Delays, Collabs, Team Changes: Normani’s Debut Album Is Six Years in the Making

Normani’s debut album is finally coming! Fans went into a frenzy on Feb. 21 when the R&B star announced that she’ll be releasing her debut album. It’s called Dopamine. While an exact release date has yet to be announced, the singer teased that fans can expect the new music at some point this year.

“Cryingg typing this rn,” she wrote on Twitter with an image of the album cover. “DOPAMINE THE ALBUM.”

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The cover art sees Normani posing atop a large black rocket in a two-piece swimsuit as she looks into the distance. With the album artwork, she also shared a short snippet of her singing a R&B song, showcasing her luscious vocals.

“It’s a representation of my evolution. It’s the version of me that’s been through some things over the course of the last few years,” Normani told Who What Wear.

And while fans are certainly excited at the idea of Normani’s long-awaited solo album finally coming out, they’ve been here before. Since launching her solo career in 2018, around the time that Fifth Harmony disbanded, Normani has built up immense anticipation for her upcoming LP: she’s teased about having an album title ready, dropped numerous A-list collaborations, and has hinted that it was almost done for nearly six years.

Through the years of musical drought — she has 15ish songs out, most of which are collaborations — fans have been asking her (and themselves): “Where is the album?” Well, it looks like it’s finally (almost) here.

“I end up having certain conversations with myself where I’m thinking, ‘Is what everybody is saying true? Did I miss my moment? Did I wait too long? Do they still care?’” Normani told Who What Wear.

Here’s a timeline of all of the twists and turns leading up to the imminent release of Dopamine:

March 2018 — Fifth Harmony announces hiatus, Normani signs to RCA

Following the release of Fifth Harmony’s final album in 2017, several of the group’s members (at that point, Normani, Ally Brooke, Lauren Jauregui, and Dinah Jane) started to branch out with solo singles. And Normani led the way.

Aside from Camila Cabello, who left the group in 2016, Normani was the first to reach radio success as a soloist, thanks to “Love Lies,” a collaboration with Khalid, which dropped just a month before Fifth Harmony announced that the group would be going on an “indefinite hiatus” for solo endeavors.

“There are so many people excited for me, which I love, but that comes with pressure. I look at my core fans and see how loyal, dedicated and committed they’ve been. How they’ve rocked with me from the beginning. I just want to live up to those expectations,” she told Rolling Stone that year.

In April 2018, the singer became the first artist to sign to RCA Records imprint Keep Cool, months after joining Brandon Silverstein’s S10 Entertainment for a management deal. (They stopped working together in 2024.)

“I’m so incredibly grateful to be able to be in a place where I can explore myself as an artist and what I’m capable of,” Normani said when she signed. “Never in a million years did I think I would be in this position in 2018. Everyone has been so supportive and patient; thank you so much to my fans for giving me the opportunity.”

Summer 2018 — “I have my album title y’all”

Stan Twitter loves bringing this tweet up.

In June 2018, the singer teased her debut record by tweeting, “I have my album title y’all.” At the time, fans assumed she’d be releasing her LP imminently. In the years since, fans have brought up the tweet to tease Normani and her fans about how long it’s taking her to drop an LP.

Ahead of her Dopamine announcement Wednesday, Normani brought the tweet back, quote-tweeting it with a link to wheresthedamnalbum.com, which led to a pre-save page for the record. (One fan counted that it took 2,062 days for the album title to finally be made public.)

That summer, during the VMAs, Tiffany Haddish tried to throw shade at the Fifth Harmony girls for disbanding. But Nicki Minaj set the record straight shortly after: “Tiff, don’t be coming for Fifth Harmony, because Normani is that bitch.”

The fall after Minaj’s declaration, Normani released some collaborations that brought the star outside of the pop-R&B sound of her former girl group.

In October 2018, she dropped a pair of singles produced by Calvin Harris, “Checklist” with Wizkid and Slow Down.” She also collaborated with 6LACK on single “Waves” the following month. (She made a few excellent late-night show appearances around that time.)

