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Normani has “lived so much life over the last few years,” but her album dopamine is finally coming out. It drops June 14, and she says she’s anxious about “the pressures of the wait and hoping that everybody loves this body of work as much as I love it.”
“I’m still listening to things again for the hundredth time to make sure there are no extra harmonies that I want to put in a section, or a lyric that I might want to change,” she tells Rolling Stone. “I want to know that I put in absolutely everything that I could, that I exhausted every possibility.”
Featuring some songs inspired by her boyfriend, dopamine sees Normani channel Janet Jackson and includes a song with Brandy that captures the feeling of “A Capella (Something’s Missing).”
One of the challenges of putting the record together, however, was completing it after she learned both her parents had been diagnosed with cancer.
“The pain that I experience takes away from me being able to be creative and having the motivation to get up and be productive. That was something that I really struggled with,” she says. “I’ve definitely been tested throughout this process, but there’s a beautiful side to it, too. I’ve given up a lot to be in the position I’m in.”
Normani hopes that by listening to dopamine, people understand “that I’m f****** strong despite everything that I’ve endured. It’s a testament to my strength and my resilience and my discipline.”
“I’m a lot more sure of myself, a lot more comfortable,” she continued. “I’ve done a really good job at navigating and getting back to who I am and recognizing the beauty. I’m trusting myself a lot more.”
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