Correspondence

Normani, Megan Thee Stallion, and SZA are three of music’s boldest new voices. But as we learned in our second Women Shaping the Future issue [RS 1337], that’s not all they have in common. All three have fought through personal pain and an unforgiving public life to build revolutionary careers. Normani detailed the loneliness and bigotry she experienced as Fifth Harmony’s only black member; Megan Thee Stallion looked back on her intense rise, which happened while she was grieving for her late mother and working toward a health-caremanagement degree. Similarly, SZA talked about the insecurities she faces about carving out her own path as an artist, while also reflecting on the losses of her grandmother and her friend Mac Miller.

“SZA is a force to be reckoned with,” tweeted Alyssa Sullivan. “I’m glad she’s back in the game.” Another reader wrote, “[Normani] was forced into the background and then popped off with a record that slaps. I have more than half of her songs on my gym playlist because she motivates me.”

For some readers, the superstar trio on the cover told a bigger story. “Thank you for this gorgeous representation of black women in music,” tweeted Sam Jones. “I want my daughter to see more magazines that have covers with women who look like her.” Others were just happy to discover new artists: “Great article,” James Suman wrote about Normani. “I didn’t know who she was before reading this (sorry, I’m an ‘old man’). What a wise person.”

“This is a lady of today: appearing how she wants, living and thriving on her terms. Truly in love over this.”

—Melissa Cooper, via Twitter