fan base Normani

[dominickmcintee]

i'm shocked she's even getting brand deals at this rate

[toast]

At least the music was good 

 

Hopefully her actress era is coming

[remming]

 

[NormaniQueen]

16 hours ago, troubledparadise said:

omg that must mean normani is performing at the vmas 🤭🤭

Edited August 24 by NormaniQueen

[Givemeyourcoat]

I knew that ad would bring nothing to the table and she still doing things fans don't care about. Where is the reality check for her? How can you be that appart from the fanbase? How can you deliver such a disaster era to yours fans ?

Edited August 24 by Givemeyourcoat

[Givemeyourcoat]

On 8/23/2024 at 4:29 PM, troubledparadise said:

Can you give us informations about what was suppose to happen but didn't and who is the blame (I already know it's Normani but still) ?? I'm so disappointed. 

[justifymythreads]

I think someone mentioned on twitter that sometimes labels stall artists to screw them over essentially. My thought to that is why did she go back to RCA? To me she could've just made the switch to Capital Records. She was just coming off a song with Sam and has connections there. Why did she re-sign with RCA if her future there was uncertain? Something makes me think that Brandon is definitely ******* up her already strained relationship with RcA. If that is true that he took her budget and used it on his other artists and had her doing a bunch of recording and no album then I can see why they are holding her hostage. As someone who has been the industry for so long she should've been able to sniff Brandon's opportunistic ass out from a mile away. She and the other ladies have definitely been traumatized from their group days because it seems like everyone in the industry dislikes them for some reason. Even Camila is falling lower on the popularity totem pole now that all the girls have fallen into obscurity. One of these leaks pages has hinted at Norman releasing a Deluxe album next month. So let's see if that holds any weight (i'm not betting on it.)

[Hey200200]

Well yall the twitter insider streets or doubling down on saying dopamine deluxe in September 

[justifymythreads]

14 minutes ago, Hey200200 said:

Well yall the twitter insider streets or doubling down on saying dopamine deluxe in September 

Trust me I've all but given up at this point. However, people have been speculating about the deluxe for months I think it's mostly a way to grab of the 10 members of the Nation that are actively searching up her name on twitter. I personally don't see why she would wait to promote just for a deluxe to release. Unless the 3 videos are for songs on this alleged deluxe album. 

[Cbreezy]

4 minutes ago, Hey200200 said:

Well yall the twitter insider streets or doubling down on saying dopamine deluxe in September 

I really hope y'all aren't referencing that ABTLA Insider on Twitter? If so, it's 1000% fake. Literal fan fiction and whenever "accurate", it's tea from reliable insiders on here and other forums. 

 

Even if not and there really is a deluxe coming, I'm not moved in the slightest. 

 

A deluxe for an album that tanked as bad as it did? Sure, its commercial performance (or lack thereof) doesn't have a bearing on whether the presumed "new songs" will be any good. But it's like why be excited for "more" if the album we "already have" received zero attention? And I say this as someone who is resolute about there being something serious / out of her control happening behind the scenes (rather than the whole "she's lazy' / doesn't promote spiel). 

 

The only, and I mean **only** thing that can relight my hype for the era is if she does something WILD like dropping a new album's worth of material (8/9 tracks) for the deluxe and simultaneously does so with the visuals. Almost like the album needed to arrive in two halves for the visuals to make sense. 

 

Given her lacking budget and clear lack of label prioritization, I highly doubt it. 

 

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, my only hope atm is that we get some sort of insight into what is actually happening behind the scenes.

[Hey200200]

15 minutes ago, Cbreezy said:

I really hope y'all aren't referencing that ABTLA Insider on Twitter? If so, it's 1000% fake. Literal fan fiction and whenever "accurate", it's tea from reliable insiders on here and other forums. 

 

Even if not and there really is a deluxe coming, I'm not moved in the slightest. 

 

A deluxe for an album that tanked as bad as it did? Sure, its commercial performance (or lack thereof) doesn't have a bearing on whether the presumed "new songs" will be any good. But it's like why be excited for "more" if the album we "already have" received zero attention? And I say this as someone who is resolute about there being something serious / out of her control happening behind the scenes (rather than the whole "she's lazy' / doesn't promote spiel). 