Early 2019 — Normani opens for Ariana Grande after Sam Smith collab

The year 2019 was off to a stellar start after Sam Smith released their collaboration with Normani, “Dancing with a Stranger.” The Love Goes duet continues to be the singer’s top-streamed song, reaching nearly 1.3 billion streams on Spotify.

Then, Ariana Grande announced that she’d be taking Normani on the arena Sweetener Tour with her. With only a few songs to her name at the time, she performed her own songs, along with a cover of Aaliyah’s “One in a Million” and a dazzling medley of Rihanna songs. (She also indulged 5H stans with a medley of the group’s biggest songs.)

“There are so many women around me, I’m really inspired,” she told People about the tour that year. “It’s like a sleepover on wheels.”

July 2019 — Normani admits she’s “taking the time to make [the album] real special”

A year after her promise about an album title, Normani provided fans an update about her debut record.

“I have many many more to create,” she wrote to a fan’s now-deleted tweet. “I’ll never get to release my first album again so I’m taking the time to make it real special for me.”

August 2019 — “Motivation” breaks the internet

Few debut solo singles have made as much noise as Normani’s “Motivation.”

On Aug. 16, 2019, Normani released “Motivation” — the first taste of music from Normani alone. No production collabs. No duets. Just her own star power.

“Motivation” seemed to be the perfect start of an album rollout, as the song’s music video broke the internet as she paid tribute to Britney Spears and Beyoncé, and referenced early 2000s BET in the choreography-filled music video. The song broke her out of the “former Fifth Harmony member” mold.

She followed the single’s release with a stunning performance of the track during the 2019 MTV Video Music Awards.

After “Motivation,” Normani ended the year with her movie soundtrack era. She first joined Ariana Grande and Nicki Minaj for “Bad to You” for Charlie’s Angels in November, and started the year alongside Megan Thee Stallion for the Birds of Prey soundtrack on “Diamonds.”

February 2020 — Normani tells us her album is halfway done

2020 seemed to be the Year of the Normani Album. Keyword? Seemed.

She stunned on several album covers: Fader in Dec. 2019, Cosmo, Women’s Health, and even Rolling Stone, alongside Megan Thee Stallion and SZA. To Rolling Stone, she teased that her album was halfway done and that she wanted a single that summer.

“I want to be able to feel like I was represented in the most authentic way possible because I know what it feels like coming from a girl group and being told who to be,” she told Rolling Stone. “[It’s] just overwhelming now to have the opportunity to be all that I want to be.”

Then, the pandemic hit. And we were deprived of music from Normani for nearly two years. (All we got in 2020? A cameo from Mani in Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion’s iconic “WAP” video and a guest judge appearance on RuPaul’s Drag Race.)

July 2021 — Normani drops “Wild Side” feat. Cardi B

Normani went from “WAP” appearance to “Wild Side” as she marked a comeback with the sultry, R&B single “Wild Side” in July 2021.

The gorgeous music video saw the singer channel her Janet Jackson influences with show-stopping choreography in a dream sequence-esque music video. The song featured Cardi B, and said she “believed in and loved” the song with Normani.

“Not only do I like the song but I fell in love with Normani and her situation. She’s such a talented person. She’s sweet in and out,” Cardi said in a video. “I want to mentor her. I push so her because she should be a top-of-line priority: she can dance, she can sing, she’s got the work ethic.”

With “Wild Side,” fans wondered. Is the album coming now? She appeared on the cover of Allure, which assured she was “ in the final stages of producing her debut solo album.”

But nope, no album came in 2021. In fact, no new music came from Normani for the rest of that year. Instead, she made a guest appearance in Baby Keem and Kendrick Lamar’s video for “Family Ties,” and performed for Rihanna’s Savage x Fenty show.

She ended the year by teasing an album the following summer, telling Entertainment Tonight:

“I wanna tell you that summer is gonna be lit. Yes, the summer’s gonna be lit.”

March 2022 — Normani feeds us with “Fair”

The summer was, sadly, not lit up by a Normani record. But we did get a few songs that year!

