"I learned a lot about myself" - Singer Normani on her first stint with the movies

Love Lies singer Normani finally made her acting debut with Freaky Tales, a film directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, which was released in theatres on April 4. Speaking about her experience of acting in the film, Normani talked to People Magazine, saying,

I felt like I learned a lot about myself, and I was actually able to celebrate myself and watch myself and not be super critical”

Normani, who rose to fame as a member of the girl group Fifth Harmony, released her first full-length solo album, Dopamine, in 2024. The recently engaged singer's album gained both critical and commercial success.

According to a report by Elle Magazine, Normani, in the years preceding the release of her breakthrough solo album, had undergone a lot of personal challenges because both her parents were battling cancer.

Normani’s acting experience with Freaky Tales explored

According to the plot synopsis released by the makers of the film, Freaky Tales narrates a saga of love, hope, memory, and music through four interconnected stories. The story is set in Oakland in the late 1980s. Freaky Tales had its film festival premiere at the prestigious Sundance Film Festival during the festival’s 2024 edition.

Normani, who plays a rapper in the film, portrays the character of Entice, who is preparing for a high-stakes rap battle against another rapper, Symba, played by the real-life rapper, Too Short.

Speaking about the experience of getting into the skin of the character with Vulture’s Jay Jurden, Normani said,

“I feel like I was able to get outside of myself, from what I would traditionally sound like…just being educated too on the music and the influence that Oakland has”

The music scene of Oakland in the late 1980s is featured as a key anchor in the film. While speaking to TMZ, Too Short, who co-stars in the film opposite Normani and who released a song of the same name as the film's title in the '80s, said,

“The story being told by back in 1987, its just the music in there, it does so much to you. And, I don't know man, I’m the narrator of the movie. So, my music is in the movie, you hear my voice throughout the movie. So, you know, it’s going to be a good experience.”

No stranger to the creative art of music herself, Normani added a whole new layer to her experience as a singer while playing the character of a musician, that too a rapper. Speaking to Elle Magazine, she shared,

“It was such a refreshing experience for me, especially since a lot of my time and my heart had been dedicated to music for so long. I felt like I was able to be creative in a different way…Obviously slight nerves, because this was a new environment for me, but that’s what I loved about it most”

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Despite being a debutant actress, Normani feels very confident about her new professional endeavor. Sharing her excitement about the film's release, she told People Magazine,

“I was actually able to celebrate myself and watch myself and not be super critical…I'll take my mom and my dad and my grandma and go to the movie.”

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