Normani talks working with Khalid on ‘Personal’: ‘He inspires me’

Normani has musically reunited with Khalid for their latest collab, “Personal,” a song she says was easy to work on, as she was teaming up with a close friend.

“He’s my best friend. Not just in the industry, but just in general,” she tells Rolling Stone of Khalid. “Working alongside somebody at the very beginning of my own solo endeavors and having a little uncertainty, he really makes me feel grounded, then and now.”

“He’s been a constant for me and has always been so encouraging, and we have fun. It’s easy,” she continued. “That’s the best way that I could put it. We enjoy our time together and I feel like any time we get to work with each other, we’re kind of re-inspired. He inspires me. I pray that I also give that back to him.”

“Personal” marks Normani’s second collaboration with Khalid, following 2018’s “Love Lies,” which she says “exceeded my wildest imagination” while introducing her as a solo artist. “I couldn’t have imagined doing it with anybody else by my side. It’s still one of my favorite records to this day, both of our vocal performances,” she says.

While “Love Lies” was her debut single, Dopamine was Normani’s debut album. It’s been six months since it dropped, but Normani says we’re still in the Dopamine era. “We’re only still getting started,” she says, confirming she’ll be going on tour. She promises visuals, which she’s “been working diligently” on, adding, “Something is coming very, very soon.”

Normani adds there’s a possibility of a new album in 2025, about a lot of the things she’s currently going through. “I promised I wouldn’t make you guys wait that long anymore! I’m just putting things out and moving more this year, as opposed to preparation,” she says.