Dopamine (Normani album)

Dopamine
Studio album by Normani
Released	June 14, 2024 (2024-06-14)
Genre	R&B pop
Length	41:28
Label	RCA
Producer	Bizness Boi Tommy Brown Dave Cappa Jonah Christian Rami Dawod Mr. Franks Jason Gill Anton Göransson Kuk Harrell Harv Jarami Leather Jackett June Nawakii Nealante Normani Jacob Olofsson Aaron Revelle Tyler Rohn Taylor Ross Stargate Starrah Triangle Park
Normani chronology
Normani x Calvin Harris (2018) Dopamine (2024)
Singles from Dopamine
"1:59" Released: April 26, 2024 "Candy Paint" Released: May 31, 2024

Dopamine is the debut solo studio album by American singer Normani. It was released on June 14, 2024, through RCA Records. The album features collaborations with American rappers Cardi B, Gunna, and English singer-songwriter James Blake, along with contributions from Brandy and Victoria Monét. Primarily a pop and R&B record, upon release it was met with generally favourable reviews. Dopamine was supported by the singles "1:59" and "Candy Paint", as well as the previously-released "Wild Side" (2021), which reached number 14 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Background and development

Normani first rose to fame as a member of girl group Fifth Harmony, formed during the second season of The X Factor in 2012. The group came in third place in the competition, and subsequently signed a recording contract with Syco Music and Epic Records. The group rose to prominence with their breakthrough single "Worth It" (2015), and achieved further success with the US top-ten single "Work from Home" (2016). Fifth Harmony released three studio albums, all of which earned gold certifications in the United States.

Following the announcement of Fifth Harmony's indefinite hiatus in 2018, plans about Normani's debut studio album first emerged in July, when the singer announced that she had her album title ready. Between 2018 and 2022, she released eight singles, including "Motivation" (2019), which was going to serve as the lead single of her debut album, but did not make the final track listing.

On February 21, 2024, Normani announced the title of her debut studio album, Dopamine (an organic chemical), the album cover, and shared an audio snippet on her social media pages. Normani expressed that the album is "a representation of [her] evolution" and "everything [she had] gone through to get to this moment". She also touched on the expectations and pressure she dealt with while making the album, as well as having to struggle with both of her parents having cancer. In an interview with Elle magazine, Normani said that the album title "represents the highs and the lows [she has] endured" and that she wanted a title that encompassed everything that she felt she went through in her journey to get to this point in her career.

Release and promotion

On March 23, 2024, Normani announced the lead single from the album titled "1:59", featuring American rapper Gunna, which was released on April 26. The album's release date was then announced during the song's release. Around the same time, Normani also started teasing the release of "Candy Paint", which had been previewed multiple times since 2022, and would share a pre-save link for the song on May 2. A teaser trailer for the album, subtitled "First Dose" was released on YouTube, as well as her social media platforms, on May 22. The trailer featured a guest appearance from Gunna for what was likely a preview of the "1:59" music video, as well as a new snippet of "Candy Paint". "Candy Paint" was surprise-released as the album's second single on Normani's 28th birthday, May 31. It was later reported "Wild Side" (2021) featuring Cardi B would appear on Dopamine. "All Yours" was released as a promotional single from the album on June 13, a day before the album's release.

On June 11, 2024, Normani teased the album's upcoming release with a promotional video directing fans to call her hotline number, "Hotline 1:59." When called, the voicemail previewed a snippet from the album each day, ending with Normani saying, "Hey, it's Normani, leave a message after the beep." On June 12, 2024, Normani revealed the tracklist to Dopamine on all social media platforms.

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
AnyDecentMusic?	6.9/10
Metacritic	73/100
Review scores
Source	Rating
Clash	8/10
The Guardian
The Independent
The Line of Best Fit	6/10
NME
Pitchfork	7.4/10
Rolling Stone

According to the review aggregator Metacritic, Dopamine received "generally favorable reviews" based on a weighted average score of 73 out of 100 from nine critic scores.

Shahzaib Hussain of Clash described the album as "a debut that hits the programmed sweet spot, conversant with contemporary trends and greater R&B and soul traditions." Writing for NME, Nick Levine said that "it may have taken six years, but Dopamine sounds like the (damn) album Normani was meant to make all long." Pitchfork's Heven Haile found Dopamine to be a "solid reintroduction to Normani’s sultrier side," while also ambivalently comparing it to Dua Lipa's Future Nostalgia in that a "mysteriously cool it-girl persona is thrilling in three-minute doses, but after a couple of tracks with big hooks, you come across some filler."

Nicole Vassell of The Independent wrote that even though "the album will satisfy lovers of understated soul, [...] after so long a wait, you might hope for a bigger dopamine hit than this." The Guardian's Michael Cragg said that "Dopamine understandably strives hard for perfection, but it can feel strangely anonymous at times"; however, he also said that "when Normani fully lets loose, [...] there's a real sense of that superstar everyone hoped to see back in 2018 finally taking centre stage on her own damn album."

