A running joke in the pop music corner of the Internet is that singer Normani, a former member of now-defunct group Fifth Harmony, will never release a debut solo album.
It all began when Normani tweeted in 2018, saying "I have my album title y'all." The post has since racked up more than 20,000 retweets and over 50,000 likes. She did not reveal the album name. A year went by and still, no album. Half a decade flew by and yet, there was no Normani LP in sight.
After six years of waiting, fans are finally getting what they want: In February, Normani announced that her debut set, Dopamine, was finally on its way. She also shared the cover art, which features her perched atop of a rocketship wearing a matching black set.
On Friday (April 26), she dropped the record's lead single, "11:59 ft. Gunna." She had not released music since 2022, when she collaborated with Tinashe and Offset on Calvin Harris' "New to You."
"11:59 ft. Gunna" is a smooth, sultry track with minimalist production. Normani's voice flows above the gentle R&B instrumental as she sings, "When I get you alone/Boy, what you gon' do with it? (Shh)/Don't talk too much, just do this sh--." Her voice radiates, captivating the listener.
Normani recently spoke with Elle about the incoming record. She explained that "there's a false narrative that because of how long this process has taken, that means I don't care, or that means I'm more interested in doing other things than putting this body of work out."
She also detailed that the album is a mixture of dance-pop tracks and softer, more introspective songs.
"Dopamine represents the highs and the lows I've endured. It's been such an emotional roller coaster," she said of creating the album.
The artist has endured taunting from fans regarding taking her time about releaasing the music. One X user consistently responded to the initial 2018 album-title post, replying "one year...ur sick" in 2019. In 2020, she wrote "two years...ur sick." The tradition continued into 2023, but now, the fan can gladly bring her annual replies to a close.
"Nobody wants this project to come out more than me. I think that at the end of the day, if I stand behind this wholeheartedly, it doesn't matter what the world thinks," she said.
Having a project she's proud of her was necessary for Normani. She spoke on the lack of creative control she and her fellow Fifth Harmony members had during the girl group's six-year run.
"We didn't have the opportunity to have a real opinion until the last project we did," she said. Fifth Harmony notoriously remained under the thumbs of their management team and record label, with the former members detailing their mistreatment after the departure of Camila Cabello in 2017.
Normani said that she made a promise to herself: "If God gives me another opportunity to do things in my own way, I'm not going to take that for granted."
"This body of work really is just a representation of my resilience."
Dopamine is due out on June 14.
