After much anticipation, Normani has finally released her long-awaited debut album, Dopamine. The former Fifth Harmony member has been teasing the project since 2018, struggling to produce it due to various factors such as her parents’ diagnosis with cancer. Her mother Andrea was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2020 after 19 years of remission, while her father Derrick was separately diagnosed with prostate cancer the next year, coinciding with her mother’s completion of chemotherapy. Normani has confirmed that both parents are now “healthy, by the grace of God”.
Normani also opened up about the online scrutiny she received while going through a tough breakup, fears that she had failed to capitalize on her momentum after Fifth Harmony’s split in 2018, and her perfectionist tendencies. Speaking about this, she said, “Honestly, it was just a reminder of all the questions I was already asking myself. I’ve had to learn to grant myself some grace and forgiveness, because a lot of it was just out of my control. I did the best with what I could, and that’s on top of the business shifting, teams changing. It was a lot.”
Normani has explained that the delay in releasing her album was a result of a combination of changes in her team, business shifts, and the aforementioned personal struggles. Despite the numerous setbacks, Normani has said that her debut album feels like liberation and a season of freedom, representing everything she has gone through to get to this moment. It has received high acclaim, with NME awarding it four stars and calling it “brilliant.”
Furthermore, the singer has addressed rumors of a Fifth Harmony reunion, making it clear that she has moved on and is focusing on her solo career. Normani seems reflective and grateful for what she has been able to accomplish, despite the challenges that have come her way. Dopamine is a tribute to her musical evolution and growth, and the album she believes she was always meant to make
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