Normani of Fifth Harmony is making history with her pursuit for solo stardom as she has become the first artist to sign with Keep Cool/RCA Records, the new joint venture co-founded by Tunji Balogun, as per Billboard.
On Monday (April 9), it was announced that the budding solo star has begun working on her debut album with Balogun taking over A&R duties. It's a fitting step for the star, who has already locked in studio time with hitmakers like The Stereotypes and Ester Dean. "I'm so incredibly grateful to be able to be in a place where I can explore myself as an artist and what I'm capable of. Never in a million years did I think I would be in this position in 2018," she said in a statement. "Everyone has been so supportive and patient, thank you so much to my fans for giving me the opportunity. I'm so thankful to my girls that we created this space among ourselves to explore and branch out creatively. Fifth Harmony has always been and will always be home."
In the meantime, you can continue to see Normani's star shine brightly with "Love Lies," her rising duet with Khalid, which was just certified Gold by the RIAA. It is one of the only four RIAA certified songs of the year. The pair is scheduled to perform the slinky R&B duet on the Tuesday episode of The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.
Even though Ally Brooke, Normani, Dinah Jane and Lauren Jauregui have all made small strides in their solo careers, Fifth Harmony's hiatus announcement hit hard when it was released in mid-March. In 5H's statement, which was shared on their social media, the group reflected on the hard work they've put in during their six-year journey and made it a point to confess their interests for solo ventures. "Reflecting on the past six years since we started on X-Factor, we've realized just how far we've come and we appreciate everything so much, more now than ever. We've really had one hell of a memorable journey together and can't begin to express our gratitude to y'all for coming along with us on this wild ride!" their statement read. "After six years going hard, non-stop, we also realized that in order to stay authentic to ourselves and to you, we do need to take some time for now to go on a hiatus from Fifth Harmony in order to pursue solo endeavors."
"To our Harmonizers, thank you for everything we have been able to build as Fifty Harmony. With your love and encouragement we will continue to build on ourselves, support one another in everything we do, and keep making you proud, each other proud and ourselves proud," the message concluded.
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