She said a video is coming…

Apparently Normani added to the budget for the wild side video because the budget she received from the label didn’t align with her vision and the video ended up costing over 1million. I wonder if something similar is happening here because I do not believe that the label actually prefers to release an album without a single video.

Let's be patient guys ❤

She spent up the money over this decade and has been unable to recoup. She does not promote herself online nor irl and barely interacts with her fans. She is lazy!! Look at Tinashe page full of self promo and she is charting INDEPENDENT!!

They treating her like Tinashe

They’re all Beyoncé cosplayers

@@jaymeeka7998 not necessarily

@@jaymeeka7998 No it’s not that she has been trying but rca is a rubbish label

Considering she had to pay for the wild side mv, I’m assuming her label has no faith in her vision. Thus she doesn’t have the budget to do what she wants. She needs to complete her contract and not just tour but go on the festival circuit which is good money. Build her money up and simply go independent.

@@DonovanRobinson420a lil bit tho..

Matthew was not playing with her. She said it herself she was tired and she needed her father but he was being more of a manager and not taking in how she felt BUT it’s the reason why she can release and rest now.

@@rayeeiffel480 Tina and Mathew had some next level commitment for sure. That's why, even though he has dusty tendencies, Beyoncé always shows him respect and appreciation. But you raise a good point about mentoring and guidance though....I wonder who in the industry is REALLY guiding Normani

@@KairoK Yup as much as people say don’t mix business with family some of the most successful artists were with their parents/family when they got success and sometimes even their most success. The industry can have people who don’t really have your best interest but if you have family (especially a parent) on your team you’ll always have someone looking out for you behind the scenes so you don’t have to worry about it while working. Beyonce was at her peak mainstream with Matthew. She kinda pushed herself in a corner that’s been hard to get herself out of when she released Lemonade. It was great & beautiful but the whole formation thing & superbowl is when we saw a lot of mainstream consumers stop supporting her and I don’t believe matthew would’ve let her done that. What kept beyonce from falling all the way off after that is cause she can perform like crazy which was also thanks to matthew for training her & her being married to Jay who’s her family & has a lot of control and power. Usher was most successful under his mothers management. Taylor swift is the biggest star in the world right now and her parents are heavily involved in the business with her and even created her own management company for her called 13 management and I believe Taylor’s brother also is involved in working with her behind the scenes. Michael Jackson (although his father was wrong for how he went about it) was also extremely successful and a lot of it had to do with Joe instilling that perfectionism into him. Chloe & Halle had a much better image and were respected more as artists when their dad was managing them but something happened and they became distant from their parents and now people dont take them as seriously anymore (especially not as solo artists). Billie Eilish has her brother making music with her & is always around her parents when working and she’s one of the if not the biggest younger gen z artist. Having family guidance can for real be a blessing in that industry. Even Diana Ross had said in an old interview that she knew Beyonce was gonna be great cause of the fact that she had her family so involved in the behind the scenes stuff. No one’s gonna look out for you more than a blood relative ESPECIALLY if it’s a parent/extremely close sibling.

Oh Beyonce was EVERYWHERE! The woman was singing and dancing her ass of from 8am on all the morning shows.

@@rayeeiffel480 Do you still think B is in that corner, released Lemonade was the begging to the lovely albums. So if people stop support her for that its there loss I'm happy she took the risk

AGREED 💯

Perfectly stated ‼️🔥

Plus she don't have a big fanbase. She may had one when she was featured on the pop records but she's literally just starting. Now I do think there should have been a music video and performances. And everyone is hard on her but the other members of the girl group aren't charting high either. This landscape of charting is different today. Even big names are having a hard time getting 50k in a week

Yup. However, I think as long as she stays consistent from now on she'll be fine in the near future. But if her and her team do this long wait thing again it's a wrap

Agreed. We know Normani has talent but because the album was pushed back so much it's like we were expecting A+ content but the album didn't do it for me.

Normani also had some personal stuff that really affected her rollout, in addition to her label's inaction. You are right, it was inconsistent.

This is what I said! She doesn’t need her management to post on IG & TikTok. She can take promo into her own hands … if she wanted to.

