Normani was 'hurt' by Camila Cabello's past racist posts

Feb. 28 (UPI) -- Normani says she was "hurt" by Camila Cabello's past racist posts on social media.

The 23-year-old singer spoke out in the March issue of Rolling Stone after Cabello, her former Fifth Harmony bandmate, had racist Tumblr and Twitter posts resurface online in 2019.

Normani, who was subject to racist abuse from fans during her time in Fifth Harmony, addressed Cabello's posts in a written statement to the magazine.

"I struggled with talking about this because I didn't want it to be a part of my narrative, but I am a black woman, who is a part of an entire generation that has a similar story," Normani wrote. "I face senseless attacks daily, as does the rest of my community."

"I would be dishonest if I said that this particular scenario didn't hurt me," she said. "It was devastating that this came from a place that was supposed to be a safe haven and a sisterhood, because I know that if the tables were turned I would defend each of them in a single heartbeat."

Normani said Cabello's slow response to racist trolls and belated apology for the social media posts made her feel like she was less of a priority to Cabello than the singer's fans.

"It took days for her to acknowledge what I was dealing with online and then years for her to take responsibility for the offensive tweets that recently resurfaced. Whether or not it was her intention, this made me feel like I was second to the relationship that she had with her fans," Normani said.

Normani expressed her hope that Cabello learned from the incident, and that she will no longer have to address the issue.

"I don't want to say that this situation leaves me hopeless because I believe that everyone deserves the opportunity for personal growth," Normani said. "I really hope that an important lesson was learned in this. I hope there is genuine understanding about why this was absolutely unacceptable. I have spoken what is in my heart and pray this is transparent enough that I never have to speak on it again."

Cabello apologized in December after her posts resurfaced online. The singer said she's "deeply ashamed" of the language she used and pledged to keep doing "better."

"When I was younger, I used language that I'm deeply ashamed of and will regret forever. I was uneducated and ignorant," Cabello said. "I apologized then and I apologize again now."

"I would never intentionally hurt anyone and I regret it from the bottom of my heart," she added. "As much as I wish I could, I can't go back in time and change things I said in the past. But once you know better, you do better and that's all I can do."

Normani has released several solo singles, including the 2019 hit "Motivation." She most recently released the song "Diamonds" with Megan Thee Stallion, which was recorded for the Birds of Prey soundtrack.