Normani Says Parents' Cancer Diagnoses Felt Like 'Life or Death': 'All I Wanted to Do Was Be There for Them'

Normani is getting vulnerable about her parents' experiences with cancer.

In a new interview with Who What Wear, the "Wild Side" singer opened up about how her mom Andrea Hamilton and dad Derrick Hamilton getting diagnosed with cancer and undergoing treatment impacted her.

Andrea was first diagnosed with breast cancer when Normani, 27, was 5 years old, and she was in remission for 19 years before the Fifth Harmony alum shared news of her mom's illness returning in October 2020.

Derrick was also diagnosed with cancer about a year after Andrea entered treatment, Normani previously revealed to Bose last year.

Upon learning both her parents had cancer, Normani, whose debut album has been in the works since 2018, told Who What Wear she remembered thinking, "F--- all of this. This is bigger than the music. It’s bigger than what I’m trying to accomplish. This is life or death. All I wanted to do was be there for them."

Throughout their own personal hardships, Andrea and Derrick remained supportive of Normani's musicianship as she worked on her upcoming album Dopamine, which was officially announced earlier this week for a 2024 release.

"Honestly, music got them through the cancer treatments. I remember being on FaceTime with my mom while she was undergoing chemo and her asking me, 'How's the studio today? How's the music coming?'" recalled the "Motivation" performer.

Normani continued, "As hard as it was for me to not be with them as much as I wanted to, ultimately, pushing through made the circumstances of the last few years feel a bit lighter for my parents."

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She also spoke about how the difficult experience left her feeling encouraged to focus on her goals as an artist. "It was in those moments with my parents that made me realize that I have an opportunity to make an impact in this lifetime," said Normani.

"I know everything I’ve been through isn’t in vain," continued the "Love Lies" star. "There’s always something that God wants me to see in the season. It’s all in service of making me better for all that he actually has in store for me."