Normani's Album After Fifth Harmony: Release Date, Songs, More

It’s been years in the making, but Normani‘s debut solo album is almost here!

Following her departure from Fifth Harmony, the songstress collaborated with well-known artists in the music industry and dropped the smash-hit single “Motivation,” but now it’s officially her time to shine. While teasing an upcoming project with W Magazine in May 2021, per screenshots shared by a fan on Twitter, “finishing” her debut album was one of Normani’s highlights of 2020.

When reflecting on the past year of her life amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the former X Factor contestant noted that she was forced to “shift” her perspective after her mom was diagnosed with breast cancer and she was unable to travel home during the global health crisis.

“Finishing my album really helped her get through it, and really helped me get through it,” Normani explained, noting that her parents are her biggest supporters. “Honestly, I could put out trash and my mom and dad would literally be like, ‘This is a hit, this is a smash, how dare they not love it the way we love it.'”

As for her album’s release, the former girl group member explained during an October 2020 interview with Teen Vogue that it’s definitely been a long time coming, but she wants it to “be an opportunity for the public to be able to get to know me in a way that they haven’t been able to before.”

“There’s so much expectation that I have for myself, so adding [fans’ expectations] onto that can be a lot, but it really does motivate me,” Normani explained. “I really want to create a body of work that’s going to count, you know? I’m never going to get my first album back.”

With this album, the “Love Lies” songstress wants to “be able to show not only women, but people in general, that I am a human as well.”

“Honestly, for me, it’s bigger than the music,” she told the magazine. “As much as I love what I do, I want to change lives and I want to reach as many people as I can. I feel like that’s the difference between doing something that you love and also having purpose. I want to tell our stories and, like I said, be a representation that Black girls can do anything...I feel like it’s my calling.”

As for the highly anticipated release date announcement, Normani said at the time, “When God tells me that it’s done, then it’ll be done. I’ll feel it, you know?”

Scroll through our gallery for everything we know about Normani’s debut solo album so far.

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What to Expect

The songstress told Women’s Health in November 2020 that the record is “empowering.”

“People will always remember how you made them feel and what a record did for them,” Normani explained. “My lyrics have more depth, and they’re more intentional and come from a more authentic place, because I now feel more connected to myself than before.”

The Release Date

Unfortunately, Normani has not announced a release date just yet, but in May 2021, she retweeted a fan tweet that read, “Normani on the verge of announcing I’m gonna go insane.” Then, while appearing on The Zach Sang Show in July 2021, the songstress said her album is “pretty much done.”

“I’m looking for one more song,” Normani explained.

“I wanna tell you that summer is going to be lit,” she teased during an interview with Entertainment Tonight from November 2021. “We’re doing everything! I’m ready to perform, I miss performing.”

Collaborations

In July 2021, the songstress teamed up with Cardi B for the single “Wild Side.”

“It was very important for me to lead with this record, specifically because representation is key, and me coming from a multi-cultural group, a very mainstream pop group, I wanted my fans to see this other layer of me,” Normani explained of the song during an August 2021 interview with Ebro Darden on Apple Music 1. “Not just artistically but like, this is who I am as a person. I’m a Black female who can do the pop s–t but I can also be on a record with Cardi, and I could do features with 6lack. I’m all of those things. And I feel like people are so quick to put me in a box and create barriers but I’ve always been expressive of the fact that I want to be genre-less, I can do it all.”

‘Fair’

“This song really captures me in one of my most vulnerable moments. Sharing this record makes me uncomfortable because you have never really seen me in this light,” the songstress shared via Instagram in March 2022. “Definitely aware that you might feel like you don’t know much about me but that’s only because it’s what makes me feel protected. I am really forcing myself to let go here. This is huge for me and hopefully this piece of art resonates. Love is beautiful yet so soooo terrifying.”

‘Candy Paint’

She announced that her single titled “Candy Paint” is “coming soon,” during an interview with Billboard in June 2023.

“I really wanted to create a record that allowed me to show my personality,” she said of the track. “I feel like there’s a misconception; it probably has everything to do with my social media. I think that people think I’m so serious, which is the complete opposite [of me],” she explained.

“I really wanted to create a record that encompassed that and allowed my personality to shine. It’s a performance record first, which I know my fans have been waiting for, for a very long time. It’s fun, energetic, bossy. It’s bold. It’s sassy but assertive, and yeah, I’m really excited to shoot the music video.”