When Normani Kordei Hamilton teased her debut album back in 2019, no one could’ve guessed that it’d take her half a decade to make good on the promise. That same year, the former Fifth Harmony star had dropped her summery, horn-blaring debut single “Motivation”, leaving fans certain that her status as solo pop icon was all but secured. Her girl group days behind her after a tumultuous six-year run, the Atlanta-born, New Orleans and Houston-raised singer was now free to shine on her own. She even had the backing of her pal Ariana Grande.
Fans will know what actually transpired: years went by, out came occasional singles... but no sign of an album. Privately, Normani was carrying the weight of both parents’ cancer diagnoses (and subsequent recoveries), as well as navigating her move from pop to a more R&B-dominant sound à la Aaliyah. As much as supporters fought Normani’s corner against online trolls mocking her leisurely rollout, many secretly worried that the album was dead in the water. Now, straddling an upward-launching rocket on the cover, Normani has finally released Dopamine, a 13-track dose of sultriness that shows glimpses of brilliance amid a sea of lethargic grooves.
