In 2019, Sam Smith and Normani joined forces to release their first collaboration “Dancing With A Stranger.” “It bottles everything I was feeling whilst juggling my personal life and touring,” Smith said about the song at the time. Unfortunately, three years later, the track has landed the duo in some legal trouble as they were recently sued for copyright infringement.
According to Rolling Stone, in a complaint that was filed in federal court in Los Angeles, songwriters Jordan Vincent, Christopher Miranda, and Rosco Banlaoi claim that “Dancing With A Stranger” copies important elements, including its title, chorus, composition, and music video, from Vincent’s 2017 song “Dancing With Strangers.”
“The hook/chorus in both songs — the most significant part and artistic aspect of these works — contains the lyrics ‘dancing with a stranger’ being sung over a nearly identical melody and musical composition,” they allege. “Both videos consist of a girl performing interpretive dance alone in a minimalist studio, interspersed with shots of the male vocalist.”
This is not the first time that Smith has had to reach a legal settlement over one of their songs. Back in 2015, Tom Petty was awarded a song credit on Smith’s 2014 song “Stay With Me” due its similarities with “Don’t Back Down.”
The 25-year-old revealed back in December that the LP is “almost done.”
She admitted it’s scary putting out the “deepest part of me” for all the world to hear as she is opening herself up to criticism, but she has never felt more confident about her music.
According to Genius, “Fair” was produced by Kansas City producer HARV, who is known for his production on songs for artists including Justin Bieber, Gucci Mane, Summer Walker, Eminem, Post Malone, and Skrillex.
Everywhere you look, Megan Thee Stallion is there. And honestly? Former Fifth Harmony member turned breakout star Normani isn’t too far behind. The pair previously worked together on the song “Diamonds,” off the Birds Of Prey soundtrack, and it seems like they’ve developed a pretty tight bond. Which makes their latest bit of content together just that much cuter.
As part of Megan’s new collaboration with Snapchat on a short series called Off Thee Leash, she decided to do an episode with Normani. And once she found out that Normani missed her own prom because of touring with aforementioned girl group, there was nothing left to do but throw the “Wild Side” singer an idyllic prom. In the clip, Normani mentions that she might decide to turn one of her birthday parties into a full-on prom in the future, so this might not be the last prom-themed Normani we ever get.
Back to the most important aspect — Off Thee Leash is a show about pets, so Normani brings her dog, Sir Dior, with her during the episode. Fellow dog lovers will definitely appreciate his big, slobbering presence in the short. But Normani’s excitement about finally experiencing prom, broken corsage and all, is definitely the highlight. Watch above.
Ever since she released her epic video for “Motivation” back in 2019, Normani has left fans desperately awaiting a new project. Unfortunately, her official debut has yet to be released, leaving many to hope that this is the year it finally arrives. While we’ll have to wait and see about that, Normani recently teased her upcoming single during a Q&A session with her followers on Instagram. It began with a post to her Instagram story that read, “What do you think my next single sounds like?” on a piece of paper surrounded by colorful questions.
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Many of Normani’s followers replied, with one saying, “I want your next single to sound like I’m on a cloud and I’m just drifting in your sound.” The singer replied, “You’re so cuteee. This one is really unique and different for me. Probably not what everyone is expecting.” Another person said her next song might be an R&B record like her most recent single, “Wild Side” with Cardi B. Normani replied, “Genre bending for sure. It’s just a great record” with a crying face emoji.
Aside from these tidbits, Normani did not reveal when the song will arrive and if it will have any guest features. This comes after she revealed that her upcoming debut album is “almost done” during an interview with Ciara.
Cardi B is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Hailey Bieber might be leaning into her role as the wife of superstar Justin Bieber, but that hasn’t stopped her from doing plenty of things on her own, either. Most recently, she launched a mini show interviewing some of her famous friends in her own bathroom, complete with a dining table and prepared snacks of the visitor’s choice. Past guests on Who’s In My Bathroom have included fellow model Kendall Jenner, and rising pop star The Kid Laroi, and today’s guest was none other than Normani.
