The singer opened up to Power 106 about working on the song amid her mother's breast cancer battle and what it meant for her family.
"Wild Side" is more than just a hit track for Normani. The singer opened up to Power 106 about how important it was to put out new music during her mother, Andrea Hamilton's, battle with breast cancer.
"This past year, my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer," Normani said. "For me, this work that I was able to put out into the world really saved me, to be completely honest. Even just being on FaceTime with her as she's going through her chemo and her radiation, and just wanting me to update her on how this video is going, and how the music is coming, it really got her through that. It got my family through the darkest time of our lives."
It's a battle her family knows all too well, with Normani's mother having first undergone treatment for cancer when the former Fifth Harmony member was just four years old. And while the 25-year-old musician admits she felt guilty at times being away from home, she said her mom urged her to focus and "get this music out."
"For it to happen all over again, in such a pivotal and heightened moment for my career... there's so many moments I was like, 'I need to be at home' and I felt guilty for not being able to be physically there with her," the "Checklist" singer said.
"I remember being in the doctor's office with her after she had her surgery in October," she continued. "She's like, 'Baby, I'm gonna be fine. What I need you to do is focus. I need you to be Normani. I need you to be the best version of yourself. I need you to continue to work hard. We gotta get this music out. We have the world to impact.' She was just like, 'I'm gonna be fine.' Anything that my mom says, to be completely honest, I believe."
Normani credits her parents support and her mother's strength for allowing her to have the success in her career that she has today.
"They've been the ultimate support system," she said of her parents. "Her strength throughout her experience has been the strength that I've needed honestly to even be able to allow this to even be a thought."
In October, Normani confirmed that her mother's cancer had returned after Hamilton shared the news on Instagram.
"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me🙏🏾," Hamilton captioned the photo of her hand holding a rosary. "I did it once and I’ll do it again! #CancerWho"
Shortly after, Normani posted a screenshot of her mother's post to her Instagram story, adding, "We got this mommy."
She also commented supportively under her mother's Instagram post, calling her a "warrior" and "the strongest woman that I know."
For more on the singer, watch the video below.
RELATED CONTENT
