Normani has addressed fellow former Fifth Harmony member Camila Cabello's past use of racist language on Tumblr in a new interview, speaking at length on the "uncomfortable subject" and how it affected their relationship.
The topic was broached as part of a new Rolling Stone interview with Normani, who's currently sharing magazine cover honors with Megan Thee Stallion and SZA. As writer Brittany Spanos explains in the piece, Normani chose to get back to her in writing so she could be "concise" in how she addressed it.
"I struggled with talking about this because I didn't want it to be a part of my narrative, but I am a black woman, who is a part of an entire generation that has a similar story," Normani later told Spanos via e-mail. "I face senseless attacks daily, as does the rest of my community. This represents a day in the life for us. I have been tolerating discrimination far before I could even comprehend what exactly was happening. Direct and subliminal hatred has been geared towards me for many years solely because of the color of my skin."
Normani went on to say that it would be "dishonest" if she were to say that the Cabello controversy "didn't hurt" her.
"It was devastating that this came from a place that was supposed to be a safe haven and a sisterhood, because I knew that if the tables were turned I would defend each of them in a single heartbeat," she said. "It took days for her to acknowledge what I was dealing with online and then years for her to take responsibility for the offensive tweets that recently resurfaced. Whether or not it was her intention, this made me feel like I was second to the relationship that she had with her fans."
Still, Normani is hopeful that "an important lesson" was learned and that "genuine understanding" was achieved on why such behavior is unacceptable.
"I have spoken what is in my heart and pray this is transparent enough that I never have to speak on it again," she said. "To my brown men and women, we are like no other. Our power lies within our culture."
The Cabello comments in question originated from a Tumblr account she had at roughly the age of 14. Last December, the resurfacing of the comments was met with a statement from Cabello, who said she was "deeply ashamed of and will regret forever"Â the use of language she said came at an "uneducated and ignorant"Â time in her life.
For the full Normani x Rolling Stone feature, which also includes words on her solo debut and additional insight on the difficulties of the Fifth Harmony days, click here.
Last month, Normani linked with fellow RS cover star Megan Thee Stallion for the Birds of Prey soundtrack cut "Diamonds."