After Normani taught her proper technique for eating crab legs, Hailey called the rising pop star a once in a generation talent, and heard a little bit more about her experience moving to Houston after her family was displaced from New Orleans by Hurricane Katrina. Eventually, the conversation naturally turned to Normani’s latest single, “Wild Side,” which features none other than Cardi B — who rather infamously starred in the video while she was pregnant. Normani admits she had higher expectations for the clip before learning Cardi’s movements would necessarily be limited. “Cardi, she was pregnant while we shot the music video,” Normani begins around the 5:30 mark. “I initially had the idea of us like hanging from the ceiling wrapped in chains, and like, I think really really big. I wanted there to be like, alligators swarming around us in the water, you know the scene we had together. And they’re like, ‘you know, she’s pregnant.’ And I’m like ohhhhh.”
So chains and alligators were off the menu for the moment! Obviously the “Wild Side” video still came out great though. Check out the full interview above.
Normani holds one of the most sought-after and long overdue albums in music. Fans of the former Fifth Harmony member have been waiting for a solo effort from her since her arrival as a solo act in late 2018. Three years later, after multiple false starts, award show performances, and the sensation that was “Motivation” and its music video, Normani will close 2021 without her long-awaited debut. As disappointing as that might be to some, there are great signs of it arriving in 2022. During an episode of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, which was guest-hosted by Ciara, Normani delivered an update about her first full-length project.
Normani announced that her debut is “almost done” and also spoke about the difficulties of perfecting the project. “People really underestimate how hard it is and how much effort we put into one project, one body of work,” she said. “Coming out of a girl group, there was a lot that I had to figure out about myself and fears that I had to deal with head-on … When you give your baby out to the world, which is our music, that’s the deepest part of me.”
She continued, “You give people the opportunity to kind of pick it apart and have an opinion on it, but I believe in what I’m doing now.”
During the conversation, Normani also took a moment to show Ciara some love for how she influenced her. “From literally the earliest memories that I have, you were a part of that and you really helped shape the artist and the woman that I felt like could be,” Normani said. “You opened my mind to those possibilities. Black girl magic!”
You can watch Normani’s sit-down with Ciara in the video above.
Normani may be close to finishing up her debut album, but she’s still riding the success of her 2021 Cardi B collaboration “Wild Side.” As Normani knows, part of being a chart-topping pop star is being an expert at promoting yourself and your music on social media to some extent. But while Normani is great at crafting bangers like “Wild Side,” she admits her strengths don’t quite lie in the art of social media — and that’s where her grandmother comes in.
Normani recently sat down for a conversation with Ciara on The Ellen DeGeneres Show where she spoke about the viral success of “Wild Side,” which was turned into a TikTok dance challenge, the status of her debut album, and the fact that her grandma is better at using social media than she is:
“I’m really bad with social media — it’s bad. My grandma at this point has me beat. She’ll be sending me TikToks and videos and people doing the dance challenge. […] She’s better than me. I’m the grandmother. It’s terrible, we’ve reversed roles.”
Of course, Normani also gave some updates on the status of her new music, saying she’s “almost done” with her debut album. The singer knows fans are impatient to hear her songs, but Normani says “people really underestimate” how much work really goes into one body of work. “Coming out of a girl group, there was a lot I had to figure out about myself; fears I had to deal with head-on. I was always so safe being in a girl group,” she said. “I remember when I was little, my mom was like, ‘Why do you want to be in a girl group so bad? Is it because you want to hide?’ And I think that was pretty much the answer. But God had other plans for me.”
Watch a clip of Normani’s conversation with Ciara above.
