Step 1: Have Patience
After her dramatic departure from the group in 2016, it appeared at first that Camila Cabello would find the most success after Fifth Harmony. She was reached with immediate triumph little over nine months later with Havana - I still have that chorus stuck in my head over two years afterwards. But we were foolish to believe that there could be only one breakout star to come from the X Factor-manufactured group.
The remaining members of Fifth Harmony disbanded in May of last year and, unlike Camila, Normani left us waiting over a year for her first solo release. It's hard not to compare any of the five girls from Fifth Harmony, but particularly Normani and Camila; the other three members have made less noise in pop culture post-split. While Camila's first release as a soloist came imminently (and was met with high praise), Normani has proved that good things definitely do come to those who wait with her track Motivation. She has taken her time, not rushing to push her first single, and it's paid off. Between the two former bandmates, it's nice to witness that there is no clear path to success - it's different for each artist.
Step 2: Test the Waters
Although Motivation is the first time we hear Normani completely by herself, it hasn't entirely been her first release in the fifteen months between the end of Fifth Harmony and Motivation. Normani has teased us with a few features post-girlband breakup, mostly sultry RnB love songs, a contrast to Motivation's fun, summery feel.
The first came from Love Lies with Khalid, the platinum certified single that was a part of 2018's Love Simon soundtrack. That same year we heard collaborations between Normani and Calvin Harris and Waves, with 6lack.
Perhaps her most well known feature came at the beginning of this year on Dancing With a Stranger by Sam Smith. It fuses disco and RnB with pop and became an instant radio hit. It’s the first time we really see Normani as the diva she embodies on Motivation.
Step 3: Be Inspired
Motivation showcases everything that is good about music from the early noughties. It was a time when pop girls were thriving in a way no other era has matched, but Normani’s homage to Rich Harrison produced pop comes pretty close. The brassy breakdown in the track is reminiscent of Deja Vu and Check On It from Normani’s idol Beyoncé. The track, co-written by Ariana Grande, is an upbeat, high-energy listen, perfect for the summer in which it was released. Normani has an ability to take elements from the pop music that made the early 2000s so great and make it relevant in today’s pop climate.
Step 4: Nail the Music Video
Not just using the sounds of pop princesses as inspiration, Normani also paid tribute to the visuals of her heroes in the accompanying music video. The Dave Meyers directed video opens with a flashback (starring her actual grandma) where a young Normani is watching 106 & Park. Followed by flawless porch choreography with the streets of Los Angeles as her backdrop, Normani proceeds to knee bump and booty bump a basketball, a scene that prompted the #NormaniChallenge across social media. The set used for this portion of the video is the location used in the I’m Real (Remix) video from Jennifer Lopez (also directed by Dave Meyers).
It’s a fun visual that will leave viewers watching again and again to spot the hidden references and easter eggs Normani and Meyers have planted throughout. References to Beyoncé, J-Lo, Ciara and Britney Spears are some of the easiest to spot.
Step 5: Leave Them Wanting More
At just 23, Normani has already had a lifetime of successful hits with Fifth Harmony, but now a soloist, she’s free to steer the ship in whichever direction she chooses. With Motivation, alongside her other solo features, Normani proves she’s got it all: incredible vocals; perfected choreography; connections from her girlband past that led her to work with some of the best (Grande, Meyers); her own songwriting skills; captivating stage presence and experience of touring the world and creating a body of work with 5H. She already knows what works and is at an advantage ahead of the release of her first solo album - she knows what she likes and has found her style somewhere between bubblegum pop and RnB.
Despite not charting as high as Cabello did with her solo projects, Motivation is the single needed for Normani’s comeback. A radio friendly, summery pop anthem, the single shows us that Normani has the potential to become the next big thing. She’s a superstar in the making and it looks as though a new queen of pop is about to take reign.