Normani Shares Her First Time Going Solo, Collaborating With Rihanna & More

Growing up, being able to see a Naomi Campbell, who is

a chocolate girl, a darker complected black girl

that looks like me, just gave me the confident boost

that I needed, especially at a young age.

[Interviewer] Have you met Naomi?

Yes, she's the sweetest.

A little like, overwhelming

because it's like, Naomi Campbell

and I don't get starstruck by a lot of people

but she has such a strong presence.

[upbeat music]

Hey, what's up Teen Vogue?

I'm Normani and these are some of my firsts.

The first time that I performed in front of an audience.

I feel like as young and as far back as I can remember,

it was actually probably my dance recital.

About three years old, I remember wanting

to get into dance only because I wanted a tutu really badly.

I felt like as a shy kid, I could express myself

and people would understand me, so.

Yes.

The fact that Rihanna chose me

to be the first Savage X Fenty ambassador was

just such an honor, especially because I know

that this is her passion project,

this is her baby, aside from music.

Something really really dear to her and like I said,

she cares about it wholeheartedly,

so from her to see something in me or want me to be

a part of it, just meant a lot to me

and I'm really really honored to be a part of something

that's so inclusive.

Like I said, that represents so many people

from different walks of life, you know,

and them being able to own who they are at the core,

confidently, in spite of what society tells them who to be.

I'm just really happy to be a part of that

and be the voice.

I was a competitive dancer and for a long time I was

a part of a company called Dance Zone in Houston, Texas,

which was the first dance studio

and really my home, coming from New Orleans, Louisiana

because me and my family had to relocate

because of Hurricane Katrina

and I just remember watching like, the older kids do

their solos and coming off stage

and celebrating their awards

and I was like, Yo, I want my own award, I wanna be able

to do that too, I wanna build the confidence to be

on stage by myself,

and I remember dancing to Glamorous Life by Sheila E.

I completely forgot my dance, I ran off stage

but Miss Sheila was right there in the wing

and she made sure that I didn't give up on myself

and I went back out there

and I ended up winning the competition, so.

I can't really remember the first move that I learned

in gymnastics but I just know that I was

always bouncing around my house,

which is why my parents were like,

We need to get this girl in somebody's gym

because she's doing back flips on the bed.

I was in gymnastics for a really really long time

at the age of four, so I think that that's where

some of my work ethic probably comes from.

I would definitely have to say that Kelly Rowland,

for me, even more than she probably understands

and knows has had a great impact on me.

Any time I'm like, in a panic to be honest,

whether it's me second-guessing myself

when it comes to music videos

or when I'm just simply going through

a really really hard time, I just know

that I have her to lean on.

I love her, she's like a big sister.

I think for me, being able to see Naomi Campbell growing up

made me feel like I was a standard of beautiful as well.

Like, she's a supermodel.

Growing up, being able to see a Naomi Campbell,

who's a chocolate girl, a darker complected black girl

that looks like me, just gave me the confident boost

that I needed, especially at a young age.

Like, I was one of three black kids in my school,

so I think that she kind of gave me the confidence

and the tools that I needed to be comfortable in my space.

[Interviewer] Have you met Naomi?

Yes, she's the sweetest ever.

A little like, overwhelming because it's Naomi Campbell

and I don't get starstruck by a lot of people

but she has such a strong presence.

I feel like I saw something like, Oh Normani

and Meg Thee Stallion like,

they have a romance going on, and I was like, What?

People come up with the wildest things

and the wildest stories.

They go based off of what they see on social media,

even though I know for a fact we've never given

anybody any reason to even think that.

That was really really funny to me

and one of those moments where I was just like,

Yo, I guess this is what you signed up for.

[Normani laughs]

Oh my god, my first time touring was crazy.

Honestly like, if I could make it through that tour,

I literally feel like I can accomplish anything else

in my career.

We were coming off of The X Factor,

we were doing radio promo,

on top of being on our own headline tour

and we were opening for Demi Lovato's.

When I think of that time, I get a little bit of anxiety.

I actually remember, we were so excited to get

our first tour bus because for new acts,

especially coming off of a really big television show,

part of it is paying your dues

and being in the business for a while.

We were all very very young and underage,

we had to have our parents come out at different times,

so like, one week my mom would be out,

basically have to take turns.

