Normani is looking absolutely beautiful on the cover of The Fader‘s Now issue, which is out now.
Here’s what the 23-year-old Fifth Harmony member-turned-solo star had to say…
On how being a member of 5H restricted her as an artist: “I don’t feel like while I was in the group anyone saw the truest version of me. I wasn’t allowed the opportunity to showcase that…I’m not able to go in in the way that I want to [because] of what the group was.”
On feeling alienated following an incident that resulted in racist, hateful comments from fans: “[The girls] offered support, but I’m not sure they could be there in the way that I needed because it’s not their experience…they don’t have to face on a day-to-day basis the things that I have to. I definitely learned after that that I had to walk a different way. I can’t look like everybody else.”
On the personal significance of her forthcoming album: “I’m doing this as therapy for me…to be able to get to know myself in a way that hasn’t even been revealed yet, to be vulnerable in a way that I haven’t been before. I want this to be like a diary of all women — to reflect and showcase the many layers of us. We’re not one-dimensional.”
On the list for music, which highlights songwriters, artists, record label executives, agents, and more include Normani, Chloe x Halle, Lil Nas X and more.
“Thank you @forbes 🥰,” Marsai shared on Instagram after the list was revealed.
Click inside to see the full Forbes 30 Under 30 lists…More Here! »
Normani dazzles in this hot shot from her cover story with the December/January issue of Cosmopolitan.
The 23-year-old “Motivation” songstress opens up about her music, the moment she stepped outside her comfort zone and more. Check it:
On realizing she was enough: “I’m not sure what that turning point was, but I was like, Normani is enough. You can be onstage and perform and you can be enough.”
On her hit music video: “I told the director, ‘I want this to be as black as possible.’ I was like, let’s show black culture. Why does pop music have to be so white? Why don’t we make it a little bit more me?”
On making mistakes: “There are a lot of moments where I feel like I have no room to make mistakes. I could fall down a million times, but that is not enough for me, ever. I’m gonna get back up.”
On her art: “Those women before me, I wanna finish what they started…I’m gonna make whatever I do black. You’ll know that I’m a black girl, even if it’s on the quote unquote whitest record ever.”
Normani is now the official face for Rihanna‘s fashion brand, Savage X Fenty!
The 23-year-old “Motivation” singer chatted with Vogue about her new role with the fashion label.
“I was very excited and really honored, especially that the ask came from Rihanna herself,” Normani shared. “I know that this is her passion project, something she genuinely and wholeheartedly believes in and cares about, and the fact that she wanted me to be a part of that meant a lot to me.”
She continues, “She is somebody I’ve looked up to for a very, very long time. She’s had so much influence on me in terms of pop culture and as a woman, but also in terms of how she’s able to do things gracefully while being cutting edge, being bold, pushing the needle, and changing the narrative.”
“I think that being a part of Savage X Fenty is an amazing opportunity for me to show women that I’m also here for them too. I love how inclusive the brand is,” Normani adds. “Being a part of the show and being able to have the opportunity to dance and do what I love was so powerful. It was great to be among so many amazing human beings who deserve to be celebrated because they’re all beautiful—all shapes, all sizes. The show represented everybody.”
You can see the first image from her upcoming campaign on Normani‘s Instagram now!
Normani hits the red carpet in black and gold at the Shawn Carter Foundation Gala held at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino on Saturday (November 16) in Hollywood, Fla.
The 23-year-old “Motivation” singer stepped out for the event alongside quite a few celebs including Beyonce and Jay-Z.
The night also featured a live performance by Alicia Keys. Normani mentioned on her Instagram story that Alicia was the first concert she went to.
Guests in attendance helped raise $6 million dollars for the Shawn Carter Foundation‘s scholarship fund, college prep workshops and bus tours, study abroad opportunities, and community goodwill programs for youth and families in need.
The model gave a piece of her mind in the comments section of the “Dancing With A Stranger” singer’s recent Instagram post, in which she shows off her Cher costume for Halloween.
The troll commented, “I don’t think this is the right costume for a black girl, Cher is white and Cher was thing, Cher did a lot you not even close to her you black people think you own everything not fair you could’ve been beyonce or rihanna or janet but no cher cher is white respect her [sic].”
“There is absolutely nothing wrong with Normani dressing up as Cher for Halloween,” Hailey Bieber wrote. “What do you mean by the first sentence? She can do it because she wants to, she is doing much better than you, you’re behind a computer complaining about a costume. Stop being racist and get out of her page if you don’t like it. It’s 2019 and you’re still supporting the garbage of Trump, Marta.”