A Timeline of Normani Not Releasing Her Debut Album

Normani Nation. Photo: Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images/ViacomCBS

On July 1, 2018, conscionable a fewer months aft her miss group, Fifth Harmony, began their indefinite hiatus, Normani told the satellite she had a solo-album title. Eight Taylor Swift albums, 5 large COVID variants, a Shawn Mendes breakup for bandmate Camila Cabello, and 1 statesmanlike medication later, she yet unveiled the medium title. “Cryingg typing this rn,” Normani tweeted connected February 21. “DOPAMINE THE ALBUM.” Aware of the wide pleas to driblet her debut project, she cheekily created a promotional website called wheresthedamnalbum.com. For a while, the site’s location leafage lone had an aggravating acceptable of numbers that flip done the 2024 calendar astatine warp speed, possibly claiming that we mightiness perceive Dopamine this year, maybe. But on with the pb azygous “1:59,” we yet person an (alleged) medium merchandise date: June 14.

While nary 1 sane volition judge the afloat task exists until it officially lands connected streaming services and emits sounds erstwhile you property “play,” Normani insists that it is, successful fact, real. “I conscionable wanted to accidental that I’ve been truthful overwhelmed by the emotion and enactment you’ve been showing maine these past fewer days,” she wrote connected X. “I can’t judge it’s yet happening and I get to stock what I’ve enactment my literal each into. So overmuch is coming. I emotion you guys truthful much, convey you for everything.”

The medium announcement, portion exciting, should beryllium met with a steadfast dose of skepticism, based connected each the erstwhile mendacious starts passim the years. Below, everything that happened successful the 2,094 days betwixt Normani saying she has an medium rubric and yet sharing the archetypal single.

July 1, 2018: Normani teases a solo-album rubric conscionable a fewer months aft Fifth Harmony announces their indefinite hiatus.

August 24, 2018: Normani says her caller medium is influenced by the sounds of her hometown, New Orleans. “I flew the songwriters and the producers down and they’re having the clip of their lives,” she explains to L’Officiel during a interruption astatine a songwriting camp. “I can’t hold for everybody other to perceive it, and we person a fewer surprises, too.

October 2, 2018: She gives a presumption update connected the album. “I’ve been successful the workplace for the past fewer months conscionable truly starting from the crushed up,” she tells Billboard. “I’ve been co-producing, I’ve been co-writing, I’ve been successful with a batch of astonishing songwriters and producers that I’ve been wanting to enactment with for specified a agelong clip present — that are really fans of mine, which is kinda brainsick … Sonically and creatively, I’m capable to bash perfectly thing that I wanna bash now. It’s similar a kid successful a candy shop. It’s overwhelming sometimes, due to the fact that there’s similar truthful overmuch you tin do, but the options are limitless, truthful I’m excited.” Normani adds that “some records coming retired precise soon” are not “necessarily portion of my idiosyncratic project, my album.”

October 22, 2018: She drops Normani x Calvin Harris, a two-track EP.

June 30, 2019: A instrumentality starts a caller contented by replying to Normani’s archetypal album-title announcement tweet, writing, “one twelvemonth … ur sick.”

August 16, 2019: Normani releases her debut solo single, “Motivation,” famously unaccompanied by an album.

September 23, 2019: She confirms her medium is halfway done connected the Zach Sang Show.

October 6, 2020: “I’m close,” she says successful effect to a question astir erstwhile she’ll merchandise her album, per Teen Vogue. “When God tells maine that it’s done, past it’ll beryllium done. I’ll consciousness it, you know?”

“There’s truthful overmuch anticipation that I person for myself, truthful adding [fans’ expectations] onto that tin beryllium a lot, but it truly does motivate me,” she says. “I truly privation to make a assemblage of enactment that’s going to count, you know? I’m ne'er going to get my archetypal medium back.”

November 17, 2020: Describes the medium arsenic “empowering” successful a Woman’s Health spread.

May 21, 2021: Normani says finishing her medium helped her get done hard times. “Honestly, 2020 was a pugnacious twelvemonth for me, due to the fact that my ma was diagnosed with bosom cancer, and I couldn’t question location to Houston due to the fact that of COVID,” she tells W magazine. “But past I benignant of had to displacement my position and conscionable cognize that finishing my medium truly helped her get done it, and helped maine get done it.”

July 16, 2021: Releases “Wild Side” with Cardi B.

October 21, 2021: She says has “two oregon 3 albums’ worth” of unreleased music.

December 5, 2021: In effect to a question astir erstwhile her debut medium is dropping, Normani hints astatine a spring, summer, September, spring release. “I wanna archer you that summertime is gonna beryllium lit,” she says connected the Soul Train Awards reddish carpet. “Yes, the summer’s gonna beryllium lit.”

December 30, 2021: Normani appears connected The Ellen DeGeneres Show and tells impermanent big Ciara that her medium is “almost done.” “People underestimate however hard it is and however overmuch effort we enactment into 1 project, 1 assemblage of work,” she says. “And coming retired of a miss group, determination was a batch that I had to fig retired astir myself and fears that I had to woody with caput on.”

March 18, 2022: Drops “Fair,” her 3rd azygous arsenic pb artist.

June 6, 2022: Before Bustle even asks astir the elephant successful the room, she says, “Status of the album? Summer for sure. Tour? Coming.”

“I had a batch of increasing to do,” Normani tells Bustle. “I had a batch of creator development, which I consciousness similar radical don’t instrumentality seriously. They propulsion artists onstage wholly unprepared. And for me, that mentality was precise important. Now, I’ve besides been precise captious of myself. So I deliberation it’s been a operation of things, but it’s decidedly going to beryllium worthy the wait.”

August 9, 2022: With the medium inactive declared missing, Normani claps back astatine a instrumentality who claims the vocalist isn’t “hungry” anymore.

June 18, 2023: Normani previews a snippet of the unreleased way “Candy Paint” successful a Bose ad.

August 7, 2023: Normani signs with a caller absorption team, composed of Lydia Asrat and Brandon Creed, promising to driblet thing imminently. “With caller euphony connected the horizon, and Lydia Asrat and Brandon Creed present astatine the helm of her philharmonic career, she and the remainder of her squad are highly excited to embark connected this caller section and partnership,” a rep for Normani tells Rolling Stone.

February 20, 2024: X users impeach Normani of moving her ain stan account. When the relationship Normani Nation posted a surface changeable of Normani’s wiped Instagram relationship successful anticipation of her medium announcement, fans noticed a nonrecreational dashboard successful the surface shot, indicating that she screengrabbed her ain profile. The tweet from Normani Nation was promptly deleted.

February 21, 2024: The rubric DOPAMINE THE ALBUM is revealed. No connection yet connected the merchandise date.

March 23, 2024: Normani teases the pre-release single, titled “1:59,” featuring Gunna. It’s owed retired “4/26,” she claims. Which means the merchandise day could beryllium April 26 oregon April 2026.

April 26, 2024: Normani attempts to summation our spot by dropping the pb single, “1:59,” connected the day she promised she would. Her tract is besides officially present promising that Dopamine volition merchandise connected June 14. Of this year, we hope!

This station has been updated.