Normani Kordei says being in Fifth Harmony took a toll on her mental health.
The 22-year-old singer shot to fame when she and her band mates – Lauren Jauregui, Dinah Jane, and Ally Brooke, as well as former member Camila Cabello, who quit the group in 2016 – finished third on American version of ‘The X Factor’ in 2012.
But Normani has said rising to fame at a young age had an impact on her mental health, as she would spend recording sessions in tears.
She said: "So many sessions, I would cry like I’ve never cried before."
And although the ‘Work From Home’ hitmakers tried to help her overcome her struggles – which stemmed from being one of the only people of colour in the group – she says the other girls didn’t understand what she was feeling.
She added: "I don’t think they had the tools that they needed, because it’s not their experience. I can give them credit for trying to be there for me, but at the same time … The girls don’t experience things the way I did."
Fifth Harmony went on indefinite hiatus in May 2018 so the members could pursue solo careers, and Normani is determined to "kill it", because she feels a "responsibility" as a black woman.
Speaking to Billboard magazine, she said: "There’s so much that I have to get off my chest. And there’s a responsibility I have as a black woman – one of the very few to have the power to kill it. Even in the mainstream, there’s not many of us."
Normani Kordei’s mental health struggle