Her mother was also sick for quite a while, I think it was probably hard to balance both during that time. But I see what you mean

The down side of a perfectionist...couple with Americans love drama so unless she feuds or consistently posts.🤷🏾

@@itsjustus.itsjustlove Megan's parents died and she still released music and promoted herself online. Many people have faced hardships and still went to work. That is no excuse, honestly.

This is a Singles Market No one gives a flying Phuq about an album and no longer have the attention span to enjoy it .... she needs a 5 single push from this album with visuals and performances and spread the single releases over the next 2 years --- and the disapointment is partially because they are used to the baked in machine push and success to socially pressure others into buying the hype

@@LBloggiepeople still listen to albums hun otherwise NOBODY would be complaining about the qualities of them. Stop the cap.

@@OGseoulite They Listen because its there beyonce said it best they do singles and burn out unless here is a viral something behind an album release and or payola machine its not like it was

@@LBloggie we’re not talking about what Beyoncé said nor am I discounting the attention span part of what you’d said. What I don’t agree with the notion that people don’t listen to albums anymore when there’s whole ass sub genre on this very platform that literally contradicts your very argument there.

@@OGseoulite its Become a niche category doesn't reflect mainstreams consumer base of support and with platforms like apple play and spotify there is a nostalgia group of people that retroactively listen to albums to catch up on certain artists but in real time its a singles market so when we get into first week sales for an album even with millions of followers its not translating lol youtubers get more out of album listening because of other ppul not wanting to consume the whole thing yknow

She's done a lot of interviews

​@JoyEmpress who watching that 😂 nobody watching podcast interviews anymore she need to get OUT. Be active on social media. Connect with more new fans. The effort she puts out is the results she is getting now lol if she does interviews it needs to be Jimmy fallon WITH a ground breaking performance to be talked about all together. She can also go to hotones and try some spicy wings and get more of her personality and new eyeballs centered on her again. So many things she could do than tweet and do a podcast type interview. This is a 6 year album wait all the cards were suposoe to be thrown on the table! I blame her raggedy team

And what has that done for her, ​@@JoyEmpress? Normani is NOT an artist of a caliber that can only do interviews and hope for the best.

I think her ex manager is blocking her from getting things because he had a lot of contacts

@@juarez94as No artist can get away with that except Beyoncé

Now this is some constructive criticism.

Yup. And if she had released an album with that sound back then, she would now be making the music she wanted with her labels backing and a more solid fan base. But who knows? It's all speculation at the end of the day. 🤷🏾‍♀️

I truly think this is the problem. I love her new sound, but it’s just not what the general public was excited to hear from her, plus there aren’t any visuals. 😭

@@zanetapenny8388I agree 100%

Exactly Beyoncé played the game and changed her sound Normani refused to didn’t even like her most liked song and she messed up. This isn’t for her

She has a 20 min zane lowe interview 😂 and i only laugh because most artists get an hour for an album. Its sad.

@@andresmolina8913that’s so true 😭

@@andresmolina8913 The Zach Sang Show interviewed her for about an hour on the new album, I watched 90% of it. Then I went back to KZfaq to continue watching and they deleted it. Idk what happened there ...

@@jesskween ye no it’s giving sabotage now

The label gave her so much money for Motivation and Wild Side but they didn't get any return on investment, why would they keep funding her flop career? it's a business but all normani has is sympathy and twitter love

Very

100% agree

Yeah the energy is weird! I like how Zach approached it bc he aint hating more just stating his observations, but a lot of these “fans” are acting like they know exactly how everything went down and they are coming at her as an artist. Calling her “boring, lazy, etc.” All bc of the views rather than the music. It just seems superficial. People simply mistreat artists and for her I’ve seen that on full display even since fifth harmony.

Or that she didn't rush to put out her album

@@shaktra1563 unfortunately our Society is F***ing Shallow! Ong! 💯

Her stans are insufferable, that is why. Her stans bashed everyone from Janet, Tinashe, Beyonce, Chloe plus more to prop her up. Normani also claimed that she "reset the culture" and is "the one". She also called black people "crabs in a barrel" and agreed that we need to "recognize she's a star". She and her family threw a tantrum on twitter when Chloe was picked to perform on the VMA when Normani had her chance already and hadn't even released any charting music that year. Chloe was trending and charting. That is why folks are throwing it in her stans face.

