It seemed inevitable that the girls of Fifth Harmony would call for a “hiatus” soon after Camila Cabello’s departure in December 2016.
For weeks, there’d been rumors that the “Crying In The Club” singer had planned to exit the group as soon as the album cycle for their sophomore record, 7/27, had come to an end and that Cabello had already been secluding herself from her colleagues so that she could commence work on her self-titled debut album.
In an official statement that same month, Ally Brooke, Dinah Jane, Lauren Jauregui, and Normani shared with their fans on Twitter that after being “informed via her representatives,” Cabello had decided to leave Fifth Harmony. Yet, the remaining girls were adamant about continuing as a four-piece.
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While the sudden announcement stunned (and probably saddened) fans, it ultimately meant that other members in the band — Normani, specifically — could finally showcase their talent.
“You Harmonizers have been there with us since the beginning, you’ve supported us, you’ve rejoiced and cried with us, you’ve grown with us, and with your love and support, we will continue on,” the band said in a statement. “That being said, we are excited to announce that we will be moving forward with the four of us.”
Even though Fifth Harmony weren’t happy to have been left in the dark about their former band member’s decision to go solo without a heads up, there’s little to no doubt that Normani must’ve been relieved about the move.
Right from the start of their first record deal signing, Cabello was set out to be the group’s lead singer, which became apparent since her voice was predominantly heard on almost all of Fifth Harmony’s songs. At the same time, though, the other girls were relegated to being nothing more than background vocalists for the most part.
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Normani has been vocal in saying that she could never showcase her singing abilities in the group for that particular reason; the label had established that Cabello was the star of Fifth Harmony and the remaining group members were going to fit in where they could.
“I didn’t get to really sing in the group. I felt like I was overlooked,” she said in an interview for the September 2021 issue of Allure. “That idea has been projected on me. Like, ‘this is your place.'”
Each girl had auditioned as a solo artist in the audition rounds on FOX’s short-lived competition series, The X Factor, back in 2012. Despite having amassed multiple Top 10 hits globally as part of Fifth Harmony — after being put in a group by their judges Simon Cowell, Britney Spears, LA Reid, and Demi Lovato — that didn’t mean much for someone like Normani whose voice was barely heard both in and out of the recording studio.
Aside from the fact that she was rarely allowed to sing more than a few lines on each given track, the “Waves” vocalist also dealt with self-esteem issues brought upon by trolls who taunted her with derogatory and racist comments.
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According to her, the endless cyberbullying she experienced throughout her time in the group had taken a significant toll on her confidence.
“It was a subconscious thing,” she said. “You think, ‘Why am I the least-followed in the group?’ Even if you don’t recognize that you’re paying close attention to it, it takes a toll on your confidence. You worry — is it me? Is it because I’m black? Or am I just not talented?”
Two years prior, in late 2019, fans will recall how a string of old Tumblr posts written by Cabello in 2012 — when she was 14 and 15 years old — had resurfaced on Twitter, showing Shawn Mendes’ girlfriend using insensitive language as she stereotyped black people with references to KFC and watermelons.
At least a handful of those posts had also seen Cabello using the n-word while other Tumblr entries mocked Asian and Mexican people. The social media thread gained so much attention, accumulating over 80,000 likes in a matter of hours, that it prompted Cabello to issue an immediate apology on her Instagram page.
“When I was younger, I used language that I’m deeply ashamed of and will regret forever. I was uneducated and ignorant, and once I became aware of the history and the weight and the true meaning behind this horrible and hurtful language, I was deeply embarrassed I ever used it,” the “First Man” vocalist expressed.
Is it fair to ponder whether she used this language around Normani? After all, the two spent a lot of their teen years together, so it would seem quite far-fetched to assume that the latter did not know about Cabello’s not-so-nice behaviour behind the scenes, right?
Whatever the case, in early 2017, production commenced for Fifth Harmony’s self-titled album, their third and final offering, which was released in August that very same year, spawning the singles “Down,” “He Like That,” and “Por Favor.”
The project peaked at No. 4 on Billboard’s Hot 200 and generally gained favorable reviews from critics, including AllMusic who asserted that the group had completed the transformation “from a youthful pop outfit into a mature, adult contemporary R&B entity.”
Fans argued that while the third album didn’t produce a commercial smash hit to the tune of “Work From Home,” which went on to sell over 8 million copies worldwide, the body of work as a whole had allowed all four girls to sing lead and felt more like a collective effort than having one person (Cabello) take the forefront once again.
But by March 2018, Fifth Harmony announced the band was going on a hiatus to allow other members to “pursue solo endeavors,” which fans instantly took as the girls announcing they were parting ways for good.
One month prior, Normani made her solo debut as a featured artist on Khalid’s “Love Lies,” which was quickly climbing up the charts, peaking at No. 9 on the Hot 100 and selling a whopping 5 million units in the United States alone.
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Normani released another major single with British superstar Sam Smith in January 2019 when the pair collaborated on the song “Dancing with a Stranger.” The track fared exceptionally well, with sales surpassing 7 million worldwide.
It was inevitable at this point that the fears and insecurities Normani once faced in Fifth Harmony were ultimately preparing her for her own solo career.
While she once struggled finding her voice in the five-part band, the Atlanta native learned to brush off the negative comments that have affected her so deeply in the past, and believed in herself enough to know that she is “that b***h,” as Nicki Minaj put it.
Since releasing her debut single “Motivation” in August 2019, she has reached some impressive milestones, such as becoming the fastest solo artist to accumulate one billion combined streams (without an album) on Spotify.
She would take a lengthy hiatus from music before coming back with her latest single, “Wild Side,” featuring Cardi B in June 2021. The track peaked at No.14 on Billboard’s Hot 100 and is said to be a taste of what fans can expect from Normani’s debut studio album, which she recently gushed will drop in the coming months.
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Needless to say, though, Normani has blossomed into an R&B powerhouse who didn’t necessarily have the easiest time in Fifth Harmony, yet she has learned so much along the way, propelling her to become the artist she is today.
“My purpose in this work that I do is for other people that feel like they have Black women figured out. There’s so many layers to us, there’s so many textures, there’s so much that we’re capable of doing,” she told Allure.
“Yes, I can throw a**. But I can also give you a proper eight-count, and I can do ballet, and I can do contemporary dance. If I want to sing this pop ballad, then you’re going to love it! While you see my Black face!”