Normani Said She’s “Reinventing” Herself After Feeling Like the Underdog in Fifth Harmony
“A lot of breakthroughs are happening these days.”
She needs no introduction, but if you were to tell her that, old Normani would probably laugh in your face. The newly reinvented Normani? She’d back that statement up with a high note and a confident “that’s right.” In her September story for Allure magazine, Normani explains that growing up, she was always made to feel “overlooked” or second fiddle to her peers, especially in Fifth Harmony.
I’ve always felt like the underdog in anything that I’ve ever done, she explained. I didn’t get to really sing in the group. I felt like I was overlooked.
The “Wild Side” singer recalled how she was strongly encouraged to quell her voice and to put a lid on her inner superstar persona that was clearly dying to break free. “That idea has been projected on me,” she continued. She was made to feel “like, this is your place,” that being number five in the group was as good as it was going to get.
Now look at her. It’s been three years since Normani released her hit single “Love Lies” with Khalid, and she’s rewriting her story. She’s done with being known as the underdog, as the backup girl, who can sing and dance. Normani wants to be front and center and most importantly, valued by not only her peers but herself.
A lot of breakthroughs are happening these days…I’m reinventing myself, she expressed. Now you all are finally going to be able to see me tap into that awareness — that I know I’m the shit.
This wasn’t easy, Normani explained. It wasn’t a switch she could just turn; it meant breaking down walls and letting people in. “For me, that takes a lot. It’s that end of the spectrum. It’s vulnerability. It’s the things that make me scared. It’s the things that I’m insecure about,” she said of her debut album.
As important as it is for Normani to feel vulnerable and open, she also wants to “feel like a bad bitch” while she’s performing on stage. “I just felt this sense of me coming into my own. I feel like a woman now.”
You know what they say: Never underestimate the power and story of an underdog.
