.) Keep reading for some of Normani's thoughts on her famous fans like Rihanna and Beyoncé, her time with Fifth Harmony, and what the future holds for her!

On learning to go with the flow: "I'm an overachiever. If I put 99.9 percent into something, then that's my selling myself short. But I think there's levels to that, which I became more aware of last year."
On letting go of dwelling on technical difficulties that interfered with her 2019 MTV VMAs performance: "Let go and keep pushing. That one performance doesn't define me."
On how performing is innate to her: "I'm at home when I'm onstage. I don't feel misunderstood, judged, like I have to fit inside a barrier. I feel like I can be anything."

On establishing a more fulfilling career: "For a long time, I was stressed out about checking boxes like, 'Is this Black enough? Is this pop enough?' But music started feeling way better when I just went into the studio with the mentality of being Normani. People will always remember how you made them feel and what a record did for them. My lyrics have more depth, and they're more intentional and come from a more authentic place, because I now feel more connected to myself than before."
On being overlooked for opportunities as part of girl group Fifth Harmony, where she was the only Black member: "That alters the perception you have of yourself. Having certain things happen so blatantly while also feeling like the 'other' and being so young and hearing the public compare [us] took a toll on my confidence. For a long time, I didn't believe in myself because I didn't feel like I was given the opportunity to."

On her celebrity fan base including the likes of Rihanna, Janet Jackson, and Beyoncé: "It's alarming when people you've looked up to, respect, and who kind of define who you are believe in you. But it definitely gives me confidence. I'm grateful to feel seen and heard and like I can be the voice for so many people. Being a Black woman, I feel we're so multifaceted and have so much that we're capable of. It's really important to show Black girls and Black boys that can be anything they want to be."
On her future: "Hopefully, in the next few years I'll have life a little bit more figured out. But if I don't, I'm okay. I don't think we ever have it all figured out. But anything that God has placed on my heart, I want to be fearless in."