While Normani's MTV Video Music Awards performance looked flawless on TV, her choreographer just revealed some major behind-the-scenes drama. Here's what happened...
Normani literally lit up the stage at this year's MTV VMAs with a very physically demanding performance of her latest hit Wild Side. And though she made the whole thing look effortless like the true professional artist she is, behind the scenes, it was a whole different story.
Backstage Drama
Now that VMAs have come and gone, Normani took to her Instagram stories to re-share a post from her choreographer, Sean Bankhead, detailing how the experience was "traumatic as f*ck," as a result of how "everything that could have gone wrong...did."
Sean pointed out that Normani and her whole team only had one week to prepare for this "overly ambitious" performance as she was a late addition to the lineup.
To make matters worse, all kinds of unexpected challenges were thrown at them the day of the show. Sean added, "I personally had to redo and fix the screen content hours before we went live, and to be honest, as much of a spectacle we wanted to put on and ALL the ideas we had a simple red and white screen and a clear box is ALL Normani needs to STILL steal the show." Fans couldn't agree more: Normani is a true talent.
Slaying Her Performance of 'Wild Side' at the VMAs
All of her team's hard work and sacrifice sure paid off because they put on a spectacular performance. But, always the perfectionist, Sean went on to say that he's now finally able to step back and look at the performance for what it was rather than what he expected it to be.
He said, "This sh*t is actually kinda epic and clean as f*ck. The producers and directors even said it was the best choreography and dancers on the entire show… Why not just let the screens be clean to highlight that?"
Sharing all these BTS details about their performance helps fans enjoy and value it that much more, and Sean couldn't be more pleased with Normani's display of courage in the face of adversity.
He wrote, "I'm so proud of you, kid, and I'm sure one day we will tell how traumatic this moment was, and you still got on that stage you f***ing beast Normani."
Fans Are Praising Normani for Her Resilience and Hard Work
Fans love seeing Normani killing it and getting all the credit that she so rightly deserves. One fan praised her: "Normani managed to pull this off with one week, still one of the most talked-about on the night, and trended no.1 artist that night. Despite all that sabotage behind the scenes. She's a true talent."
Another fan agreed, "She's a true super talented & very powerful girl. I'm glad that she's getting bigger & bigger every single day. Imagine after all of this VMAs behind-the-scenes messiness & drama, she came up with such a great & iconic performance, and she was dancing effortlessly as no one could've on the entire show. What a true QUEEN NORMANI."
Savage X Fenty's First Brand Ambassador
Rihanna was also a big fan of Normani's performance as she invited her to perform an even steamier rendition of Wild Side for her Savage X Fenty Show Vol. 3 that just dropped a couple of days ago.
This time around, fans got to see Normani defy gravity in a snakeskin catsuit while dancing in a small pink box with several male dancers.
Normani became Savage X Fenty's first brand ambassador in 2018 and has now appeared in all three installments of the fashion show.
Wardrobe Malfunction During Her MTV VMAs 2019 Performance
During 2019 VMAs, Normani gave viewers serious motivation. Not even a massive wardrobe malfunction could stop her from slaying the VMAs stage. During her Motivation performance, the talented artist was doing everything from gymnastics to dancing to singing. There's no doubt that she is a serious triple threat. Back then, people on Twitter were comparing her to a young Beyoncé, and surely Queen B would approve.
One fan commented, "Yes, Normani! The spirit of Bey runs through you. Didn't even let a wardrobe malfunction stop her."
Feeling Overlooked in 'Fifth Harmony'
Many fans got to know and love Normani when Fifth Harmony formed on The X Factor in 2012. Since the group split up in 2018, Normani has opened up a lot about what she's gone through both with her fellow bandmates and as the only black member.
In an interview with Allure, Normani revealed she was often overlooked for opportunities that were given to other members. She was even given a recommendation to represses her star power to blend in. While Normani has really gotten to show off her incredible vocal talent as a solo artist, she said she wasn't given the opportunity in Fifth Harmony. Fans are proud of her for overcoming all the hardships along the way and keep killing it in everything she does.