The video for “Motivation” will give you that nostalgic shudder you get when thinking of the turn of the century, when baggy jeans, headbands, and denim dresses were all the rage. Normani glides around the old school set like a young Beyoncé, her moisturized skin commanding your eyes to follow her every move as she woos. The basketball trick may be the highlight, but the entire visual isn’t just a homage to the past; it’s a knowing nod to Black culture that she grew up a part of. In a new cover story with Cosmopolitan, Normani revealed that this culture was important to express in the video. And it’s all the better for it.
Normani knew exactly how she wanted “Motivation” to look. Everything from the brief appearance of 106 & Park to the bedazzled hoops and belt. She set out to make sure that her vision of pop reflected the community that she’s a part of. “I told the director, ‘I want this to be as black as possible,'” she said. “I was like, let’s show black culture. Why does pop music have to be so white? Why don’t we make it a little bit more me?”
Elsewhere in the interview, Normani also revealed how happy she is for the other former members of Fifth Harmony (Camila Cabello, Ally Brooke, Dinah Jane, and Lauren Jauregui) who are experiencing success, even if there were rumors of a rocky breakup. “I’m happy everyone has an opportunity ’cause we worked our asses off,” she said. “We do our own things. We’re good.”
Earlier this month, Normani became the first brand ambassador for Rihanna‘s Savage x Fenty lingerie line. Normani also appeared on “Bad To You” with Ariana Grande and Nicki Minaj for the soundtrack to Charlie’s Angels.
Check out the full interview in the link up above.