Cardi B is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Every year Variety compiles a list of the teams behind songs they think were the most impactful of the year, dubbing those honored as “Hitmakers.” During the magazine’s annual brunch, musicians involved with songs that were honored come together to give speeches and receive awards for their work. But what might’ve just been another boring industry brunch was ramped up to eleven by 2021’s class of young artists, who know how to use TikTok to turn pretty much anything into content. And with a powerhouse cast of stars like Olivia Rodrigo, Chloe Bailey, Jack Harlow and Normani in the house, what choice did Lil Nas X have, really, but to turn in a hilarious parody video that quickly started going viral on multiple platforms.
Hopping on the rather infamous one minute TikTok interviews that @SidetalkNYC has been doing with colorful New Yorkers, each musician took a different viral snippet to lip sync, and spliced all together the parody clip was a brand new bit of content that anyone who has enjoyed the “bing bong” videos would obviously enjoy. And this video just goes to prove, once again, that nobody — nobody — understands TikTok like Lil Nas X. Take a look at the celebrity-filled parody clip below, along with a few of the original SidetalkNYC videos for context if you haven’t seen them.
Black women in music have long been considered R&B and hip-hop to fit the music industry’s expectations of ‘urban’ marketing, but current acts are pushing back against the standard and broadening pop music through inclusivity. For artists like Victoria Monet, Chlöe Bailey, Normani, and others, Black female singers are redefining pop music through sheer confidence in their songwriting capabilities, production, and visual aesthetics — proving that there’s room for more than one woman at the top.
As history tells it, Black female artists who play fair weren’t always the norm. For women in the music industry, there’s pressure to stay relevant amidst newers acts in the face of ageism, sexism, body dysmorphia, and aggressive online targeting. Prior to her untimely death in 2001 — and before the social media era — Aaliyah was arguably the standard for R&B-turned-pop experimentation, trading baggy jeans for hypnotic maturation on her final, eponymous album. 2001’s Aaliyah was a masterclass in Y2K futurism and dulcet, self-assured vocals that would influence fellow millennial pop artists and the next generation of progressive Black female artists.
Molded by Aaliyah’s impact are a slew of Black female vocalists including Kehlani, Normani, and Tinashe — the latter who’s been outspoken about genre barriers for Black women. In a 2017 article in the LA Times, the singer Tinashe leaned into unfair comparisons amongst each other:
“It creates this competitiveness, even among fan bases,” Tinashe added. “People feel they can’t be a fan of Kehlani and me. It’s confusing, like why not be fans of whatever you like? Why does there need to be this rivalry approach? We don’t do that with male artists.”
Defeating critiques that Black women belong on rhythmic and urban charts, Tinashe made a grand return to the pop sphere on her sultry 2019 effort Songs For You, released shortly after her leave from RCA Records. As her first album as an independent artist, Songs For You reached #1 on the iTunes Albums chart upon its release, the second independent artist to do so since Frank Ocean released Blonde in 2016. Helmed with critical acclaim for its pop experimentation and largely considered her best album to date, Tinashe took Songs For You into the virtual world on VR platform Wave in livestream concerts at the beginning of the pandemic last year.
In August arrived Tinashe’s fifth studio album 333, where the singer further explored VR, alternate realities, and spirituality in music and visuals for singles “Pasadena” and “Bouncin’.” Through a streak of daring eclecticism and a history of collaborations with electronic producers Kaytranada, Wax Motif, and MAKJ, Tinashe eschews naysayers who limit her to R&B, pushing boundaries of the pop genre.
Dispelling recent allegations of a rivalry with Tinashe over a seductive photoset is one-half of vocalist sister duo Chloe x Halle, Chlöe Bailey. Adding an umlaut to her forename and blonde highlights to her already-signature locs, Bailey dismissed skeptics with her long-awaited debut solo single “Have Mercy,” which was released in September. Lauded for its upbeat production and being a curve-embracing anthem, fans drew comparisons between Chlöe and mentor Beyoncé, who signed Chloe x Halle to her company Parkwood Entertainment in 2015. As fans await Chlöe’s next single, “Have Mercy” has already made rounds on televised performances from last month’s 2021 MTV Video Music Awards to The Tonight Show, making Chlöe pop’s next breakout star.
