janet jackson aaliyah ciara britney spears paula abdul madonna we have had several other incredible
dancers and visual entertainers throughout the years but none like this not like normani the
impact and detail of her artistry is so advanced for someone without even a solo debut album
of course she came from a girl group that arguably held her back and she often outshined her co-stars
and this only made it more exciting when she allowed the world to explore her music through
her own point of view collaboration after collaboration release after release and a
defining solo single normani was able to set the stage for herself to be pop music's next premier
entertainer a return to the importance of great dancing and staging is nice to see in music today
along with a self-assured and cinematic catalog of music videos this halfway point of season pop star
and beginner who is feeling out her sound before a full body of work has allowed for some stunning
artistic progression in such a short amount of time she can fully experiment with what she wants
to do and how she wants to push out her first full sonic body of work i feel like i'm watching both a
blossoming artist and someone who performs like it's second nature it's the best of both worlds
package that puts her in a prime position for mainstream pop appeal all while maintaining a
mystique and a focus on quality over quantity with each new musical effort not over releasing
undercooked tracks is something that some artists a couple of solo albums in can't seem to master
normani is a trains dancer and incorporates several styles into her art in terms of
choreography from the wild side video it would have to be the boys section where we're in all
leather outside that's a style that was very new for me i wanted to prove to myself that this was
a style that i could take on she appeared on dancing with the stars during her tenure with
fifth harmony and she wowed audiences and judges alike taking third place in the final results of
the competition she's an incredibly dexterous performer and dancer and has shown the ability
to grasp the kinetic stylings of several who have come before her often in a very deliberate act of
homage nirmani and fifth harmony in general was always inspired by the up and ready performance
style and aesthetic of beyonce big vocals big choreography big hair bodysuit a tired and true
formula that even predates queen bee herself watch any one of normani's solo performances
around the time of the sweetener world tour when she was opening for ariana grande i can guarantee
you'll find at least one or two comments about how she went to the beyonce school of performing arts
she also seems to have taken a few extracurricular activities from reigning pop professors janet alia
sierra tina britney and madonna her pop culture references made their way into her first big solo
moment in the form of motivation crazy in love by beyonce baby one more time by britney spears
i'm real by j.lo and ja rule this girl knows her pop music and has fully embraced her childhood
growing up being glued to mtv's trl and bet's 106 in park these homages and inspirations
make their way into several other normani musical outings as well janet jackson's feedback is all
over waves featuring black nermani even went on to pay homage to janet jackson with the
performance of her 1987 smash hit the pleasure principle at the 2018 bmi r b and hip hop awards
the empress of pop herself looked quite pleased with the nod to her pop legacy
her similarity to the vocal stylings of brandy are what attracted collaborator sam smith to add
normani to the hit dancing with the stranger in which she displays some of her finest choreography
and talents in ballet and modern dance the indian tomb dancer reference from wild side
and the aliyaah won in a million sample along with that move from more than a woman was so unexpected
in fact all the great choreographic moments were because it's such a low-key song and the
production that is so simplistic could have easily been fulfilled by nothing but beauty shots much
like the teaser that normani posted on instagram before the song's release a dancer's dancer like
normani of course would think otherwise she had been covering one in a million forever now so
i'm not surprised she sampled it no one is really dancing like this in mainstream pop music anymore
i would argue that no one really has the eclectic styles of dance with each costume change as well
as some brilliant camera work and special effects has put normani into a league of her own in terms
of production and work ethic needed to pull off such incredible feats of athletic choreography
i have not seen such a shift in what was expected of female pop performers in terms of dancing since
janet jacksons were the nation world tour and madonna's blonde admission world tour in 1990.
like all pop stars since then she is of course incredibly aware of her image and knows which
people to pay homage to to inform her own overall image as a style savant
naomi campbell and cher for halloween marilyn monroe and diamonds with megan the stallion
she just gets it plus her own imagery is becoming something that is starting to become a bit more
visually recognizable she is crafting her own star in her own image in her own right in fact so much
so that rihanna herself the current queen of image enlisted armani to perform at the launch of savage
times fenty in 2019 and walk in the 2020 show as well as become one of the first ambassadors
of the brand which features her in a christmas themed campaign these types of opportunities
simply do not go to pop stars without some sort of hold or marketability to the masses
that must extend beyond social media she is simply what a star looks like in stage presence alone
we know this when she stepped out to perform love lies with khalid
and outshined him we knew this when she stole the show of the 2019 vmas with motivation she even did
it in 2017 while still in fifth harmony thanks to a perfectly timed and well executed split
kendrick lamar stars along with normani and the family ties video and a short cameo but it was
just long enough to capture the attention of well everyone plus she looks amazing brother
much like several choreographically inclined artists nermani often opts for a simple and
smooth vocal attack in order to maintain her breath and stamina while performing live
although she has been proven to show incredible power range and vocal dynamics
she even possesses the gift of the whistle register yes that ever so exalted ability
that has made peerless vocal icons out of singers like mariah carey and ariana grande
this is how she shines best with the knowledge that casual observers
and die hard fans have a different relationship to her talent while the general masters are
overwhelmed by her beauty and dance ability there is this whole untapped reservoir of musical gifts
just waiting to be untapped if anything normani is planning to display these in a way that feels very
artistically poignant and necessary although she does indeed raise the bar and talon pop
she also knows exactly how much is enough for the final product and when it comes time to release a
full body of work i hope her artistic direction remains as clean as it has so far as she is in
the position to drop whenever she feels like it because she has put so much emphasis on quality
that precedes the medium of the internet pop fanfare her solo discography although
minor in tracks videos and live performances is certainly enough to hold her audience over
until she decides how and when to elevate the art of dance and film it quality of music videos
will continue to be spoiled and inspired by what she's left behind