Normani facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Normani
Normani performing in 2019
Born	Normani Kordei Hamilton (1996-05-31) May 31, 1996 (age 29) Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
Occupation	Singer
Years active	2012–present
Works	Discography
Awards	Full list
Musical career
Origin	New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.
Genres	Pop R&B
Labels	Keep Cool RCA

Normani Kordei Hamilton (/nɔːrˈmɑːni/ nor-MAH-nee; born May 31, 1996), known as Normani, is an American singer. She first became famous as a member of the girl group Fifth Harmony. This group became one of the best-selling girl groups of all time. While in the group, she also competed on Dancing with the Stars in 2017.

Normani started her solo music career with her first song "Love Lies" in 2018. This song, with Khalid, reached the top ten on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It also earned a "quintuple platinum" award, meaning it sold millions of copies!

After Fifth Harmony took a break, Normani released an EP with Calvin Harris called Normani x Calvin Harris in 2018. Her song "Waves" (featuring 6lack) won an MTV Video Music Award for Best R&B Video. In 2019, her song "Dancing with a Stranger" with Sam Smith became a top ten hit in 22 countries. It was even nominated for a Brit Award for Song of the Year. Later that year, she released her first solo song, "Motivation", which was highly praised. She also appeared in the music video for Cardi B's 2020 song "WAP". Her first full album, Dopamine, came out in 2024. It included the popular song "Wild Side" (featuring Cardi B).

Normani has also worked with other big artists like Ariana Grande, Nicki Minaj, and Megan Thee Stallion. Her songs have been featured on movie soundtracks like Charlie's Angels and Birds of Prey. She was an advisor on Season 17 of the TV show The Voice. In 2024, Normani made her first movie appearance in the film Freaky Tales.

Early Life and Beginnings

Normani was born on May 31, 1996, in Atlanta, Georgia. Her parents are Derrick and Andrea Hamilton. She has two older half-sisters, Ashlee and Arielle. She grew up in New Orleans, Louisiana. After Hurricane Katrina in 2005, her family moved to Houston, Texas.

Normani went to private school when she was younger. From sixth grade, she was homeschooled. Since she was three years old, she loved to dance, do gymnastics, and compete in beauty pageants. She and her mom often traveled between Houston and Los Angeles for auditions in acting, singing, and dancing. She recorded her first song at age 13. Normani has shared that dancing was her "first passion."

Career Highlights

Joining The X Factor and Fifth Harmony

Normani performing at an iHeartRadio event in 2013 as a member of Fifth Harmony

In 2012, Normani auditioned for the TV show The X Factor USA. She sang "Chain of Fools" by Aretha Franklin and all four judges liked her. She was cut during the second round of boot camp. However, she was invited back to join a new group with Ally Brooke, Lauren Jauregui, Dinah Jane, and Camila Cabello. This group later became known as Fifth Harmony. They made it to the finale and finished in third place.

In October 2013, Fifth Harmony released their first EP, Better Together. An EP is like a mini-album with fewer songs. The group released their first full album, Reflection, in 2015. Their second album, 7/27, came out in 2016. These albums had big hit songs like "Worth It" and "Work from Home".

After Camila Cabello left the group in December 2016, Fifth Harmony continued as a quartet. They released their self-titled album in August 2017. At that time, Time magazine called them "the biggest girl group in the world." Normani became a key leader in the group, often singing solos and leading the dance moves. Her strong stage presence caught the eye of music executives. On March 19, 2018, the group announced they would take a break to work on their own music.

Starting a Solo Career

Normani performing in 2017 with Fifth Harmony

From 2016 to 2017, Normani released her own versions of popular songs. She covered "Say It" by Tory Lanez. She also made mashups of songs by Drake and Solange.

In 2017, Normani competed on Dancing with the Stars with professional dancer Valentin Chmerkovskiy. They made it to the finals and finished in third place. In August 2017, Normani appeared briefly in singer Khalid's music video for "Young Dumb & Broke". Later that year, she signed with a management company to start her solo career.

Normani's duet with Khalid, "Love Lies", was released in February 2018. It was part of the soundtrack for the movie Love, Simon. This song became a huge hit, reaching number 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It stayed on the charts for 28 weeks! "Love Lies" also reached number 1 on the Mainstream Top 40 chart. Former U.S. President Barack Obama even included it on his list of favorite songs in 2019.

In April 2018, Normani became the first artist to sign with Keep Cool/RCA Records for her solo music. She also signed a modeling contract with Wilhelmina. Over the next few months, it was announced that Normani was working with Calvin Harris and Kehlani. She also appeared on songs by Jessie Reyez and Quavo. Normani also started working with Puma to promote their shoes.

On October 22, 2018, Normani and Calvin Harris released their EP, Normani x Calvin Harris. It included songs like "Checklist" with Wizkid and "Slow Down". The next day, she performed these songs and a new one, "Waves" (featuring 6lack). The music video for "Waves" later won an MTV Video Music Award for Best R&B Video. In December 2018, Spotify named Normani the Top Female Breakout Artist of the year.