Those are the nicki fans doing the most. Ever since she did wildside with cardi the barbs do the most

Drop the Wild Side single and the video, let it marinate, then peform at the VMAs, immediately after the performance, DROP THE ALBUM! That should’ve been the order, especially after Normani practically stole the show that year.

You mean after Motivation

Real fans knew it dropped. She said so on instagram. It wast like she dropped it without telling anyone.

I couldn’t agree more, especially about the fact that most people have moved on. The only person who can go missing for this long, and still be HIGHLY anticipated upon their return in Rihanna (still waiting 😭). I know the circumstances aren’t entirely her fault, but unfortunately that’s just the name of the game.

@@thebuttermilkgirlisbackunfortunately, Normani needed to reach more than just her most loyal fan base. Most artists do. So promo is important.

@@nb0009 well it’s out now, now what? Are people not going to buy because they’re salty they didn’t know about it 2 weeks ago?

@@thebuttermilkgirlisback no need to be on the defense. My point is simply that people cannot buy or support what they don’t know is available. She needs better promo to expand her reach so that people can support.

That last line is facts!

With the way she's releasing her songs she's going no where

@@jahid5080you ain’t nobody to tell somebody where they’re gonna go!

Yessss thank you I'm obsessed ❤❤ with the album I believe in it ❤

When you are this talented, they try to block you. We witness Tinashe break through it. It's very possible to any haters out there.

She’s a talented dancer, but I don’t see spectacular talent in regards to her voice or music. I don’t see her being an artist in which people want to hear, mostly see.

it performed better than pf2 so

​@@jay-lz6dzhow did it do better if I may ask huh

@@jay-lz6dzthat’s a lie, pf2 sold around 300k first week

Let's not compare rappers with singers please ​@@jay-lz6dz

@@jay-lz6dz yall love to lie on social media.

Breathe

Candy Paint music video is on her phone.

She just said on the Terrell show yesterday it’s coming, the video is on her phone 😭😭 just wait

Taylor probably clogged up all the vinyl factories to snub normani

I googled "Dopamine Vinyl" after my first listen to the album and all I saw were fan-made edits of what they hoped the vinyl would like. No actual vinyls in sight smh.

Physical and vinyls cost money to make. What label is going to invest them if the 2 lead single flopped so hard hey never even charted? Especially int he age when barely anyone buys physical. This a business not a charity.

I honestly don’t think she has the drive to be independent.

Love raye.

@@Emmereexactly. Because there’s a lot of stuff that Normani could do outside her label that she simply is NOT doing. She doesn’t have the drive or the hustle to be an independent artist

We have to remember that the music industry back then was much different. The internet and social media wasnt as prominent as it is today. So music artists had no choice but to go out and make these appearances. It wasn't as simple as going online and making posts and doing zoom interviews. These people had to literally SELL their music to the general public. Not only that daytime tv and talk shows arent as widely used today to do these things either. I genuinely believe this is out of her control her label is notoriously known for shelving acts and pushing poor roll outs. Even Britney who I adore is under RCA and I HATED every single one of her rollouts after Circus.

A lot of people keep bringing up Beyonce and I get why but Beyonce was and is an anomaly. That girl/woman wanted this BAD. More than anyone else. And she had the label backing and management to help her get to where SHE wanted to go. She had direction. A lot of these girls don’t have that. They don’t want it THAT badly. They just want to make their music and go. Which is fine but I guess we have to adjust our expectations. We will never get a big black pop star like Beyonce bc artists these days don’t want that level of fame, success, notoriety or don’t know how to handle it all.

​@@babygirl4949what label was backing beyoncé yall be talking and don't know shit in 03 the label wanted to not put her first album out she had to get a legal representation involved to fight for her album beyoncé worked and fought for her spot.

@@Scorpion-dn8ju Columbia. The one that gave her big budget video approvals, had her on every talk show, movies (before 2003) etc etc. I never said it was easy for her or that there weren’t challenges. I literally said she wanted this BAD and knew where she wanted to go, had direction and a lot of these girls don’t want it bad enough did you not READ all of that before you decided to leave that comment??

