For years, a recurring theme in the Normani fan community has been waiting for her to release her debut solo album. Normani herself even got in on the fun by announcing the long-awaited project’s title with a website, wheresthedamnalbum.com. While Normani is now cracking jokes along with her devotees, she admits there was a point where the jokes weren’t quite landing with her.
In a new interview with Apple Music’s Ebro, Normani explained:
“I would be lying if I said I didn’t feel impact by that, personally, because I know everything that I was going through and enduring. I’m like, ‘I promise, I care, I’m still here, I’m trying.’ Literally, I’ve dedicated my life, every ounce of my being, to this project and to this very moment, so I don’t want anybody thinking the opposite. But I feel like it’s something I can laugh about now.”
Earlier in the conversation, she noted, “I’ve just had so many roadblocks, I would say, that people didn’t necessarily know were taking place, and things that were beyond my control. My mom was diagnosed with breast cancer, and then the following year, after going through that as a family, my dad ended up getting diagnosed with prostate cancer. I’m sure, as you can imagine, having to endure that while also trying to continue to get the ball down the field and get this project out, it just came with a lot. There were days that, honestly, I didn’t feel like getting out of bed, and it’s hard to be creative and hard to be motivated and continue to be inspired.
Check out the full interview above.