It was directed by Dave Meyers and Daniel Russell, and featured choreography by Sean Bankhead, as well as a cameo by model Lori Harvey.

[12] A music video was released alongside the song on August 16, and was directed by Dave Meyers and Daniel Russell[13] and choreographed by Sean Bankhead.

[15] It features homages to music videos from the late 1990s and early 2000s, such as "Goodies" by Ciara, "Crazy in Love" by Beyoncé, "...Baby One More Time" by Britney Spears and "I'm Real (Remix)" by Jennifer Lopez and Ja Rule.

[16] 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 Beyoncé's "Crazy in Love".

[22] Siobhan Burke of The New York Times wrote "Twerking on a chain-link fence; doing a split on concrete in the rain; bouncing a basketball off multiple body parts, between effortless pirouettes: When Normani released the music video for her irresistible single "Motivation" in August, the message was clear.

"[23] Tom Breihan for Stereogum wrote "I would now like to call the world's attention to the moment where Normani bounces a basketball off of her ass.

This occurs right around the 1:54 mark of the new "Motivation" video, and it is honestly an astonishing physical feat, some strip-club Jackie Chan shit.

A (destiny's) child of the 2000s raised on a steady diet of 106 & Park, 'Crazy in Love,' 'Goodies,' Omarion, and J.Lo circa the 'I'm Real' remix, Normani bottled all those influences, injected them into her veins, and said, 'Yes, A star is born.

[34] Slant Magazine also included it among its 20 best music videos of 2019, with Sophia Ordaz stating that "Motivation" captures the potential Normani has to become the next unstoppable female entertainer, emulating the showmanship of such pop icons as Janet Jackson, Britney Spears, and Beyoncé.

[37] Several publications including Billboard,[38] Paper,[39] The New York Times[40] and Genius[41] noted "Motivation" for being among the music videos following a larger cultural trend of early-'00s nostalgia.

"[43] 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 Beyoncé's Coachella performance.

[44] Pitchfork named it "Best New Track", writing that 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 Beyoncé and the brassy sounds of Homecoming.

"[45] 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 Beyoncé.

[47] Rolling Stone metaphorically likened the song to physically being able to "hear a pop superstar be[ing] born.

[58] Pitchfork placed it at number 14 among their 100 Best Songs of 2019 list, saying that Normani "breezed through the track, with the confidence of an artist who knows her worth, and further stamped her star power with the stunningly gymnastic choreography in its video.

[74] Glamour praised Normani, dubbing her the "Queen of Pop" after stating that she delivered a "knockout performance" of the song.

Normani just joined the ranks of Britney Spears and that snake, Lady Gaga covered in blood, and Beyoncé's pregnancy announcement with her unreal performance of "Motivation."

[90] Furthermore, singer Nia Correia recreated Normani's 2019 MTV Video Music Award performance of the song on the American Spanish-language television show Tu cara me suena.

[94][95] Stephen "tWitch" Boss and his then pregnant wife Allison Holker conducted a dance routine to "Motivation" as part of his guest hosting gig for The Ellen DeGeneres Show.