@@babygirl4949 The same Columbia that tried to shelf her and told her she had no hits on dangerously in love it? It wasn't until after she fought for it and proved herself pushing the album on her own performing it & also getting legal action involved , that they gave her the budget they did. which is exactly what he is talking about normoni needs to push herself and believe in her art imagine if beyonce listened to Columbia about her debut she wouldn't be where she is now. And it was her and mathew that had her booked and busy not Colombia.

See! We knew thus from the beginning. RCA. (I call it Raca or the racist colorist association) Has been doing this but to be fair they haven’t only been doing this to black, female artist. They’ve been doing this to a lot of artists. It’s horrible, it’s sad, and evil.

Thank you for saying this! The video popped up in my YT feed and disappeared.

It's still up... What are you talking about?

So did the same thing happen to Coi Leray and Chloe? Or does the label sabotage theory only works for Normani? She was never gonna sell 100k

@@blu_ranger71 They took it down and then put it back up days later.

Charli xcx is a talented songwriter and artist with a real genuine fanbase. Normani doesn't have any of this

Normani could run these tiktok dance challenges if she wanted to. It's so frustrating

Yup! Artist who are passionate about their music promote it themselves. I don’t think she’s passionate about her music.

@@singstreetcar5881well she’s not going to build it either by doing nothing.

exactly, Normani with no real album was opening for Ariana Grande at her peak, she did feature with Sam Smith, massive star. She did two solo MTV VMA performances and was she even nominated? Like I can understand if a label is apprehensive about given u anymore resources if you cant make something out of that

she had no control over when the album was to be released

She said that she wasn’t ready to release an album during motivation. Plus she didn’t want to do pop. When she was ready, her record label wouldn’t let her release it.

Honestly haven’t heard about her since that song dropped.

I think her mom was diagnosed with cancer around that time so I think she took a break bc of that.

Lol well thank you for the streams I guess

I agree. The album wasn’t bad, just mediocre, generic and overall forgettable. I can see why it isn’t connecting with the general public.

@@mimia.4810Exactly. I *like* the songs but that’s it. I’m only listening to Big Boy, All Yours, and Lights On, mainly for the danceability.

I was about to say, it’s been a while since I’ve seen him. He looks great! ❤

That’s the tea sisssss

Normani needs to go on tour, I feel like people will go and see her especially she have a lot of hits & the Dopamine Album to perform, so she can pay the label recoup loan or whatever

Chappell album is better than Dopamine tho. I don’t see Dopamine having a moment ever.

Yes, these think pieces are self-fulfilling at this point. It’s too much!!

Exactly or Jimmy Fallon !

LOL. The bar is low

@@weare9770you’ve commented more than times about her…are you done? Also you’re clearly racist, “you knew blacks sound dumb”… what Neanderthal actually talks like that. Camila fans never beating the racist P O S allegations 🙄. Everytime I see you pop up from now on I’ll be reporting

It was always been that case. Plus, a lot of y'all put high expectation on this flop lady.

It’s 100% Normani. I don’t blame Her team anymore. She has no artistic vision what so ever

flop? she can run laps all over your floppy faves. she just doesn't market well​@@weare9770

Y’all just know so much 😮wow you guys are so smart you know everything!

@@weare9770 flop? you definitely take the special bus, go listen to talentless swift

They don't wanna hear it. It's her voice. It's very bland. Very monotonous

This! Her music is lacking. Her voice sounds lifeless and the music itself feels like unfinished demo tracks for any random artist. The musical talent and artistry is just not there.

Like fr! I don’t understand it! 🤷🏾‍♂️

This! The real fans will support the album and the tour. Some of the “critics” were just waiting to talk shit.

Honestly, I've seen several people mention this. Normani just does not have Star power unfortunately and her solo work has never been unique or outstanding. She just makes very lackluster music which I think is part of the reason her career is where it is. Plain and simple.

