The 5H singer recently signed with a new manager, but she tells ET her heart is still fully in 5H -- plus, she reveals who she hopes will win 'Dancing With the Stars'!
Fifth Harmony may be down to four members, but have no fear -- Normani Kordei isn't going anywhere.
Kordei recently made headlines when she signed with her own manager, causing fans to worry that the group was splitting up. ET spoke with the 21-year-old singer by phone about the 5K she walked with her mom in Santa Monica, California, over the weekend to raise money for the American Cancer Society, and during the chat, she reassured fans that she's not parting ways with 5H. In fact, she actually thought it was funny that people jumped to that conclusion.
"It's funny because so many people were like, '5H is over! Oh my gosh! She's leaving the group.' And I'm just sitting in my bed laughing because so many things can be misconstrued and misread and just taken out of context," she admitted. "I'm like, no, I'm not leaving my group. I would never. We're on such a high right now. We're at our peak. It would be dumb at this point, and it's not what I want to do with my heart and soul. That wasn't even a thought."
"All it is, is that I got my own manager to kind of help guide me with whatever it is that I want to do aside from the group. That's all it is," she added.
Kordei's reaction to the whole thing? Removing herself from the chatter.
"I completely cut off social media because I heard so many people were talking about it. Not even in a negative way! There were so many people excited for me and like, 'We want your music! We want to hear a piece of you!'" she explained. "Because we all have our hardcore Harmonizers and then we each have our own fans that gravitate to one girl more. Mine call themselves Normani girls. They're just very excited for what's to come."
Fans can be forgiven for being so nervous -- after all, Camila Cabello did suddenly leave the group last year. The four remaining ladies -- Kordei, Ally Brooke, Dinah Jane and Lauren Jauregui -- have flourished, not faltered, since Cabello's departure. Not only have they scored hits like "Work From Home, " they also won a number of awards, including taking home statuettes at the Teen Choice Awards and People's Choice Awards, and made waves with their performance at this year's MTV Video Awards, where they also won Best Pop Video for "Down."
As Kordei pointed out, one of the biggest reasons that they're so successful is that the four remaining members fiercely support one another. Even though she is currently working on her own personal ventures, every other woman in the group is as well, and they cheer each other on. Jane just released "Boom Boom," her new single with Daddy Yankee, RedOne and French Montana, Jauregui has already put out solo music, and Kordei says Brooke is working on new music as well.
"It's really special to have a group of women that are confident enough in ourselves that we can be confident in the next person... It's just cool that we can all support each other, not because we're forced to or we have to, but because we genuinely love each other and we're happy. We know that we came into the group as individuals, so we allow each other that individual freedom, but still remembering that the group is [important]."
Plus, if you're going through a stressful moment, there's something to be said about having three girls who've become like family by your side more often than not.
"There's never a dull moment. I'm so grateful that I was able to go through it with other women that have the same passion as me and work ethic," Kordei tells ET. "We are like sisters. There are so many things we don't agree on, but at the end of the day, we're all family-oriented, and we have morals and values that we stand by, and we have enough respect for each other to allow each other to grow, make mistakes, and we pick each other right back up."
Even though she's crazy busy with Fifth Harmony and her work with the American Cancer Society, there's one big thing still on her mind: Dancing With the Stars! As this season gets closer and closer to the mirrorball trophy, the DWTS alum is keeping up when she can (5H did just wrap up a South American tour, which makes it hard to tune in every Monday and Tuesday) and cheering on one very special guy.
"I'm rooting for my partner! Well, he's not my partner anymore. You see how I still think I'm on the show?" she laughed. "Of course, I'm rooting for Val [Chmerkovskiy]."
And we're rooting for Kordei and more 5H.
