Normani, like many of her colleagues in the entertainment industry, has had to fight against the odds to have her voice heard in a constantly changing environment.
The “Wild Side” singer, who has collaborated with some of the biggest names in American music, gave a heartfelt speech on Saturday at Variety’s Hitmakers Brunch.
The entertainer kept it real as she reminisced on her journey and career so far. She spoke about how it all started, and feeling overlooked.
The “All In My Head” Singer Felt Like The Underdog
MEGAThe video of Normani giving her speech as she accepted the Collaborator of the Year Award was shared by Variety on Twitter. The singer started her address by saying:
“This is really, really big for me, I’ve always felt growing up, like, really, really overlooked. And I always had this fear of being seen.”
She mentioned that her mom would often ask why she chose to be in a girl group. Normani said she would even ask if she was in the female band to hide.
The Fifth Harmony alum then revealed that God’s plan for her was different from what she imagined because she became uncomfortable and believed it was good for her. She added:
“sometimes I get so in my head and, like Sean was saying, I’m a perfectionist, and I often get in my own way a lot of the time.”
However, the dancer is only grateful for people around her and particularly being a Black woman in the music world.
Normani also acknowledged other female artists in her touching message for their impact on the industry. She touched on an interesting myth about women when she said:
“Historically, women have always been positioned against one another to compete and falsely believe that there’s only room for one of us.”
The “Motivation” singer added that she was excited to be part of a time where women celebrate and support each other and hope to inspire coming generations to follow the same path.
.@Normani gives a heartfelt speech: “This is really, really big for me. I’ve always felt, growing up, really overlooked… My mom would ask me, ‘Why do you want to be in a girl group? Is it so you can hide?’ … God clearly had other plans for me.” https://t.co/7QR2TgXz7c pic.twitter.com/KNoJpNKcgP
— Variety (@Variety) December 4, 2021
It Wasn’t All Roses For The 25-Year-Old Songstress In Fifth Harmony
Being part of one of the most popular girl groups of the 21st century wasn’t all about red carpets and glamour for the colored singer; a lot happened behind closed doors.
Since the Fifth Harmony split in 2018, Normani has been quite the star, with herself to thank for it. Although, before that, she had to become like one of them.
In August, The Blast reported that the singer had to endure racist comments on the internet. She also didn’t get to sing that much while in the group.
In the recent music video of her single “Wild Side,” in which she featured Cardi B, lots of skin and sensual appeals were portrayed.
Normani admitted that she could throw ass, but she could also give an eight-count. Despite being a black woman, the multi-talented performer is quite the ballerina and can perform other contemporary dances.
She gave credit to her parents for her work morale which was imbibed in her at quite a young age.
Normani’s Performance At The MTV VMAs
In September, The Blast shared a report about Normani’s mind-blowing performance at the MTV VMAs.
This was during the first performance of her single “Wild Side.” This performance could be compared to Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion‘s Grammy performance to “WAP.”
Although lots of people loved the performance, Dave Portnoy, the Barstool Sports founder, was one of those who didn’t.
He wrote on Twitter, “This is good. Barstool bad.” He expressed how people described Barstool as sexist, but it seemed cool for Normani to display quite a sexual performance while on stage.
This message got many reactions from people, including the singer’s fan base, appalled parents, and scorned women.