 

The only, and I mean **only** thing that can relight my hype for the era is if she does something WILD like dropping a new album's worth of material (8/9 tracks) for the deluxe and simultaneously does so with the visuals. Almost like the album needed to arrive in two halves for the visuals to make sense. 

 

Given her lacking budget and clear lack of label prioritization, I highly doubt it. 

 

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, my only hope atm is that we get some sort of insight into what is actually happening behind the scenes.

Nah it's like 5 other ones that I'm referring 2 and one has even been saying she in negotiations for a vma performance the past 4 months and so far they've gotten the current list of performers right and even had her bet performance right but who knows lol I'll just silently hope for it to be true 

Edited August 25 by Hey200200

[remming]

14 hours ago, Cbreezy said:

I really hope y'all aren't referencing that ABTLA Insider on Twitter? If so, it's 1000% fake. Literal fan fiction and whenever "accurate", it's tea from reliable insiders on here and other forums. 

 

Even if not and there really is a deluxe coming, I'm not moved in the slightest. 

 

A deluxe for an album that tanked as bad as it did? Sure, its commercial performance (or lack thereof) doesn't have a bearing on whether the presumed "new songs" will be any good. But it's like why be excited for "more" if the album we "already have" received zero attention? And I say this as someone who is resolute about there being something serious / out of her control happening behind the scenes (rather than the whole "she's lazy' / doesn't promote spiel). 

 

The only, and I mean **only** thing that can relight my hype for the era is if she does something WILD like dropping a new album's worth of material (8/9 tracks) for the deluxe and simultaneously does so with the visuals. Almost like the album needed to arrive in two halves for the visuals to make sense. 

 

Given her lacking budget and clear lack of label prioritization, I highly doubt it. 

 

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, my only hope atm is that we get some sort of insight into what is actually happening behind the scenes.

 

You're the only one who seems to get it . Normani's business behind the scenes has to be terrible. This is so far from laziness or whatever else they're trying to say. If they want to blame it on Normani then they need to admit she has a serious mental health issue because this is so from normal . Way more than traditional laziness. It would mean something is wrong with her.

 

Speaking of her business, I am not sure if you saw but she had a publishing deal with hipgnosis songs that she signed in 2022 and even that company went under and was bought out by another company this year.

 

Twitter insiders don't know anything. Some of them get their info from here or another site like Pulse. That's usually the stuff that ends up being real but most of the time they make stuff up and just copy off of each other lol

 

 

[Hey200200]

Just woke up and seen some discussion in the Normani community on T and someone said 2 Music videos are completed and choreographed by the same choreographer Jaquel Knight if correct he's worked with Beyonce and I believe who did the iconic single ladies dance 

Edited August 25 by Hey200200

[Cbreezy]

8 minutes ago, remming said:

 

You're the only one who seems to get it . Normani's business behind the scenes has to be terrible. This is so far from laziness or whatever else they're trying to say. If they want to blame it on Normani then they need to admit she has a serious mental health issue because this is so from normal . Way more than traditional laziness. It would mean something is wrong with her.

 

Speaking of her business, I am not sure if you saw but she had a publishing deal with hipgnosis songs that she signed in 2022 and even that company went under and was bought out by another company this year.

 

Twitter insiders don't know anything. Some of them get their info from here or another site like Pulse. That's usually the stuff that ends up being real but most of the time they make stuff up and just copy off of each other lol

 

 

THANK YOU!

 

It's so irksome seeing the same "lazy" / "not promoting" rhetoric repeated over and over. On here, Twitter, from fans and critics. It's so... short-sighted.

 

We KNOW sis has had that problem in the past, but as @remming makes crystal clear: this is WAY BEYOND that. 

 

I really wish stans (as a collective) would apply a "real life" lens to the music industry. Because, much as we definitely represent a pocket of people with more insights than the GP, I really get the sense that a lot stans don't really "get" how the business side of music works. 