Controversy surrounded Chlöe’s debut performance at the 2021 MTV VMAs after Normani voiced her disappointment with the telecast for allegedly choosing Chlöe to be the only Black woman to perform that night. In 2019, Normani graced the VMAs with a high-energy performance of “Motivation,” and sought to return to the awards show following the release of her latest single “Wild Side.” After fans petitioned for Normani’s appearance at the show, the singer delivered with a cameo by Teyana Taylor in a sultry homage to Janet Jackson’s 2001 concert performance of All For You track “Would You Mind.”
Once a member of girl group Fifth Harmony before they disbanded in 2018, Normani is on her second act. Poised to release her upcoming solo debut with multifaceted potential, the singer spoke with Allure about being an all-encompassing artist:
“My purpose in this work that I do is for other people that feel like they have Black women figured out. There’s so many layers to us, there’s so many textures, there’s so much that we’re capable of doing,” Normani says. “Yes, I can throw ass. But I can also give you a proper eight-count, and I can do ballet, and I can do contemporary dance. If I want to sing this pop ballad, then you’re going to love it! While you see my Black face!” Period.
Like Normani, Victoria Monét was once in a girl group, but later carved her own lane as singer-songwriter for a decade prior to releasing her 2020 debut album Jaguar. A longtime collaborator and songwriter for Ariana Grande, Victoria Monét entices listeners through her unapologetic soundscapes of femininity, self-love, and sensuality. While Jaguar was largely an homage to 1970s funk and disco, Monét reintroduced the throwback era to Gen-Z fans, especially in her Jaguar live session that premiered in March.
Becoming a DIY internet sensation for her 2018 meme-inspired visual “Mooo!,” pop act Doja Cat has led the crusade of oddball artistry since her humble SoundCloud beginnings. Landing a joint deal with RCA Records and Kemosabe Records in 2014, Doja Cat’s rise to stardom wasn’t instantaneous, instead having to refine her rap-fueled spunk to craft a mainstream sound. By 2020, her sophomore album Hot Pink shot to No. 9 on the Billboard 200 despite being released a year prior, thanks to her viral dance-worthy smash “Say So.”
As host of the 2021 MTV VMAs — and even taking three Moon Person trophies home — Doja Cat’s third album Planet Her exemplifies celestial pop, celebrating womanhood and diverse instrumentation from urbano to dancehall. Still embracing her online antics, Doja Cat hasn’t had to compromise her personality for stardom, recently becoming the new face of PepsiCo for its 50th anniversary.
Through charisma and sleek full-packed quality, the new generation of Black female acts continue to uphold pop by changing the tides of the genre with determination. The future couldn’t be more exciting.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
When Rihanna put on her first Savage X Fenty fashion show in 2018, it was clear she intended to revolutionize the industry. Rather than simply sending models down the runway in her lingerie garments, Rihanna tapped celebrities and famous models to showcase their outfits in a cinematic and size-inclusive show complete with live music and choreography. This year, Rihanna is once again inviting a number of today’s top stars to join her for her third Savage X Fenty fashion show.
The singer just dropped an exciting trailer for Savage X Fenty Vol. 3, previewing how the runway show will take over an entire building. Along with previously announced performances by Normani, Daddy Yankee, and Nas, Rihanna has invited musicians like Troye Sivan, Erykah Badu, Sabrina Carpenter, and Jazmine Sullivan to make a cameo in the performance. The entire show will be available to stream starting on September 24 exclusively on Amazon’s Prime Video.
According to an official press release, Rihanna’s Savage X Fenty 2021 lingerie collection fashion show are meant to exude “baddie energy” by incorporating “strong lines that trace contours of the body and unconventional silhouettes that push the boundaries of individuality to bring out the baddie in everybody.”
Watch the Savage X Fenty Vol. 3 trailer above.
Savage X Fenty Vol. 3 premieres 9/24 on Prime Video. Watch it here.
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