Track listing

Dopamine track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Big Boy" (featuring Starrah)	Normani Hamilton Brittany Hazzard Tommy Brown	Brown Kuk Harrell[v]	2:53
2.	"Still"	Hamilton Brown Darius Coleman Lydia Asrat Courtlin Jabrae Michael Jones Paul Slayton Stavye Thomas Salih Williams	Brown Leather Jackett	2:32
3.	"All Yours"	Hamilton Nija Charles Abby Keen Brown Andre Robertson	Bizness Boi Ari PenSmith[a] Brown[a] Harrell[v]	3:28
4.	"Lights On"	Hamilton Victoria Monét Brown Bernard Harvey Parker Mulherin Marshall Mulherin Peder Losnegård	Brown Harv Lido[a] P. Mulherin[a] M. Mulherin[a] Harrell[v]	3:45
5.	"Take My Time"	Hamilton Brown Arnthor Birgisson Jacob Olofsson Jason Gill Rami Dawod Lukasz Duchnowski Tiaan Williams	Olofsson Gill Dawod Harrell[v]	3:18
6.	"Insomnia"	Hamilton Asrat Monét Brown Mikkel Eriksen Tor Hermansen Brandy Norwood Tommy Parker	Brown Stargate	3:49
7.	"Candy Paint"	Hamilton B. Hazzard Jacob Gago Keynon Moore LaQuan Hazzard Tyler Rohn June Nawakii Keynon Moore	Brown	2:50
8.	"Grip"	Hamilton B. Hazzard Brown	Brown	2:10
9.	"1:59" (featuring Gunna)	Hamilton B. Hazzard Coleman Sergio Kitchens Brown Aaron Revelle Byron Ford Jabrae Moore L. Hazzard Marqueze Parker	Brown Leather Jackett	3:12
10.	"Distance"	Hamilton Sevyn Streeter Robertson David Hughes Scott Carter Vanessa Wood Donnie Meadows Avery Earls Jerome Monroe	Bizness Boi Triangle Park Harrell[v]	3:01
11.	"Tantrums" (featuring James Blake)	Hamilton B. Hazzard Coleman Brown James Blake Steven Franks	Brown Blake Mr. Franks	3:10
12.	"Little Secrets"	Hamilton B. Hazzard Anton Göransson Henry Walter Brown Revelle Rohn Taylor Ross Nawakii Chandler Durham Dominique Jones Kitchens Moore	Brown Starrah Göransson Rohn Revelle June Nawakii Ross	3:50
13.	"Wild Side" (featuring Cardi B)	Hamilton Belcalis Almanzar Jorden Thorpe B. Hazzard Dave Cappa Jonah Christian Nawakii Moore Ross Rohn	Normani Nealante Cappa Starrah[p] Rohn Christian Ross Nawakii Harrell[p] Brad Bustamante[v]	3:29
Total length:				41:28

Notes

• ^{^[p]} signifies a primary and vocal producer
• ^{^[a]} signifies an additional producer
• ^{^[v]} signifies a vocal producer
• "Still" contains a sample and interpolation from "Still Tippin'," written and performed by Mike Jones, Slim Thug and Paul Wall.
• "Insomnia" contains an interpolation from "A Capella (Something's Missing)," written by Soundz, Chad C. Roper, Le'che D. Martin, and Tiyon Mack, as performed by Brandy, from her 2008 album Human.
• "Little Secrets" contains a sample of "Drip Too Hard," written and performed by Lil Baby and Gunna.
• "Wild Side" contains an interpolation from "One in a Million", written by Missy Elliott and Timbaland, as performed by Aaliyah.

Personnel

• Normani – lead vocals
• Mike Bozzi – mastering (tracks 1–8, 10–13)
• Ohad Nissim – mastering (track 9)
• Jaycen Joshua – mastering (track 13), mixing (3, 7, 13)
• Rachel Blum – mastering (track 13)
• Patrizio "Teezio" Pigliapoco – mixing (tracks 1, 2, 4, 6, 8–12)
• Ignacio Portales – mixing (track 4), engineering assistance (1, 2, 6, 8–12)
• Serban Ghenea – mixing (track 5)
• Brad Bustamante – engineering (tracks 1, 7, 11–13)
• John Scott – engineering (tracks 2–4, 6, 11)
• Mike Seaberg – engineering (tracks 3, 7), engineering assistance (13)
• Mikkel S. Eriksen – engineering (track 6)
• Thomas Warren – engineering (track 6)
• Kuk Harrell – vocal engineering (tracks 1, 3–5, 8, 10, 13)
• Jelli Dorman – vocal engineering (tracks 1, 3–5, 8, 10, 13)
• Federico Giordano – engineering assistance (tracks 1, 2, 4, 6, 8–12)
• Jacob Richards – engineering assistance (tracks 3, 7, 13)
• Leslie Quinonez – engineering assistance (track 4)
• Bryce Bordone – engineering assistance (track 5)
• Chris Bhikoo – engineering assistance (track 7)
• DJ Riggins – engineering assistance (track 13)
• Brandy – background vocals (track 6)
• Gunna – vocals (track 9)
• James Blake – vocals (track 11)
• Cardi B – vocals (track 13)
• Josie Aiello – background vocals (track 13)
• Starrah – vocals (tracks 1, 13)