 

Normani is NOT a label exec or in any position of real power. So, the idea that SHE wields any kind of power or autonomy to "decide" whether she will lift a finger or not is totally unrealistic. Most of us have jobs that come with terms and bosses we answer to to ensure we deliver on what we signed up for. That exact setup applies to Normani and RCA.

 

The actual reality is that RCA are well well-positioned to wave her contract in front of her should they want her to do something and effectively demand that she do it. (Come to think of it, her visible dislike for quite a few tracks on the album makes me even wonder whether RCA were the ones who mandated the album's release to write it off - and maybe even her off - the books/roster. Especially if she had any kind of clause mandating the label release "an" album at some point. 

 

Overall, I simply think she's been allowed to coast because: she has never been a label priority, there's big-time mess with her overall setup behind the scenes, and she's probably been left to the wolves amidst the changing hands in her business mix (.e.g. Keep Cool folding or Brandon and various execs coming and going). 

 

For the OG Fifth Harmony fans, I really wouldn't be surprised if there's some Dina LaPolt-led legal stuff at play. 

 

It's these times that insiders would come in handy. As the not knowing is actually worse IMO than the start-stop years before the album.

[remming]

9 minutes ago, Cbreezy said:

THANK YOU!

 

It's so irksome seeing the same "lazy" / "not promoting" rhetoric repeated over and over. On here, Twitter, from fans and critics. It's so... short-sighted.

 

We KNOW sis has had that problem in the past, but as @remming makes crystal clear: this is WAY BEYOND that. 

 

I really wish stans (as a collective) would apply a "real life" lens to the music industry. Because, much as we definitely represent a pocket of people with more insights than the GP, I really get the sense that a lot stans don't really "get" how the business side of music works. 

 

Normani is NOT a label exec or in any position of real power. So, the idea that SHE wields any kind of power or autonomy to "decide" whether she will lift a finger or not is totally unrealistic. Most of us have jobs that come with terms and bosses we answer to to ensure we deliver on what we signed up for. That exact setup applies to Normani and RCA.

 

The actual reality is that RCA are well well-positioned to wave her contract in front of her should they want her to do something and effectively demand that she do it. (Come to think of it, her visible dislike for quite a few tracks on the album makes me even wonder whether RCA were the ones who mandated the album's release to write it off - and maybe even her off - the books/roster. Especially if she had any kind of clause mandating the label release "an" album at some point. 

 

Overall, I simply think she's been allowed to coast because: she has never been a label priority, there's big-time mess with her overall setup behind the scenes, and she's probably been left to the wolves amidst the changing hands in her business mix (.e.g. Keep Cool folding or Brandon and various execs coming and going). 

 

For the OG Fifth Harmony fans, I really wouldn't be surprised if there's some Dina LaPolt-led legal stuff at play. 

 

It's these times that insiders would come in handy. As the not knowing is actually worse IMO than the start-stop years before the album.

 

I think a lot of people think it's only Normani because she sort of doesn't speak up and is vague about everything but it just doesn't make sense for this to be only her fault. It makes zero sense. And I agree about her never being a label priority. I think Tunji was able to do a lot of pushing for her but then he left and she moved to the main label. I'm also wondering how deal was structured. Maybe she changed it once Tunji left because Lucky Daye is still releasing music under Keep Cool/RCA as if his contract is the same.

 

I also don't think there is any deluxe coming nor do I think she will be performing at the VMA's. I think the era is over which is unfortunate because the album is objectively great and most people agree on that. Speaking of the insiders and I mean the reliable ones on here, I can't believe they totally disappeared after being helpful but also kind of annoying for months 

[Cbreezy]

8 minutes ago, Hey200200 said:

Just woke up and seen some discussion in the Normani community on T and someone said 2 Music videos are completed and choreographed by the same choreographer Jaquel Knight if correct he's worked with Beyonce on her Coachella performance I believe 

I won't lie and say that I wouldn't be gagged, but I'm leaning towards being more a case of..."that's nice". 

 

I don't want to be in a continued state of dissatisfaction or moaning just to moan. But how annoying would it be to get the video (or videos) of life knowing that it won't move the chart needle in any way? You could almost argue that it'd be...worse. All that that slay for minimal returns. 

