Metro Weekly

Normani has new music coming… but when will she finally drop the album?

On Friday, March 18, Normani is slated to return with a new single "Fair." Is that a harbinger of a full album to finally arrive?

Normami
Normami

It’s now been more than four years since Normani released her first single without her Fifth Harmony bandmates, and in that time, she has been touted by seemingly every music publication and professional in the industry as the next big star.

She’s gotten off to an exciting, if slowly-paced start, but now with a new single on the way, many fans are wondering if Normani is finally getting ready to deliver her first album.

On Friday, March 18, Normani is slated to return with a new single, “Fair.” The tune is her first release of 2022, and it follows in the successful footsteps of 2021’s “Wild Side,” which returned her to the airwaves and the attention of the mainstream media.

That track, which featured Cardi B, came with a must-see music video and was warmly received by fans and critics alike. The smash quickly became a top 20 hit on the Hot 100 for both women, and performed extremely well on various R&B Billboard charts.

While on the red carpet at the 2022 Billboard Women in Music event, Normani spoke to Vibe about the upcoming “Fair,” describing it as, “Vulnerability. Raw Normani. A different layer that you’ve never seen before.”

She went on to add, “I’m just really excited because this captures a point in my life that was really honest. For me, it’s big and it’s growth, the fact that I’m able to share with everybody else.”

“Fair” comes eight months after Normani’s dropped “Wild Side,” and hopefully it won’t be that long again before she releases more music. In fact, many of her most ardent followers, and even casual fans, are hoping that this latest tune means her long, long, long-awaited debut album is finally coming sometime soon.

In the four years since Fifth Harmony split and the women all went their separate ways, Normani has scored a number of hits, and with each one, anticipation for the project grew. But so far, there’s been no word regarding when it might finally arrive.

Normani has landed hits with Khalid (“Love Lies” from the Love, Simon soundtrack) and Sam Smith (“Dancing with a Stranger”), as well as on her own, most memorably with the Ariana Grande co-written “Motivation.” For years, everyone has been waiting for her to kick off an official era, as opposed to sharing the occasional single once a year or so.

To put how slowly things are going in Normani’s world into perspective, keep this in mind: Before she releases her debut album, fellow former Fifth Harmony bandmate Camila Cabello will share her third. Yes, she did depart the girl group first, but the fact that she’s enjoyed so much success and shared so much music in the same span of time does serve to further highlight the fact that Normani’s solo music career has gotten off to a lengthy and slow start.

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