Normani addresses Camila Cabello's 'horrible and hurtful' language: 'It was devastating'
Singer Normani opened up about former Fifth Harmony group member Camila Cabello, saying Cabello's language was "horrible and hurtful."
In December 2019, Cabello told fans on Twitter and Instagram she was "deeply ashamed of and will regret forever" language she used when she was younger. Cabello, who performed with Normani in Fifth Harmony, did not specify what she was apologizing for.
In an email follow-up to an interview with Rolling Stone published Friday, Normani carefully commented on Cabello's remarks in a lengthy statement, which she said she wrote so her words wouldn't be "misconstrued."
"I face senseless attacks daily, as does the rest of my community," she wrote. "This represents a day in the life for us. I have been tolerating discrimination far before I could even comprehend what exactly was happening. Direct and subliminal hatred has been geared towards me for many years solely because of the color of my skin. It would be dishonest if I said that this particular scenario didn’t hurt me. It was devastating that this came from a place that was supposed to be a safe haven and a sisterhood, because I knew that if the tables were turned I would defend each of them in a single heartbeat."
Normani continued: "It took days for her to acknowledge what I was dealing with online and then years for her to take responsibility for the offensive tweets that recently resurfaced. Whether or not it was her intention, this made me feel like I was second to the relationship that she had with her fans.”
She said she believes "everyone deserves the opportunity for personal growth."
"I really hope that an important lesson was learned in this. I hope there is genuine understanding about why this was absolutely unacceptable. … To my brown men and women, we are like no other. Our power lies within our culture," she said.
More Camila Cabello: 'Senorita' singer brings dad to tears with heartfelt Grammys performance
'That’s not who we are': Fifth Harmony on Camila Cabello and 'gossip interviews'
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Camila Cabello: Normani addresses former Fifth Harmony member's posts
