Normani reflected on her journey as an artist in a heartfelt speech and shared that she used to be afraid of “being seen”.
As per People Magazine, the songstress, who has teamed up with Cardi B, Megan Thee Stallion, Sam Smith, Khalid and 6lack, delivered a speech after accepting the Collaborator of the Year Award at Variety’s Hitmakers Brunch on Saturday. The ‘Fifth Harmony’ alum said, “I’ve always felt growing up, like, really, really overlooked. And I always had this fear of being seen. My mom would always ask me, ‘Why be in a girl group?’ She’s like, ‘Is it so you can hide?'”
“And especially being a Black woman in music, this feels like a particular honour to receive recognition in this category,” she added.
.@Normani gives a heartfelt speech: "This is really, really big for me. I've always felt, growing up, really overlooked… My mom would ask me, 'Why do you want to be in a girl group? Is it so you can hide?' … God clearly had other plans for me." https://t.co/7QR2TgXz7cpic.twitter.com/KNoJpNKcgP
The ‘Motivation’ singer previously opened up about overcoming self-doubt and adjusting to her star power.
“I’ve always felt like the underdog in anything that I’ve ever done. I felt like I was overlooked. That idea has been projected on me. Like, this is your place,” Normani said in an interview, referring to her time as a member of ‘Fifth Harmony’.
Normani also looked back at her upbringing — from her roots in New Orleans to her time in Houston following Hurricane Katrina — saying that growing up, although she sometimes faced bullying at school, she knew she was beautiful in her Black skin.
“I grew up feeling beautiful. My mom, my dad, my grandmother instilled in me at a very early age that I was beautiful. The fact that my skin was chocolate was a beautiful thing. My kinky hair was beautiful. I don’t need to straighten it. I can rock my braids to my all-white school.” she said.
“I did get bullied a lot. Not feeling like I had that representation at school was very hard,” she added.