 

That said, as the likes of Sabrina Carpenter and Chappell Roan have shown, it's kinda sorta possible to blow at any time if one just keeps pressing on. I don't particularly care for either of them, but it's an interesting reality in relation to Mani.

[Givemeyourcoat]

32 minutes ago, Cbreezy said:

I won't lie and say that I wouldn't be gagged, but I'm leaning towards being more a case of..."that's nice". 

 

I don't want to be in a continued state of dissatisfaction or moaning just to moan. But how annoying would it be to get the video (or videos) of life knowing that it won't move the chart needle in any way? You could almost argue that it'd be...worse. All that that slay for minimal returns. 

 

That said, as the likes of Sabrina Carpenter and Chappell Roan have shown, it's kinda sorta possible to blow at any time if one just keeps pressing on. I don't particularly care for either of them, but it's an interesting reality in relation to Mani.

She will not blow if she continues to not promote her music online.
 

Again, ok you may have problems with your label but with social media you can still make this era enjoyable, which she doesn't because she don't want to. And please the excuse she doesn't like social media doesn't work cause : 

1) you can hire a SM manager that's gonna take care of your accounts and you also need to speak (I didn't say lie) through lives and q&a and more then just 3 questions and once a year. 
2) socials media are very very important nowadays so you have to adapt. 
 

Album is a complete flop and the artist isn't trying to push the music with platform she has between her hands so I don't know how out of nowhere her music will blow

[Cbreezy]

1 hour ago, Givemeyourcoat said:

She will not blow if she continues to not promote her music online.
 

Again, ok you may have problems with your label but with social media you can still make this era enjoyable, which she doesn't because she don't want to. And please the excuse she doesn't like social media doesn't work cause : 

1) you can hire a SM manager that's gonna take care of your accounts and you also need to speak (I didn't say lie) through lives and q&a and more then just 3 questions and once a year. 
2) socials media are very very important nowadays so you have to adapt. 
 

Album is a complete flop and the artist isn't trying to push the music with platform she has between her hands so I don't know how out of nowhere her music will blow

We're in agreement on this. I think the main thing i will continue to hone in on is the fact that her antics are atypical of how the music biz works and have effectively been "allowed" because of three things:

 

1) She's not nor has she ever really been a label priority. As such, there just isn't the collective care or urgency to light a match under her or her releases because sadly they (label) aren't incentivised to do so based on the returns and potential returns. Just like Doja, who was rotting on the roster before going viral, a label will often let an act do whatever for a period of time if they don't see dollar signs. 

 

2) Keep Cool was a thing in and of itself with a respected exec at its helm. So she was largely left to her devices by RCA and given leeway she won't find elsewhere. They were all a little delulu for this.

 

I say to this say, the reason why I am hopeful about another label situation is that sis literally will not be allowed to not use vehicles like social media. I'm talking literally being in breach of contract. Artist deals these days literally mandate such avenues are used to the max to maximize promotional reach, sales, and thus profits. 

 

Because she does not wield the power in the equation (in terms of not being an exec, a big seller, or a Beyonce, Rihanna level act), she really will have to do as she's told. Flopping the way she's flopping won't even give her leverage to push back on this should she manage to secure a deal at a Def Jam etc for example. 

 

The only way her antics will be "allowed" to continue is if she goes indie and I just don't see that being on the cards for her given the luxe vision she makes clear she's going for. 

 

3) I really think her parents health woes understandably had the label leave her be when it comes to her music and lack of social presence. Prayerfully, they are ok now. If so, it just won't be something to draw on. 

 

I say all of this to say, I think there are much deeper issues at play. Business, contract, legal ish. I think once out of the way, we'll have a much clearer vision of how she'll navigate her career when it comes to promo. 

 

But, in the here and now, I just can't crucify her for not dancing on Tik Tok or posting slay snaps when we sit in this bizarre scenario when we've not even had one music video (or even visualizer) speak less a performance for the era. Something is seriously wrong and it's not just "she won't promote".

 

My hope is that whether recalibrating this era or moving onto the next, when things are finally and properly in motion that it will be a case of non-stop visibility.

