Normani Kordei is the complete package! She can sing, dance, and can deliver a great music video, so there’s no reason that she shouldn’t be a continuous topic in every household. Even with being talented, she has yet to be marketed the right way by her team. In 2019, the former Fifth Harmony group member came out blazing with collaborations with artists such as Khalid and Sam Smith. She also went on to snag spots on the hit television show ‘Dancing with The Stars’ and as Ariana Grande’s opening act on the first leg of her Sweetener tour. Normani has released solo records, ‘Waves’ and ‘Motivation,’ accompanied by a music video that became a viral hit on social media leading her to perform the song at the 2019 VMAs. With that being well over a year ago, fans are wondering where the music is?
She has received support from the music industry’s biggest stars, including Beyonce and Rihanna, already raising her profile as an artist. Although ‘Motivation’ was a massive step for her after she released it, things have been quiet on the music front, and fans want to know why. Her fans have also been calling out her team for deliberately sabotaging her, mainly after they chose not to capitalize on the heat she had after ‘Motivation.’ While I don’t want to assume that her team would ruin her career on purpose, I do feel that they have made a few mistakes in managing her.
Normani is signed to an imprint under RCA called Keep Cool Records, and the head executives are Courtney Stewart and Tunji. Tunji has had great luck developing artists such as Bryson Tiller, H. E.R, SZA, etc. Due to their success with those artists, RCA gave them their own label, and they signed Normani. Fans have consistently called out Tunji and Courtnie on how they have handled Normani’s career. One of their mistakes is pushing Normani to be a pop artist and ignoring these Black platforms when she needs the urban demographic as well as pop to make it. Also, as someone who wants to see Normani win, she deserves to be seen on these Black platforms so she can go even further in her career. From the solo single that she has released so far, she hasn’t quite found her sound yet, and it’s hurting her. In the music industry, it is so important to have the support of the urban audience as its core before moving over to the other demographics, as many artists have done.
This issue all comes back to the music. After Normani figures out her identity as an artist, she needs to release more authentic music that the Black audience can relate to, and the fans will appreciate it. A genuine R&B track would make her career pop, and she would have something to push to the urban stations. I’m not saying she should be confined to making one type of music, but after she establishes that core relationship with the Black demographic, she can cater to multiple audiences like Beyoncé and Rihanna. She needs more music. As soon as she does that and receives the proper promotion, she will take off. I like that her team has been getting her acknowledged by major artists, but she has way too much raw talent and potential to be just a figurehead or fade into the background.
We have so many new female artists who are currently killing the game, from Megan Thee Stallion to Flo Milli. I would hate for a great artist such as Normani to get lost in the shuffle. Her team has prevailed in getting her gigs with Rihanna, appearing in music videos, and singing on movie soundtracks, but what is going to hold her place in the industry is more of her music, clear direction, and consistency from her camp. Once she gets all those down, she will be unstoppable as an artist.
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