The singer opened up to ET on Sunday about how revealing their decision to go on hiatus was 'the toughest day,' and reflects on how going solo has given her the chance to 'finally fully be myself.'
Normani Kordei is opening up about the "heartbreaking" task the members of Fifth Harmony faced when announcing that they would be going on an indefinite hiatus.
"[It was] very scary," Kordei shared with ET's Keltie Knight at the Daily Front Row's 4th Annual Fashion Los Angeles Awards at the Beverly Hills Hotel in Los Angeles on Sunday. "And heartbreaking for me personally. The first day that we even put out the announcement for the hiatus, it was the toughest day."
For the 21-year-old singer, the hardest part was having the band's split thrust into the spotlight for everyone to comment on and speculate about, and the media coverage really hammered home the reality of the decision.
"So many people saying, 'Oh my god, what happened? What's wrong?' Just having that attention on something that you already know is real and the fact that now everybody else knows it's real, it's like, 'Wow, this is really happening,'" she shared.
The group released a statement on March 19, letting their fans know that they would be going their separate ways, at least for a while, "In order to pursue solo endeavors."
While Kordei is looking forward to venturing out on her own, the singer admits that it's going to take some time to acclimate to being a solo artist.
"It's definitely going to be an adjustment," she shared. "It's all I've known for the last six years, but I'm excited."
One thing Kordei is looking forward to is finding her own, original sound and letting the world hear who she really is.
"It's a discovery for myself, you know? There are so many people that are excited for me, trying to see, 'Oh, what is she gonna do next? 'What does Normani sound like?' I'm still trying to figure that out," the singer admitted. "I'm in the studio and its really cool because I talk about things that I actually wanna talk about and things that I feel genuinely, and I can finally fully be myself."
"I feel like, within the group, I'm so, so grateful for the process but I can speak for all of us, you've only been able to see a fraction of who we are individually," she added.
Recently, Kordei opened up to Beats 1 on Apple Music about her new hit single "Love Lies" with Khalid and her upcoming debut solo album, and echoed her sentiment about the pressure she and her former bandmates feel when releasing solo music.
"It’s always kind of scary," Kordei said "Every time we put something out individually, it’s like, 'Oh shoot! All eyes are on me!'"
Fifth Harmony -- comprised of Kordei, Lauren Jauregui, Dinah Jane and Ally Brooke -- was first formed in 2012, during season two of the U.S. version of The X Factor.
They went on to release the chart-topping singles "Worth It" and "Work From Home." In December 2016, rumors of an impending split first surfaced after founding member Camila Cabello quit the band to go solo.
The group announced their hiatus to fans in a statement, sharing, "After six years going hard, non-stop, we also realized that in order to stay authentic to ourselves and to you, we do need to take some time for now to go on hiatus from Fifth Harmony in order to pursue solo endeavors. We are all very excited and grateful to be able to take this time to learn and grow creatively and really find our footing as individuals."
Just two days after Fifth Harmony broke the news, ET caught up with Kordei, who shared some sweet words with her heartbroken fans.
"Oh, I love you guys so much and you made it the best time of my life," she marveled. "I'll never forget it." Check out the video below to hear more.
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