Normani cancels appearance at the 2024 BET Awards

Unfortunately, Normani will not be on stage at the BET Awards this year.

On Sunday, June 30 – the same day the “Candy Paint” singer was scheduled to perform live at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles – Normani announced via her Instagram Stories that she had no choice but to cancel her performance due to a “really bad” injury.

““I’m more frustrated and disappointed than anyone, believe me,” she began in one post. “I wanted to come in here and give you guys an update and let you know that I had a really bad accident while rehearsing for BET and I injured myself.”

The former Fifth Harmony singer went on to say that she is “normally able to perform under any circumstances” but is “simply unable to do this performance” due to doctor’s orders.

“I really wanted to give you my best on stage, but performing would delay my healing,” Normani wrote. “I’ve gone through my process and done my best to understand my feelings about this. I’m devastated and hate feeling like a disappointment to you, but I need to focus on my recovery right now.”

She added: “Trust me, I hear you and I see you. There is nothing I wanted more than to perform for you and also to get back to doing what I find most fulfilling – STANDING ON STAGE.”

The “Wild Side” singer ended her message by thanking fans and BET for their understanding of her cancellation.

“Sending my love to BET for giving me and all the other beautiful black women this chance,” the singer concluded. “This is definitely NOT how I imagined this weekend would go, but trust you I will be there for everyone from home tonight. I’m sorry guys and I love you so much 🖤😔.”

Following her announcement, Normani also posted a photo of her injuries, showing her on crutches with a boot on her right foot and a bandage around her knee. She simply wrote, “💔❤️‍🩹🥺.”

Normani was scheduled to take the BET Awards stage tonight alongside artists such as Megan Thee Stallion, Latto, GloRilla, Sexyy Red, Will Smith and more. Her performance was scheduled to follow the release of her long-awaited debut album. Dopaminewhich finally arrived on June 14th.

Speaking to The Cut earlier this year, the “1:59” artist opened up about the years-long wait for her album after it was first announced in 2018. “I could have put out three albums in that time by now. I care,” she said. “But I felt like I owed it to myself to give myself time to reinvent myself and experiment.”

Normani also talked about how her parents’ cancer diagnosis influenced her creativity at a certain point in an interview with Rolling Stoneand said, “Finding out that my mother had been diagnosed and then finding out the following year that my father had been diagnosed was one of the biggest challenges.”

She added of her album: “I was definitely tested throughout the process, but there is a beautiful side to it. I gave up a lot to be in the position I am in now.”