Normani Kordei Makes Anti-Bullying Statement with Anthony Hamilton's 'Freedom'
Fifth Harmony singer Normani Kordei made her performance on "Dancing with the Stars" memorable. Dancing to Anthony Hamilton's "Freedom," the pop singer nabbed a perfect score and the audience's attention with her anti cyberbullying statement.
"I did an interview, it was taken out of context," Kordei shares on ABC News' "Nightline." "There were images, people were calling me, like the 'n' word... I was getting racial slander. Images of me being whipped, hung, beaten and it really affected me."
Kordei is referring to the 2016 Facebook Live interview she did with Galore wherein she called her former bandmate Camila Cabello "quirky." The cyberbullying followed shortly after that.
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Fans of Cabello thought Kordei meant it as an insult. When she apologized for what she said, the bullying got worse. With all those hurtful words and demeaning photographs hanging around social media, Kordei had to go on hiatus to escape the hate.
In the interview, Kordei admits she has been bullied since she was young, for being a black girl in a predominantly white school. She has been called horrible names, and "burnt biscuit" is one she remembers clearly.
Kordei hopes that through "Dancing with the Stars," she can inspire others to be comfortable with their own skin and be proud of themselves.
Kordei hopes to win the iconic Mirror Ball trophy. She is one of the remaining stars set to compete in the finals. For the double-round semifinals, she performed "Desperado" by Rihanna, wherein she nearly stumbled. She, however, redeemed herself with "What a Wonderful World" by Ray Chew Live with a perfect score. Judge Bruno Tonioli described her second performance as "hot, vibrant, exciting, and colorful."
With Olympic winner Simone Biles eliminated, Kordei is now the one to beat.
"Dancing with the Stars" airs Mondays at 8 p.m. EDT on ABC.
