"Motivation" is a song by American singer Normani, released on August 16, 2019. The song was written by Ariana Grande, Ilya Salmanzadeh, Max Martin, Normani, Savan Kotecha, and produced by Salmanzadeh. The music video was released the same day.

"Motivation" was initially teased with a snippet by Normani on her Twitter on August 2, 2019.[2] She further spoke on the song, as well as Ariana Grande's involvement in co-writing, during Rolling Stone's Morning Sessions at Lollapalooza, explaining "[Grande]'s dope. She also has a part in the record that I'm releasing, too. She wrote on it."[3] The song was officially announced on August 9 and released on August 16, 2019.[4]

A music video was released alongside the song on August 16, and was directed by Dave Meyers and Daniel Russell.[5] It features homages to music videos from the late 1990s and early 2000s, such as "Crazy in Love" by Beyonc, "...Baby One More Time" by Britney Spears and "I'm Real" by Jennifer Lopez.[5]The location of the video is in the same Los Angeles, Boyle Heights, neighborhood and park (Pecan Park) of J-Los Im Real video.

The video begins with a younger version of Normani watching the BET music video countdown show 106 & Park and daydreaming that former hosts Terrence J and Rocsi Diaz announced that she has the "#1 video in the world", while her grandmother in the background tells her to lower the noise but then gives her blessing.[6] As "Motivation" starts to play, it transitions from the living room to the screen where she is seen walking in the middle of a road, inspired by Beyonc's "Crazy in Love".[7] The second sequence is a dance sequence, with Normani dancing with her dancers in a Los Angeles neighborhood. The scene shifts to a fence background where Normani is seen climbing the fence while dancing before moving to a basketball court where she performs a gymnastics tumbling pass and a basketball technique. The rain sequence is then shown where Normani is accompanied by a band. The video ends as Normani performs a final dance routine in the late afternoon. [8]

Forbes wrote that "Motivation" "sounds like the perfectly-crafted pop song [...] catchy, summery and fun", adding that it is reminiscent of co-writer Ariana Grande's sound, and while familiar, it "provides something currently missing from the pop landscape."[9] i-D said the song is a "smash" with a catchy chorus, and it recalls the "Rich Harrison-produced pop of the early 2000s" and Beyonc's Coachella performance.[10] Pitchfork named it "Best New Track", saying Normani's "sultry, syncopated vocal lines bear the imprint of co-writer Ariana Grande", and she "seems to draw on both "Check On It"-era Beyonc and the brassy sounds of Homecoming."[11] The Guardian described the song as a "buoyant, horn-laced, late-summer BBQ bop that nestles in the nook between Ariana Grande and 2006-era Beyonc."[12] Los Angeles Times considered the track a "sticky bop perfectly primed to get us through the rest of the summer".[13] Rolling Stone called the song when you can "actually hear a pop superstar be[ing] born." [14]

Normani first performed "Motivation" at the 2019 MTV Video Music Awards on August 26, 2019.[15]

Credits adapted from Tidal.[16]

Read the original:
Motivation (Normani song) - Wikipedia