Don’t get it twisted, Normani has expressed immense gratitude for her time in Fifth Harmony, however, the singer recently revealed some unsettling behind-the-scenes claims.
At just 16-years-old, Normani became a member of one of the biggest girl groups to date — but a new interview details how “traumatized” it left her.
Almost ten years since 5H was first formed, the “Dancing With a Stranger” songstress is opening up about her time with the band, explaining that she saw it as a “a prison sentence ordered and duly served.”
“I didn’t want to be at the forefront. It wasn’t until later that I started feeling like a token,” she recalls to The Cut about the time she was told by the X-Factor judges that she wasn’t ready for a solo career.
Throughout her time with the pop group, Normani faced an onslaught of death threats and racist messages, including strangers calling her “Normonkey.” The singer revealed that her record label at the time didn’t find it concerning.
“We just continued to do shows, and I was fearing for my life,” she claimed. “But they continued to put me out there on the stage. It was pretty much like, ‘The show goes on.'”
The experience led Normani to feel disconnected from the other girls in the band — Camila Cabello, Lauren Jauregui, Dinah Jane and Ally Brooke — as she revealed it was the “lowest point” in her life.
A few years after the incident, old racist posts from Camila’s Tumblr account came to light — the “I LUV IT’ singer has since apologized for her past behavior.
However, Normani has openly criticized Camila’s initial handling of the situation. In 2020, the songstress was asked by Rolling Stone how she felt about her former group member’s apology.
“It would be dishonest if I said that this particular scenario didn’t hurt me. It was devastating that this came from a place that was supposed to be a safe haven and a sisterhood, because I knew that if the tables were turned I would defend each of them in a single heartbeat.”
Adding, “It took days for her to acknowledge what I was dealing with online and then years for her to take responsibility for the offensive tweets that recently resurfaced. Whether or not it was her intention, this made me feel like I was second to the relationship that she had with her fans.”
Despite the group being on an indefinite hiatus, the former members seem to be on good terms! Normani is set to debut her highly anticipated album this year, which she shared on her Instagram account in April 2024.
Since posting, all of the girls have showed their support for the singer by commenting under the announcement.
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