 

She changed management too and I just don't buy that Lydia and co are somehow worse than Brandon. It's not their edit with any other act they've been involved with nor do I think they'd sign on with Mani if she had a rep for being difficult or non-promoting.

 

I'd moreso buy that they are hand-holding and manoeuvring a pretty complex scenario BTS with Mani (whatever that may be) while scrubbing her pretty messy slate clean and mapping out her next steps. 

Edited August 25 by Cbreezy

[justifymythreads]

What legal stuff would that be though. I truly think that her contracts at RCA mixed with her stubbornness has been a major crux in her career. I mean let's take Tate Mcrae for example; she literally hadn't really made any serious noise until last year when she released an actual danceable track that showed off her ability. Before she was more so into that alternative-pop sound like Halsey. She would be releasing but not that often. Not until she got a big hit. Then RCA pushed her and eventually gave her a budget. 

 

My point is that Normani definitely overplayed her hand. She was building such a great reputation for being a great performer and her pickiness was definitely a turn off for the label. Having an iconic moment like Motivation only for her to actively dislike it and want nothing to do with it put could put a sour taste in anyone's mouth. Plus let's not forget the amount of money spent on numerous videos and performances that never came to be. Like it's been one messy ass career after another. Then all that for her to say she openly dislikes her album. She needs to be real with herself the pop landscape has changed since she debuted and the whole I hate social media thing doesn't work if you are theoretically new artist. 

[Cbreezy]

2 hours ago, justifymythreads said:

What legal stuff would that be though. I truly think that her contracts at RCA mixed with her stubbornness has been a major crux in her career. I mean let's take Tate Mcrae for example; she literally hadn't really made any serious noise until last year when she released an actual danceable track that showed off her ability. Before she was more so into that alternative-pop sound like Halsey. She would be releasing but not that often. Not until she got a big hit. Then RCA pushed her and eventually gave her a budget. 

 

My point is that Normani definitely overplayed her hand. She was building such a great reputation for being a great performer and her pickiness was definitely a turn off for the label. Having an iconic moment like Motivation only for her to actively dislike it and want nothing to do with it put could put a sour taste in anyone's mouth. Plus let's not forget the amount of money spent on numerous videos and performances that never came to be. Like it's been one messy ass career after another. Then all that for her to say she openly dislikes her album. She needs to be real with herself the pop landscape has changed since she debuted and the whole I hate social media thing doesn't work if you are theoretically new artist. 

Granted the "legal stuff" is potential conjecture on my part, I'm pretty resolute in my stance that Normani's "stubbornness" is not a viable "thing" when it comes to the highly unusual present album situation. 

 

Even the most mysterious, indie-leaning major label artists still have a certain amount of in-house push for their releases. Normani has had no videos, no visualizers, no radio push, and no (substantive) playlist push either. Nothing. And that's all label-side. I follow a bunch of acts - from flops right up to the Beys and Rihs of the world - and that level of "nothing" is literally unprecedented  at any level.

 

I can understand a label not putting their weight behind a project past a respectable distance from launch, but Mani's situation has been dire from the second she unveiled the cover. 

 

I don't know if I totally buy that take earlier in the thread (where a user claimed the label never intended to release it), especially as the WheresTheDamnAlbum.com site literally was created **by** Sony. However, every single (mis)step since she announced Dopamine - from the total silence after the announcement to the nothing pre-release to the zilch post-release - screams behind the scenes drama. If there's any kind of standoff, it's giving one of the legal persuasion. Or mismanagement of budget to the point that there is quite literally nothing left to push the LP. Hence the campaign effectively being dead.

 

Normani's supposed "stubbornness" is not a real, factorable metric when the situation is as dire/unusual as this has all been. 

 

IMO, we ought to be mindful of not conflating our frustrations with her pre-album release antics with an objective assessment of what's happening...now. 

 

That said, whenever ish gets back on track or reboots or whatever, I agree with you that - if she truly wants to blow up-up - then yes she has to do all the things. Doja, Tate, Sabrina, etc (though not totally like-for-like examples to Mani) are still good examples of what's potentially possible should she lean in and go for it. From both a material and DIY promotional standpoint.

