As her latest Hot 100 top 20 hit made clear, Normani isn’t afraid to show her wild side – even though the journey to confidently doing so wasn’t exactly the smoothest.
Hot on the promo trail in support of her ambassador deals with the American Cancer Society and TRESemmé on the Power Your Style Project, the 26-year-old didn’t hold back while dishing about learning how to be comfortable in her own skin and some of the barriers put in place over her career that almost detoured that experience.
Look inside for more.
In an interview published Monday (October 17), Normani – lauded for her fashion-forward ensembles on stage, red carpets, and music videos – chatted it up with ‘Elite Daily’ correspondent Amber RambHarose to discuss her outlook on fashion and beauty trends.
Along the way, the ‘Motivation’ singer dished about the motivation she’s had over the years to be her authentic self when it comes to her aesthetic.
She says the journey to that reckoning came courtesy of her stint in Platinum-selling girl group Fifth Harmony.
“Starting in Fifth Harmony, we had no input. We were told who to be — musically and in fashion. Not just in terms of what we wore, even when it came to the beauty space,” she shared.
Despite eventually having more of a creative hand in her visuals, Normani says she still battled staunch criticism.
“I have always felt really comfortable in my own skin. I feel like my divine femininity deserves to be celebrated. I guess other people aren’t comfortable or have their own opinions and decided to try to turn that into something negative,” she said in reference to her Cardi B-assisted ‘Wild Side’ music video.
That criticism has even bordered on bullying and sexism according to the former 5H star.
“I remember there was one music video that we were all really upset about, “Work From Home.” We got slut-shamed. Especially at the time, there was and is such a double standard between guys and women being able to be expressive and say certain things in records. We apparently aren’t allowed to, which is why I’m so proud of where women are musically today, being able to say what we want,” she revealed. “It’s something that should be celebrated as opposed to making us feel shameful.”
All-in-all, the naysayers only made her stronger and helped reshape how she defined self-care and self-love.
“It’s an evolution. Just allow yourself to be creative and expressive in spite of what people are trying to paint you out to be,” she said about her journey to self-acceptance. “There’s really no right or wrong.”
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The Elite Daily spotlight came just days after Normani was found in the pages of ‘Elle’ magazine’s October issue (which hit stands mid-September).
There, the songstress spoke openly about her mother’s cancer survivorship – reflecting vividly on how experience the throes of the health scare impacted the recording of her yet-released debut solo album.
“I was working on my debut album, and completing it seemed very unrealistic. Aside from my mom, I wasn’t concerned about anything, including music. It was such a challenge to stay in my groove creatively while also allowing myself to feel everything that I needed to with my mom. She promised that she would still be here once my album dropped, which gave me purpose in creating this body of work. Every session and record that I did carried weight because my art was her escape during treatment,” she said to the women’s mag about her mom’s two battles with breast cancer.
That’s not all she said. Click here to read the candid chat with ‘Elle.’