Normani - Motivation

What this video is

Released August 16, 2019, 'Motivation' marked Normani's debut as a true solo artist — the first single she released unaccompanied by another credited artist — following her tenure in Fifth Harmony. The video functions as both a personal origin story and a love letter to early-2000s Black music video culture, opening with a childhood 106 & Park fantasy sequence and proceeding through a series of tableau set-pieces…

Why it matters

A landmark text in the late-2010s wave of early-2000s R&B/pop nostalgia revival, 'Motivation' demonstrates how the genre's visual grammar — street choreography, urban locations, sun-drenched color, direct-to-camera performance — was being consciously reactivated and reinterpreted by a new…

The director

Dave Meyers: Berkeley, CA-born director; Loyola Marymount University Film Production & Philosophy graduate; Grammy winner (Best Music Video, 2006, Missy Elliott 'Lose Control'); over 200 music videos across 30+ year career; frequent collaborator with Janet…