Normani

Normani Kordei Hamilton (/nɔːrˈmɑːni/ nor-MAH-nee; born May 31, 1996), known mononymously as Normani, is an American singer. She first became known as a member of the girl group Fifth Harmony, which became one of the best-selling girl groups of all time. While in the group, she competed in Dancing with the Stars (2017). She embarked on a solo career with her 2018 debut single "Love Lies" (with Khalid), which peaked within the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100 and received quintuple platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

Following Fifth Harmony's indefinite hiatus, Normani released a two-song EP with Calvin Harris, Normani x Calvin Harris (2018). Her 2018 single, "Waves" (featuring 6lack), won a MTV Video Music Award for Best R&B Video. Her 2019 single, "Dancing with a Stranger" (with Sam Smith), reached the top ten in 22 countries, and earned a Song of the Year nomination at the Brit Awards 2020. Later that year, she released her first solo single, "Motivation" to critical acclaim. She appeared in the music video for Cardi B's 2020 single "WAP". Her debut studio album, Dopamine (2024), was led by the top 20 single "Wild Side" (featuring Cardi B).

Normani also collaborated with Ariana Grande, Nicki Minaj, and Megan Thee Stallion on the Charlie's Angels: Original Motion Picture and Birds of Prey soundtracks. She served as an advisor on Season 17 of the NBC competition series The Voice. As an actress, she made her feature film debut in the Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck directed Freaky Tales.

Normani Kordei Hamilton was born in Atlanta on May 31, 1996, to Derrick and Andrea Hamilton. She has two older half sisters, Ashlee and Arielle. Raised in New Orleans, she and her family relocated to Houston, after Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Normani attended private school as a child and was homeschooled from sixth grade. From the age of three, she competed in dance, gymnastics, and beauty pageants. She and her mother traveled between Houston and Los Angeles for acting, singing and dance auditions. She recorded a couple of songs, her first at age 13, and appeared in the HBO series Treme. Normani has said that dancing was her "first passion".

Normani auditioned for the second season of The X Factor USA in 2012 with a performance of "Chain of Fools" by Aretha Franklin that earned approval from all four judges. She was cut during the second round of boot camp, but was invited back to the show to perform as part of a group with Ally Brooke, Lauren Jauregui, Dinah Jane, and Camila Cabello. That group, later naming itself Fifth Harmony, made it to the finale, finishing in third place.

In October 2013, Fifth Harmony released their first EP, Better Together. The group released their debut album, Reflection, in 2015, and their second album, 7/27, in 2016. The latter two albums spawned the hit singles "Worth It" and "Work from Home", respectively. After Cabello's departure from the group in December 2016, Fifth Harmony released their self-titled album as a quartet in August 2017. Time referred to them as arguably "the biggest girl group in the world" at the time. Normani became the quartet's de facto leader, leading solos and choreography. Her onstage confidence in the group caught the attention of executive Tunji Balogun, who founded RCA's imprint Keep Cool, and manager Brandon Silverstein, who began working with Normani in late 2017. On March 19, 2018, the group announced their decision to take an indefinite hiatus to pursue solo careers.

In 2015, Normani released two dance videos performing Future's "Fuck Up Some Commas" and Teyana Taylor's "Do Not Disturb" on her YouTube channel. From February 2016 through January 2017, Normani released covers of several songs, including Tory Lanez's "Say It" and mashups of Drake's "Fake Love"/"Sneakin'", and Solange's "Cranes in the Sky"/"Don't Touch My Hair", with the help of the producers The Invaders. Normani competed on season 24 of Dancing with the Stars from March through May 2017, alongside her dancing partner, professional ballroom dancer Valentin Chmerkovskiy. They reached the finals and finished in third place. In early August 2017, Normani had a cameo in singer Khalid's music video for "Young Dumb & Broke". In October 2017, it was announced that Normani had signed to management company S10 Entertainment as a solo artist. S10 Entertainment later partnered with Roc Nation to manage their artists, including Normani. She was also reported to have signed a publishing deal to Stellar Songs in early February 2018.

Normani's duet with Khalid, "Love Lies" from the soundtrack for romantic teen comedy-drama film Love, Simon (2018), was released in February 2018. It was included on the film's soundtrack of the same title, which was curated by Jack Antonoff. The song was considered a sleeper hit, reaching the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100, and peaking at number 9 after charting for 28 weeks. "Love Lies" scored the highest first-week position for a single by a girl group member in the US, debuting at number 43 on the Billboard Hot 100. "Love Lies" reached number 1 on the Mainstream Top 40 chart, and charted for forty five weeks, tying the then record for longest charting song on the chart with Dua Lipa's "New Rules". The song was later placed on former U.S. President Barack Obama's 2019 year-end favorite songs list.