Normani’s rise has the feel of an overnight phenomenon, but she’s been building towards this for nearly a decade. Born Normani Kordei Hamilton in Atlanta, she grew up in New Orleans “very influenced by live instrumentation,” she says, and moved to Houston in the wake of Hurricane Katrina at age nine. She started out as a competitive gymnast and dancer—tap, ballet and jazz—before getting into music, ultimately auditioning for The X Factor in 2012 at age 14.
