Normani Kordei wants her new music to genuinely connect with young women.
The singer rose to fame as a member of the girl group Fifth Harmony but is now pursuing a solo career. Normani’s upcoming debut solo record is set to include collaborations with Missy Elliott, Calvin Harris and Kehlani, and the star is hopeful that lots of her material will resonate with her female fans.
“I like to write whenever I’m going through something,” she told Rolling Stone magazine. “But it definitely varies; I’ll have my not-so-amazing moments, and I’ll have my confident moments, but the important thing for me throughout the album process was to make sure that I’m making a body of work that women are genuinely able to connect to. I want women to really hear (themselves) in my songs.”
Normani, who has already scored some success with a song with Khalid entitled Love Lies, is also setting out to break away from her popstar persona with her own record. However, she is hopeful that her Fifth Harmony fans will continue to support her projects.
“I look at my core fans and see how loyal, dedicated and committed they’ve been. How they’ve rocked with me from the beginning. I just want to live up to those expectations,” the 22-year-old shared.
And when it comes to music, Normani cites Beyonce and Nicki Minaj as two of her greatest inspirations, along with a string of other icons. In fact, she always saw herself as the “performer” of the group when she was part of Fifth Harmony along with Ally Brooke, Dinah Jane, Lauren Jauregui and Camila Cabello.
“I was the performer. I wanted to be like Michael Jackson was, Beyonce. Britney. I wanted — and want — to be like Janet Jackson. I feel like that was kind of my role in Fifth Harmony, to be the entertainer,” she added.