Right! Don’t make no sense at all! 🤷🏾‍♂️ 💯

We are complaining about the lack of music with depth. We dont just want a black pop star we want someone who makes good music with meaning and that's not Normani

@@AnimeBoysOnly then don’t listen to her music. Music is personal preference if you don’t relate to it don’t listen to it. Thousands of other people love it and understand Normani and what she likes obviously you don’t and you’re not a real fan of hers so I don’t know why u care?! If you ain’t got nothing positive to say about her. Don’t watch her cause she is not gonna change what she CREATES! Yall complain is pointless 😂

Also i think to be making that kinda music you have to be alot more established. As generic as it may sound i think she needs an alter ego or something to shake the table ...

Whew. You said a word. I felt this way about her for a long time. It’s like there’s no personality. She looks dead behind the eyes. It sounds mean to say but like damn maybe she doesn’t really show a lot of her personality bc there’s not much there to show, idk. Sad bc she is talented. I wish there were more vocal moments of her showcasing her voice. There was none of that.

Unfortunately I agree with this, I think that Normani is far too shy for her own good... which is ok, being discrete and distant as an person can be a good a thing! As long as the music is interesting you can suceed in your way - but in the case of Dopamine, the art is far too generic and safe. I think Normani still needs time (yes, more time!!! lol) to establish her personality without compromising her stances. But, on the other hand, it's normal that people still don't care to get to know her...

"i don't think this album is a flop"; yet, the BILLBOARD says otherwise

@@weare9770 and Billboard never said that out their mouths. Stop being a hater and touch some grass

It's still fresh, she has time. Victoria Monet still has singles out for Jaguar 2 and it's been a year. Same can be for her 🤷🏾‍♀️

Yes! I want music videos for Lights On, Big Boy, and Tantrums.

that’s the thing…IF. It’s not bad music, but if you need those other things just put the album on life support as opposed to boosting an already strong project? That’s what makes it sticky for me. But that’s my opinion and she can bounce back next album.

Lol “privilege” what tf are you stans on??? Despite her being dragged on socials I’m proud of her for choosing her family over this fickle industry. You all act like you can only release ONE album. Like Tinashe and others who have been pushing for years it’ll come

@@rayshawnphoenix2135 Why are you acting like this is a dragging or personal attack? If anything, you’re the stan acting like Normani is being victimized. Thats the exact point I’m making. Being a superstar is not a right and talent doesn’t guarantee success. A lot of things have to go right. When they go right it feels like the person came out of nowhere. Like they were born a star. When someone is bubbling under or reaching for stardom for years, something is amiss. Who’s to blame? Idk

@@Buzz0Killington your words verbatim: “Normani had her window, a privilege very Very VERY few acts get, and she sat on it. It was squandered.” As if dealing with not one but both parents battling cancer isn’t a lot to deal with. She has her reasons and doesn’t need to explain anything. Squandered? No. Prevailed is the better word. Also you contradicted yourself once again = “When someone is bubbling under or reaching for stardom for years something is amiss” Are we not experiencing the rising success of Tinashe’s new song after years of not charting. Did we not just see Sabrina Carpenter who’s been making music for years and was a Disney actress get her first number one? Enough already. No stan here just tired of the ingenuity.

@@rayshawnphoenix2135 sweetie, does my opinion mean that much to you?

@@Buzz0Killington sweetie just drop it. Don’t implode inside 🕳️ of course you got nothing else to say 😭

I meaannnn she's not the strongest singer.

This is why she should be doing more pop records. I’m not saying you have to be a great singer to do r&b but you need to atleast bring some unique vocal arrangements and production.

I was so underwhelmed. Not a single impressive or memorable vocal moment on this album, like at all.

@@yellowgal06This! R&B is not for her. Fans of R&B won’t listen to her because her voice not only lacks ability to hit notes, but also lacks emotion and texture. Normani can’t compete with current R&B singers like Sza or summer walker. I feel like R&B is a genre that relies on vocals and emotion. Normani could have hid her vocals more on pop tracks, but this R&B album just shows her weaknesses.

