Normani struggled with her identity after leaving Fifth Harmony.
The 28-year-old singer joined the chart-topping girl group as a teenager - but she didn't know "who or what Normani even sounded like" after the band announced their hiatus in 2018.
Normani - who starred in the group alongside Ally Brooke, Dinah Jane, Lauren Jauregui, and Camila Cabello - told Dazed magazine: "Coming out of the group, I didn’t necessarily know who or what Normani even sounded like.
"I needed some time to have life experiences, challenge myself in the studio and not be afraid."
Normani is set to release her long-awaited debut album, 'Dopamine', later this month.
And the singer acknowledges that it looks "a little crazy" to release her debut album so many years after the band announced their hiatus.
She added: "I know what it’s like to put out music that I don’t necessarily believe in. It hurts when I don’t feel like I’m able to be fully represented or when I have to stand behind something I don’t believe in, and I did that for so long.
"So I made an oath to myself that, when I got the opportunity, I was gonna do things my way, and be unapologetic about that."
Earlier this month, Normani confessed to having bittersweet memories of her time in Fifth Harmony.
The 'Candy Paint' hitmaker admitted that she experienced some challenging times in the group.
She told Rolling Stone magazine: "I’m grateful for all of it, even the moments where I might’ve felt inadequate or less than. It definitely has a lot to do with why I am the way that I am."
Normani also recalled struggling with her confidence at times.
She said: "It definitely took a toll on my confidence.
"Would I do some things differently or wish that some things were done differently? Of course, but I also don’t want to sit here and make it sound like it wasn’t part of my story."