We jumped right into it, crazy times.

The first thing I do after a show,

I jump right in the shower.

For me, skincare is really important,

especially because I wear makeup all the time,

being on stage, sweating,

and I really just suffered with my skin

throughout the course of my career, to be honest,

especially from a young age.

Not wearing a lot of makeup

to drastically wearing makeup every single day

for long periods out of the day.

As much as I love makeup, I enjoy removing it too.

[Normani laughs]

My favorite beauty product because I'm really into skincare

would probably have to be

the Honey Cleanser by iS Clinical.

It's really really gentle, it's healing,

it's for sensitive skin and it also smells

and tastes like honey.

I know that I shouldn't be eating it

and I'm not encouraging you to eat,

please do not eat the Honey Cleanser

but if it happens, just know that it tastes good.

I think, for me, what was really exciting was

seeing the Billboard for Dancing With a Stranger.

It was just a representation of all of the hard work,

like I've been pretty much preparing for this moment

since I was three years old.

Not only me but my parents having to sacrifice,

me sacrificing being away from home

and missing out on a lot of my teenage years,

which are some of the most pivotal moments.

You know, like me not being able to go to school,

and like dances, was just one of those moments where I had

to stop and smell the roses and think of how far I came

with Sam Smith, who's somebody that I looked up to

for a very very long time.

Ooh my first time going solo, I think to be honest,

it was a bit of a transition.

I've always been used to and comfortable with being

a part of a team but I think, for me, this was

God's way of telling me like, you got this, you're enough

and I think really being able to own that

and really stepping in to who I am and what my purpose is,

I'm just getting started really.

The VMAs were the only time I got sat in

a basketball hoop on live television.

That was actually really scary.

I'm not gonna lie because somebody was

actually manually lifting me and bringing me down.

Even during rehearsals, it was a little bit inconsistent,

it wasn't like it was on a timer where I could just know

where I would be.

Each time it was just like, okay this is live,

hopefully he gets it right, hopefully I get it right,

hopefully I don't fall

and my music messed up during that performance,

which was crazy because it didn't happen during rehearsals,

so I was like, you know I gotta roll with the punches

but that really taught me to not dwell,

especially with things that I don't have control over,

I'm kind of a perfectionist, which is a blessing

and a curse but the VMAs, they were fun.

I feel like my first red carpet was

at the Radio Disney Music Awards.

I still had my tiny little gap, I had orange lipstick,

it was like a reddish pinkish orange lipstick,

I had a bang, my hair was blonde,

I went through such a phase.

I went through so many phases, oh my gosh.

My favorite style,

I'd have to say the blue hair.

I just loved being able to express myself in that way.

Ooh my first solo song where I was like, I got this,

I actually got this, would be Love Lies.

Only because it's also one of my favorite records.

I genuinely wanted to make my favorite record

and I feel like that's what me and Khalid ended up doing.

Even if it wasn't my record, I would, that would be my jam.

Okay, so it's out of two people.

The first time that I remember being starstruck would be

seeing Alicia Keys in concert.

She was like, my everything growing up.

I had the braids, all of the records,

I would always be singing

If I Ain't Got You around the house

and she was actually the first person that I saw in concert

and I remember bringing her a bouquet of roses

and the security guard totally shut me down,

so I was a little disappointed

and then another person would be Lil Wayne.

He's obviously from New Orleans, Louisiana

and he shot a music video in my neighborhood.

I got my little photo, my day was made.

I honestly just bought a new home

and for me, this is like a big girl step,

I've worked really really hard and obviously, living in

and out of hotels, it's just really nice to have

a place to come home to.

I'm excited.

New ventures.

I think the first time that I felt like I made it was

probably when I saw thousands of people

and thousands of fans show up at the mall

when we were doing mall tours.

I kid you not, in front of like, JC Penneys

and thousands of thousands of kids waiting

in line for hours, just to get our signature.

So the first time that I voted, I felt incredibly empowered.

I couldn't wait to turn 18, just so I felt

like my voice could be heard.

I think that a lot of people have this misconception

that one person can't make change

and I think that if it's a bunch of individual people taking

the time out to vote, knowing that you can make a difference

in the way that you view the world.

Thank you so much, Teen Vogue.

I'm Normani and these were some of my firsts.

I hope you all enjoyed it.

[upbeat guitar music]