 

It's vital to centralize the fact that the music industry is not a meritocracy where "if you do the things then you'll automatically win", especially as a Black female act. But I do agree that doing something can jumpstart things in ways that sometimes even quality material can't.

 

 

[justifymythreads]

3 hours ago, Cbreezy said:

Granted the "legal stuff" is potential conjecture on my part, I'm pretty resolute in my stance that Normani's "stubbornness" is not a viable "thing" when it comes to the highly unusual present album situation. 

 

Even the most mysterious, indie-leaning major label artists still have a certain amount of in-house push for their releases. Normani has had no videos, no visualizers, no radio push, and no (substantive) playlist push either. Nothing. And that's all label-side. I follow a bunch of acts - from flops right up to the Beys and Rihs of the world - and that level of "nothing" is literally unprecedented  at any level.

 

I can understand a label not putting their weight behind a project past a respectable distance from launch, but Mani's situation has been dire from the second she unveiled the cover. 

 

I don't know if I totally buy that take earlier in the thread (where a user claimed the label never intended to release it), especially as the WheresTheDamnAlbum.com site literally was created **by** Sony. However, every single (mis)step since she announced Dopamine - from the total silence after the announcement to the nothing pre-release to the zilch post-release - screams behind the scenes drama. If there's any kind of standoff, it's giving one of the legal persuasion. Or mismanagement of budget to the point that there is quite literally nothing left to push the LP. Hence the campaign effectively being dead.

 

Normani's supposed "stubbornness" is not a real, factorable metric when the situation is as dire/unusual as this has all been. 

 

IMO, we ought to be mindful of not conflating our frustrations with her pre-album release antics with an objective assessment of what's happening...now. 

 

That said, whenever ish gets back on track or reboots or whatever, I agree with you that - if she truly wants to blow up-up - then yes she has to do all the things. Doja, Tate, Sabrina, etc (though not totally like-for-like examples to Mani) are still good examples of what's potentially possible should she lean in and go for it. From both a material and DIY promotional standpoint.

 

It's vital to centralize the fact that the music industry is not a meritocracy where "if you do the things then you'll automatically win", especially as a Black female act. But I do agree that doing something can jumpstart things in ways that sometimes even quality material can't.

 

 

I mean she gotten rid of a lot of people in her camp like Sean and other people like Brandon. Maybe the new team is maybe not living up to her expectations. Also, if the Deluxe album is in fact a thing. Maybe the silence is because she's going to be promoting the reissue anyway. (I know this purely speculation and in no way am I putting all my eggs in this basket.) My issue is that there has been radio silence with little to no performances or promotion leading up to and after the release. I personally feel like she's either moving labels and she doesn't want to use up any more time with promoting the album or RCA told her that she's wanted too much money on pre-production and should wait until the top of the year to promote (which is somewhat counter productive as many heavy hitters are slated to release that year and the people who would've been actively waiting for it would've moved on by then.) However, if it's the former I wouldn't be surprised if she moves over to Def Jam as she has a relationship with some people over there. 

[NormaniQueen]

hate to sound delusional…but is there a possibility that mani is performing at the vmas???

[NormaniQueen]

also, does anybody know if we're still getting a tour??? it's crazy to me how all parties are silent, ESPECIALLY when lydia was so excited for us to see what was to come of this era… but with that being said, i still feel like the era is not over yet. it's just so  aggravating for this cycle to happen over and over again. 

[nooniebao]

💀💀💀💀

[lovely88]

17 hours ago, NormaniQueen said:

hate to sound delusional…but is there a possibility that mani is performing at the vmas???

Depends on the label/Lydia pulling strings. I'm sure RCA has a guaranteed spot if they want but they already booked Lisa, who is clearly for the kpop audience. So if there is jockeying for one black r&b/pop girlie it might be between several girls like Tinashe, Normani, Victoria Monet, Chloe and Tyla etc. This is assuming they can't get Beyoncé or Sza who I'm sure is at the top of their list. 

Edited August 27 by lovely88