@@mimia.4810 exactly this

Yesss I remember Victoria Monét said that’s not what her vision was when people expected JII to be more about Motherhood and being the underdog. Howeverrrrrr, it kinda feels like an easy win for Normani to spill a lil tea, be vulnerable, and give us some of the sensual R&B bops she gave us. Zach is right, we don’t really know her. It needed to be a much more well-rounded project considering the amount of time that it took to release and how much she went thru. That not being part of this project just doesn’t make sense to me. I literally cried when she released Fair bc it felt so vulnerable and seeing her tear up trying to talk about it or perform it sold me. Also, I may have rose colored glasses, but I think even with a budget of $2M an artist could have a solid rollout for a project. If she wants to stay with a major label at this point it’s gonna take her getting creative, being innovative, and PROVING to them why she’s worth the investment. Bc right now it seems like she finally finished her big class project and is laying in the bed staring at the ceiling just happy to be done regardless of the grade she gets. Normani, get up and TURN THAT CAMERA ONNNN!!!

@@iCoily yeah facts. She’s gone through a lot in the past few years alone, I expected more depth. And I agree, Fair is a statement song of her career so far, and easily her most vulnerable. We needed more of that. And better yet, why was Fair excluded. She said in an interview on Zach Sang years ago that there was gonna be a few ballads… there isn’t any. I bet she has the perfect album already, but in the vault, and just released what the label said / she thought would do the best on charts, instead of letting us see the real her. I wanted to hear more emotional, heart wrenching lyrics that’d make me cry, and bring me back. I would’ve liked her to talk about her Fifth Harmony experience on a song, she could’ve made a song about the label, or her insecurities, or the pressure she has put on her, how it feels to be compared to Beyoncé 24/7, songs about womanhood, about her parents, etc. so many opportunities to let us in and see her as a more vulnerable individual. Also 2M is definitely enough for her to show us what she wants to show, and serve what she needs to. I also think adding more pop elements would benefit her greatly

@@jordannow13 okay! As far as pop elements, I feel validated now knowing she’s also not a fan of Take My Time lol. I do agree that she should’ve given us more pop/up tempo. There’s ways to dip into that genre that feel authentic to her sound. House music was right there!

It's solid but not outstanding, and that's the problem. In this day and age, you gotta be outstanding and unique in some way, especially as a new or lesser known artist. She just doesn't stand out

The album is outstanding and we are not done She is coming I believe in her

@@KyeyuneBatumaIt’s objectively NOT outstanding, it’s pretty mid and generic.

​@@AnimeBoysOnlyand consistent/relevant🤷🏾‍♀️

perfect take.

how it's brutal ? hypocrite

@@weare9770 hilarious literally🖕🏿

The album was forgettable. People won’t be returning to this album 5 years from now.

Yeah, I wasn’t impressed. The vocals were monotone and lacked emotion, the lyrics lacked depth and most of the songs were about sex nothing too personal or emotional, and the instrumentals sound like generic R&B SoundCloud beats. When you compare it to other albums (especially all the great albums released this year) the album feels meh.

This. She should be on album 2 or 3 by now.

Exactly being a artist and having a legend behind doesn't count with the quick streams . She knows we will stream her music from years to come . They so used to quick and fast music that all sounds the same . They forgot about real music.

This.

Because people couldn’t wait to say, “See, she’s a flop.” 😒

Exactly, and I honestly wouldn’t word it as sabotage like some would because at the end of the day it’s RCA’s money, if they don’t think they are gonna profit from it then obviously they won’t invest in it. It’s business not sabotage. I do agree this label is ass. Normani has the talent and vision, I hope she will make good career choices for herself, leaving rca would be a good first step

She don’t even promote some of her own interviews! It’s crazy

This! It’s only been 12 days since Dopamine dropped. People know damn well the album wasn’t going to debut at the top of the charts nor sell millions of copies. They were ready to say she failed.

Normani has been getting grace since Motivation. It's time to hold her accountable.

I think she meant Bad to You

that's exactly she's a flop. Y'all excepting her to be something that SHE'S NOT

There has been this internet trend of over-criticizing her. He’s hopping on that trend. There definitely didn’t need to be a second video about this woman.

I noticed he said normani doesn’t like him. Seems to be the motive but idk. This was really out of the way and intentional lol 😂