How she made "Waves" in 2018: Normani has routinely liked herself a mini Beyoncé, and her solo moves this year prove she's on the correct track to making that lofty objective a reality. A month before 5H reported its hiatus, Normani released "
Love Lies," a collaborative slow jam with Khalid that's become a monster hit. A
steamy music video plus several killer live performances later, the song topped the
Billboard Mainstream Top 40 chart and even reached the best 10 on the Hot 100. That paved the way for Normani's slew of fresh releases and features within the past few months. Among them (deep breath, please): a
pair of tracks with Calvin Harris ("Checklist" and "Slow Down"); a verse on Jessie Reyez's "
Body Count (Remix)" alongside Kehlani; a feature on Quavo's "
Swing"; and her own R&B single "
Waves" with 6LACK. Oh, and on top of all that, she was affectionately dubbed "
that bitch" by Nicki Minaj at the 2018 VMAs.
What's next for 2019: Just joining one of the most hotly anticipated tours of the year; no big deal. Normani has been
booked because the initial act on the North American leg of Ariana Grande's massive Sweetener World Tour, hitting arenas in the spring. No word nevertheless on whether or not her debut album will arrive before that, nevertheless it certainly sounds promising — she recently
revealed that she hit the studio with one of Grande's go-to producers, Pharrell, and told
Paper that she's "really hands on in almost every aspect" of her new music.