Fine, lesson learned: Don't rush Normani. Thursday night at midnight, two years after 2019's "Motivation" single, the singer-dancer dropped "Wild Side," a sultry video with Cardi B that pushes the Fifth Harmony breakout star one step closer to pop sensation. Hinging on a sample of Aaliyah's classic R&B standard "One in a Million," "Wild Side" was directed by Tanu Muino (who also helmed Cardi B's "Up") and choreographed by Sean Bankhead. The video amplifies the single's debts to the past: dance moves inspired by Janet's Rhythm Nation; visuals reminiscent of TLC, Blaque and Missy Elliot; and a direct nod to Golden Hollywood entertainer Debra Paget. And under all the pastiche is the intoxicating charisma of a star performer, a rare find these days, basking in the shadows of her foremothers.
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