Normani has been inspired by Brandy and Janet Jackson.
The 28-year-old singer is set to release her long-awaited debut solo album, 'Dopamine', later this month, and Normani has cited Brandy, 45 - who features on the record - and Janet as two of her biggest inspirations.
She told Rolling Stone magazine: "I naturally gravitate to darker-sounding things from a sonic perspective, something that feels like it has bite and grit and edginess to it.
"I always just like being left of centre. At one point, I was like, ‘Listen, everything can’t sound dark. We want to take everybody on a ride. We need to add some colour.’ I love Missy Elliott so much, Timbaland’s production.
"I like unique things that haven’t necessarily really been heard, so that’s also why production is my favourite part of the process."
Normani hailed Brandy and Janet for being "disruptive" forces in the music business.
She explained: "They’re literally the reason why I do what I do and why I’m able to be in the position that I am in ... They redefined the standard of beauty, but also the standard in music.
"I feel like Brandy and Janet have really been disruptive in their own ways. I love the album 'Discipline' by Janet."
Meanwhile, Normani recently hailed Beyonce as a "revolutionary" force in country music.
The former Fifth Harmony star praised Beyonce's 'Cowboy Carter' album and her successful move into the country genre.
She told ELLE.com: "Having Beyonce, a black woman in music, taking over the country space is revolutionary. Those are the types of things that I set out to do.
"Now you have country artists who look like us coming out and just being like, 'We’ve always been here.' I think that it’s educational not only for music lovers, but also in the black community. We’ve pioneered a lot that we don’t get recognition for.
"I think that it’s just really cool being able to witness Beyonce be fearless and do something that is much bigger than herself."