On January 11, 2019, Normani and Sam Smith released "Dancing with a Stranger". This song was a big hit, reaching number 3 in the UK and number 7 in the U.S. It was the most-played song on global radio in 2019! The song was nominated for Brit Award for Song of the Year in 2020. Within a year of starting her solo career, Normani became the fastest solo artist to get over one billion streams on Spotify without having released an album yet. In March 2019, she opened for Ariana Grande's Sweetener World Tour in North America.

In August 2019, Normani performed at the Lollapalooza music festival. Later that month, she released "Motivation". This was her first solo song without another artist featured. The song reached the top 40 in many countries, including the U.S. Its music video was highly praised for her amazing dance moves.

In September 2019, Normani performed a dance routine for Rihanna's Savage X Fenty Show. She then announced her first album would be released in 2020. Later that month, she joined The Voice as an advisor. In October 2019, The Guardian newspaper called her one of the 25 greatest female pop-group performers ever. Normani also became the first brand ambassador for Savage X Fenty. She worked with Ariana Grande and Nicki Minaj on the song "Bad to You" for the Charlie's Angels movie soundtrack. She also teamed up with the National Basketball Association for a holiday commercial.

In January 2020, Normani joined rapper Megan Thee Stallion on the song "Diamonds". This song was the main single for the Birds of Prey movie soundtrack. Normani was named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list for 2020. In June 2020, Normani became a global spokesperson for the makeup brand Urban Decay. In August 2020, Normani appeared in Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion's music video for "WAP".

Recent Projects and Dopamine

In March 2021, "Dancing with a Stranger" was named one of the most-streamed songs by a female artist in the United Kingdom. On July 15, 2021, Normani released "Wild Side", featuring Cardi B. This song reached number 14 on the Billboard Hot 100. It also hit number 1 on the Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop chart. In August 2021, Normani appeared in Baby Keem and Kendrick Lamar's music video for "Family Ties". She also performed "Wild Side" on Rihanna's Savage X Fenty Show Vol. 3. In October 2021, she worked with Steve Madden for a new campaign.

Normani won the Best Dance Performance for "Wild Side" in November 2021. She also worked with Google for a Black Friday campaign to support black-owned businesses. For this, she received several awards.

Normani released "Fair" on March 18, 2022. She performed the song on The Tonight Show the same day. In April 2022, she became the face of Cracker Jill. She sang a new version of "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" for them. She also became the face of AMI Paris' photo campaign for their L'Accordéon bag. In June 2022, Normani was featured on a remix of her childhood friend Josh Levi's song "Don't They". In July 2022, Normani released "New to You" with Calvin Harris, Tinashe, and Offset.

In February 2023, she voiced a character named Giselle in the animated Disney+ show The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder. In June 2023, Normani worked with Bose Corporation for a dance-themed commercial. This commercial also showed a preview of her song "Candy Paint". In August 2023, Normani announced she had new managers. She also partnered with Bose to design special limited edition headphones.

On February 21, 2024, Normani announced her first album, Dopamine, which was released on June 14. She released two songs from the album, "1:59" (featuring Gunna) and "Candy Paint". "Wild Side" was also included on the album.

In March 2024, Normani was honored with her own Bratz doll to celebrate International Women's Day.

Musical Style

Normani has a mezzo-soprano vocal range. Her music is mostly described as pop and R&B. It also includes parts of dance-pop, retro-pop, and hip hop. Normani has said she doesn't want to be limited to one type of music. She wants to be "genre-less," meaning she wants to make all kinds of music.

Normani gets inspiration from R&B and pop music from the 1990s and 2000s. She has mentioned many artists who inspire her, including Aaliyah, TLC, Destiny's Child, Beyoncé, and Britney Spears.

Giving Back

Normani is very involved in charity work. With Fifth Harmony, she worked with the Girl Scouts of the US and the Ryan Seacrest Foundation. In September 2016, Normani became the Diversity Ambassador for The Cybersmile Foundation. This group helps people who are victims of cyberbullying and online hate. Normani herself has faced challenges with online bullying, which led her to temporarily deactivate her Twitter account in the past.

In January 2017, Normani became a celebrity ambassador for a charity event in Los Angeles called A Place Called Home. In February 2017, she partnered with the American Cancer Society as a global ambassador. She helps raise awareness about important health screenings and vaccinations. Normani's mother, Andrea Hamilton, was treated for breast cancer in 2020. She had been diagnosed before when Normani was five. In 2023, Normani shared that her father, Derrick, also received a cancer diagnosis.

Personal Life

Normani is a Christian. She lives in Los Angeles, California. Since 2022, she has been in a relationship with Seattle Seahawks football player DK Metcalf.

Discography

Studio albums

• Dopamine (2024)

with Fifth Harmony

• Reflection (2015)
• 7/27 (2016)
• Fifth Harmony (2017)

Filmography

Awards and Nominations

As a solo artist, Normani has won awards. These include seven BMI awards, a Soul Train Music Awards, an MTV Video Music Award for Best R&B Video, a Webby Award, and a Teen Choice Award. She has been nominated for awards in total. These nominations include the Brit Award for Song Of The Year and the People's Choice Award for Song of the Year.

Tours

Supporting Act

• Ariana Grande - Sweetener World Tour (2019)

Images for kids

• 

  Normani performing in 2019

See also

In Spanish: Normani para niños