Normani says being compared to Beyonce "puts pressure" on her.
The former Fifth Harmony star – who is gearing up to release her debut solo album – has admitted that whilst the comparison is the "the biggest compliment" as the ‘Single Ladies’ hitmaker is her idol, such an appraisal carries a lot of weight.
In an interview for the latest issue of Wonderland magazine – of which she is the cover star, Normani admitted: "It would be vain to think that [the media] wouldn’t compare me to another African-American female who has the capabilities of singing and dancing.
"That is the biggest compliment anyone could ever give me, because everybody knows that’s my favourite artist, hands down, of all time. But I definitely think it puts pressure on me. For sure."
The ‘Dancing with a Stranger’ hitmaker also confessed that at the start of her solo career, she wasn’t able to "enjoy it" because she is an "over-thinker" and placed a lot of pressure on herself.
She said: "I think maybe in the beginning, if I’m being wholeheartedly honest, I didn’t enjoy it as much as I wanted to.
"I’m the biggest over-thinker naturally, so having the expectations of everybody else and them not even knowing the expectation that I have of myself … It’s easy for me to sometimes get in my own way. But I’ve been enjoying it more recently. And I’m really, really excited."
The ‘Motivation’ singer also admitted that she never intended to go solo and there were times when she felt like she "could have given up" – but she’s "glad" she didn’t because she can now "create" her "own narrative".
On how being in Fifth Harmony – who went on an indefinite hiatus in March 2018 – was part of the "preparation" for her solo career, she said: "Even my time being in the group, it was all in preparation for this.
"There was one point that I didn’t know that I would be in this position.
"There were so many moments where I could have given up on myself, but God gave me the strength to see it through and I’m glad that I did, because now I’m able to create my own narrative.
"There are so many visions I see for myself that I now have the opportunity to make my reality."
Normani: Being compared to Beyonce puts pressure on me