In March 2022, she released a heartbreaking R&B ballad titled “Fair” that showcased Normani’s versatile vocals. With it, she gave us this perfect lyric: “Is it fair that you moved on? ‘Cause I swear that I haven’t.”

Aside from “Fair,” she joined Tinashe and Offset for Calvin Harris’ song “New to You,” giving fans a nibble of possible music from the queen. That summer, she also joined her friend Josh Levi for a remix of his song “Don’t They.”

Summer 2023 — Normani teases “Candy Paint” single

Normani secured her bag in June last year, when she was announced as an ambassador for a new line of Bose headphones. With the announcement of her collaboration, Normani shared a preview of a fast-paced, rap-infused song titled “Candy Paint” and admitted that the “wait has been extensive” for new music but promised that “it’s definitely going to be worth it.”

“I really wanted to create a record that allowed me to show my personality. I feel like there’s a misconception; it probably has everything to do with my social media,” she told Billboard at the time. “I think that people think I’m so serious, which is the complete opposite [of me]. Anybody that really knows me knows that I’m really funny. I’m a goofball! I love to twerk.  I’m just regular.”

“I really wanted to create a record that encompassed that and allowed my personality to shine,” she added. “It’s a performance record first, which I know my fans have been waiting for, for a very long time. It’s fun, energetic, bossy. It’s bold. It’s sassy but assertive.”

Fall 2023 — Normani signs new management + Acting!

In August 2023, Rolling Stone broke the news that Normani had signed on new management after parting ways with Brandon Silverstein’s S10 Entertainment after seven years of working together.

She is now being managed by Brandon Creed, who works with Charli XCX and Troye Sivan, and Lydia Asrat, who manages Coco Jones and other acts.

“With new music on the horizon, and Asrat and Creed now at the helm of her musical career, she and the rest of her team are extremely excited to embark on this new chapter and partnership,” a rep for Normani told Rolling Stone at the time.

She started 2024 by appearing at Sundance for the debut of horror-thriller-comedy Freaky Tales, which stars Pedro Pascal, Dominique Thorne, and Jay Ellis. It was her first acting gig since a voice acting role for a Proud Family reboot. “I see the transformation that acting has helped me to achieve. It’s pushed my ability to really dive inward. It really forced me to be vulnerable in a way that’s different from music,” she told Who What Wear about acting.

February 2024 — Normani announces Dopamine

As Twitter and TikTok were relishing in a renaissance of Fifth Harmony’s music, Normani dropped the bombshell: Her album is coming.

Accompanying the announcement, Normani stunned on the cover of Who What Wear, in which details about the project were revealed, teasing a “subtle shift” from her pop-R&B origins.

“They still have the signature elements of Normani’s sonic repertoire, but they indicate a subtle shift,” read the piece. “Listening to this new collection of songs, you can hear the transformation. The lyrics are rooted in a woman who has found conviction in her journey, her craft, and, most importantly, herself.”

“I know what I’ve been through. … For me, this upcoming album is not just about music coming out. It feels like a representation of everything I’ve gone through to get to this moment,” Normani told the outlet. “I know I needed time, experiences, and space coming out of [Fifth Harmony] in order to become the version of myself I needed to be. Without [all of that], I would not be able to exist within the creative space that I am in now. I would not be able to make the type of music I’m making now.”

End of February 2024 — Normani teases a single

Normani is ready to share her new music.

In the days after the announcement of her album, the singer shared a longer snippet of a sexy and soothing R&B track as she lip-synced to the lyrics.

“When I get you alone,” she sings before an angelic ad-lib: “Boy, what you gon do?”

She continues: “Don’t talk too much just do this shit” as the line repeats itself.”

Over the weekend, the singer also shared a message of gratitude to her fans and friends for their support about the announcement.

“I just wanted to say that I’ve been so overwhelmed by the love and support you’ve been showing me these past few days,” she wrote on X. “I can’t believe it’s finally happening and I get to share what I’ve put my literal all into. So much is coming. I love you guys so much, thank you for everything.”

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