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At only 25, Normani has already faced many hardships in the music industry. As the only Black member in Fifth Harmony, she previously opened up about not having the same opportunities as her group members and facing online racism from their fans. And since going solo, Normani keeps getting compared to her former group member Camilla Cabello, who faced backlash in 2019 for resurfaced racist posts from her Tumblr page.
In a 2020 Women’s Health issue, the “Wild Side” singer admitted that the racist comments she received in the group “altered the perception” she had about herself, but she has since learned from those experiences and has found the confidence that has been there all along.
"I constantly remind myself to be kind to myself," she shared in an interview with Yahoo Life! "Even though you can't expect the rest of the world to do that, it's like at the end of the day, somebody has to, so why not show up for yourself? Why not lift yourself up?"
There were many people in Normani’s life that helped her to see her worth and appreciate her beauty as well as entertainers that influenced her to love herself.
"A lot of that has to do with being raised in a household with women that I really, really looked up to,” she said. “That being my grandmother, that being my mom. And then my dad being the first man in my life that I love and him always encouraging that I was beautiful."
Beyoncé and Janet Jackson also served as her role models in music, which isn’t surprising. Normani’s performance style is often compared to the two megastars and her 2019 music video “Motivation” paid homage to Beyoncé’s iconic “Crazy in Love” video.
"I feel the pressures too. Being a Black woman, just to be seen or noticed, we have to do a lot more and work 10 times as hard," she said. "It was so important for me to have a Janet [Jackson] and have a [Beyoncé] with curves to find my place and to also know that, 'Okay she looks like me. And she's successful. She's beautiful and I can do the same thing.' Little Black me needed to see that."
But they weren’t the “Fair” singer’s only influence. In 2021, Normani praised Kelly Rowland for helping chocolate women like herself feel seen. "Kelly Rowland is someone I've always looked up to and never felt like I couldn't go to for advice," she revealed. She also said the “Kisses Down Low” singer “was a great person all around."
Normani is working on her solo debut album and her latest single “Fair,” has been receiving rave reviews.
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Featured image by Jerritt Clark/Getty Images
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