In Defense of Normani’s ‘Fair’
It has been over a year since Normani’s last single, “Fair,” was released and fans are still waiting for more music from the singer.
Although it has been five years since her previous group, Fifth Harmony, announced their hiatus, Normani has only released a few singles, with most of them being smash successes.
After participating in some collaborations with peers such as Khalid on “Love Lies” and Sam Smith on “Dancing with a Stranger,” she released her first official solo single with another singer, 6LACK, entitled “Waves” in 2018. “Waves” was a mesmerizing R&B song that showed a different sound from Normani’s days as a pop singer in Fifth Harmony.
However, the shift in genre and sound may have been part of why “Waves” did not have the same mainstream appeal and success as her first song without another artist, “Motivation.” This bubbly pop song did especially well because of the high energy and enticing music video, spawning many dance challenges and the infamous basketball scene.
The appeal of Normani’s visuals continued into another smash hit for her, “Wild Side,” with rapper Cardi B. This song had an R&B feel but it was a bit higher in energy and more danceable compared to “Waves.” Also, the Cardi B feature likely brought added attention to the song.
Normani has not necessarily solidified her sound, and this may have been what caused her next single, “Fair,” to land poorly with some fans. This slower ballad was very different compared to the more upbeat and dance-worthy songs that the singer had previously done.
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However, choosing to do something new is not always a bad thing and in the case of “Fair,” it was not. It allowed Normani to be vulnerable and process the emotions of the heartbreak that she experienced around that time.
Although the song was sonically and lyrically simplistic and may not have been the best choice as a single, it was beautiful. The beauty of the song really shined when she performed it live on the Jimmy Fallon show last year.
The emotion of the song oozed throughout the words Normani sang. Also, her vocals were virtually perfect. This live performance elevated an already stunning song.
The song was supposed to get an official music video like her other singles, but it ended up being scrapped, likely due to the criticism.
Normani had the advantages and disadvantages of beginning in a girl group. She did not have to build an audience from scratch because she had the support of many Fifth Harmony fans. This slight advantage brought its challenges because fans of the group were accustomed to the pop sound.
Normani has been out of Fifth Harmony for years and should be allowed to evolve and grow away from the musical style of the group. Realistically, if she continued to solely create songs that were more dance-centric and energetic like “Motivation” and “Wild Side,” people would argue that she had not changed enough or that her sound was predictable.
Although the long wait for new music may not be the best decision for a newer soloist, giving Normani time to hone her skills and solidify the current direction of her music may be the best decision.
Also, much of the long wait likely has more to do with her label executives than her. With so many moving parts and intricacies to release an album, her album may have been released by now if it was up to her. Personally, the anticipation for what Normani will do next is still present.
Fans should give Normani and any artist the space to perfect their craft and evolve from what they may have been known for. “Fair” was Normani’s way of doing this. Hopefully, she will not allow some of the negative reviews of “Fair” to deter her from creating more heartfelt ballads and R&B music in the future.
