In the asylum where they raised Normani stans, doctors are still asking, “Is the Normani album in the room with us now?†New music from their fave was but a figment of their imagination, a symptom of being the unwitting star in a play called “Waiting for an Album for Half a Decade.†Not anymore. The procrastinating performer released a new song, “1:59,†on April 26, after a two-year drought that drove fans up a wall. The minimal R&B track has an assist from Gunna, some sexy vocal stacking, and an addictive, come-hither guitar melody. The lyrics reflect the production, too. “When I get you alone / Boy, what you gon’ do with it?,†Normani sings in the chorus. “Don’t talk too much, just do this shit.†She gave stans even more to lose their minds over. Right after “1:59†dropped, she confirmed the release date for Dopamine, the album she’s been teasing for well over five years. It’s out June 14.
“I think that there’s a false narrative that because of how long this process has taken, that means I don’t care, or that means I’m more interested in doing other things than putting this body of work out,†Normani said in an interview with Elle on April 26. “Nobody wants this project to come out more than me. I think that at the end of the day, if I stand behind this wholeheartedly, it doesn’t matter what the world thinks.â€