Normani has opened up on her troubled years in Fifth Harmony explaining why she had to "suppress" memories from that time.
The singer, 28, was grouped with Ally Brooke, Camila Cabello, Dinah Jane and Lauren Jauregui when they were contestants on season two of the American version of The X Factor in 2012 to create Fifth Harmony.
But time in the band was far from harmonious, with Normani becoming the target of racist trolls - receiving abuse from fans and even music industry executives.
Opening up to Rolling Stone, the Motivation singer explained she has blocked out some of the memories of her time in the group, which disbanded in 2018.
She said, "There's so much that I don't even remember because I suppressed it. That's just my way of protecting myself from having to deal with everything. But what I do remember is it wasn't all bad. Like yeah, we struggled, but it was also really beautiful in what we accomplished together."
This month, the star releases her debut solo album, Dopamine, and she says she won't be holding back now she has the spotlight to herself.
She told the music magazine, "I'm f**king strong despite everything that I've endured. It's a testament to my strength and my resilience and my discipline.
"I'm a lot more sure of myself, a lot more comfortable. I've done a really good job at navigating and getting back to who I am and recognising the beauty. I'm trusting myself a lot more."
