DAWN ROBINSON: Dawn of a new En Vogue Era?
by Kenya Yarbrough

Dawn Robinson
(Apr. 4, 2003) From the “Where are they now” files, we hooked up with Dawn Robinson who shared with us that there is a small possibility that she and En Vogue could get back together to complete the electrifying female harmony the group blew us away with in the early ‘90s. The group's 1990 debut album, Born to Sing, had a No. 2 hit called "Hold On," which crossed over from the R&B charts to the pop charts, and fueled the album's sales to platinum status. But after only their second album, “Funky Divas,” the group faltered with internal struggles and Robinson exited.
Steadfast in her dream to remain a singing sensation, she then joined the roster of super producer Dr. Dre’s label Aftermath. However, Robinson felt she didn’t quite fit there either, citing "creative differences" for her split from the young boutique label. She then hooked up with soulster Rapahael Saadiq from the group Tony Toni Tone and Tribe Called Quest’s Ali Shaheed Muhammed to form the group Lucy Pearl.

While the group had a legion of neo-soul fans, their self-titled debut did only moderately well. As luck would have it, Robinson found she didn’t fit so well in the group at the time and called it quits, as far as Lucy Pearl was concerned, that is. No one could call Ms. Robinson a quitter.

Quite the contrary.

Her departure from such “successful” deals and groups is due in fact to her ambition. Her detractors will say it's her "attitude" spelled with a "B." She told us that her first split came when she took on the powers that be in control of En Vogue:

“I gotta be straight up about it, David Lombard has been managing En Vogue from the beginning and not giving us the right direction. Not guiding our careers in the way they should go,” she explained. “It had to be said and I was the first to speak up against it and I got out of there.”

Robinson says that En Vogue’s manager was basically looking out for the production team more than the group, which she considers a conflict of interest.

“There’s no way that he can be in our behalf to make sure that we got what we needed to get, and I told the girls that. And that’s why I left. I would have never left a great group like that had we had it all together, but he’s only benefiting the producers and not us. So, it had to change. There was a falling out with everybody,” she described. “Pretty much it was everybody against Dawn. I was the odd girl out. I was the one that spoke up and made waves. I couldn’t stand for injustice, I was tired of it, so I got up out of there.”

But in finding a new home, and forming a new group, Lucy Pearl, she told us that she basically stepped right into the same bad situation.

“I left the same situation because of the same thing,” she said in talking about her break up with Lucy Pearl. “If you’re not paying me, I cannot pay my bills. I don’t care who you are in this nation, in this world, on this planet, if you go to work everyday – unless you’re volunteering for something, but you have income coming in from some source – and that was my only income. If you’re not going to pay me, I gotta get out.”

So has that soured Robinson's music dreams. No way. Some may consider her a glutton for punishment with her particular track record, but her ambition has to be commended. Not only is she at present shopping another solo deal, but there is talk of a return to whence she came. That’s right, the return of the original En Vogue.

“I just met with En Vogue and we’re trying to talk about maybe, perhaps, sort of, kind of coming back together,” Robinson said of the slight reunion possibility. “I couldn’t believe it when they called. I was so shocked. If my grandmother had called me, who’s been dead for six years, if she would’ve called me, I would have been not as shocked as I was when the girls called me. I was really taken aback. But they saw that I wasn’t working, and they called. They came to my house. All four of us in the same place. It was amazing.”

Still, Robinson is standing her ground. The singer said that only if the deal is right and certain elements are out of the way will she return to the group. Nonetheless, Robinson harbors no ill feelings toward her former and perhaps soon to be again groupmates. She’s chalked up her experience as a sign of her gumption and trailblazing spirit.

“They had to have someone be the scapegoat. The one that’s the black sheep, the one that gets blamed for everything – and I’ll be that, that’s ok," she said. "But I was also the smart one. I stood up for myself and I’m very proud of that. There are a lot of people that stood up for themselves over the centuries, our ancestors, Harriet Tubman – they spoke up for themselves. They did what they did to make change happen and that’s all I did, and I’m proud of that.”

I would like to see En Vogue-
the original 4 girls-
get back together again.

They had EXCELLENT harmony together..
they were FINER than words can describe
(seeing them in their videos "never gonna get it" & "giving him something he can feel"..
OH MY GOODNESS.
talk about.. "race cars burning rubber in my pants"!!!)

I give Dawn credit for sticking to & following her beliefs, even if they kind of put her in the same, less-than-gratifying situation more than once..


After she left, En Vogue surely wasn't the same group. Didn't they bring in some other female, after another 1 of the original 4 left? I saw a cd from them in the store, & there were only 3 on the cover. I know that other members did solo albums, but none of those really "blew up" either..

maybe a real sign that the 4 should get back together & do what they do best:

look FINE as hell & sing & harmonize their FINE asses off.


I'll pay to see that.

Harlepolis, thanks for posting this. Don't buy into the "Dawn is just driven" BS. She is a B.I.T.C.H. I know a little about this from the days when Denny and Tommy worked with her. Raphy has basically said the same thing. That aside, these four girls need each other. It's just not happening for the group with out her, and all of the solo projects have been less than steller. Let's hope they get this together long enough to get at least one album out of it. And make sure Denzel and Tommy produce!

intha916 said:

U welcome!

Actualy, I'm so into the "Dawn Is Just Driven" thang 4 the simple fact that she's an outspoken and a very honest person and women like that are naturaly called "bitchs" and as you notice they don't get no love from ppl but at the end they'll get their dues and props. I believe that she accomplished herself by fighting 4 her dignitey,,,she's no puppet like the rest of the En vouge ladies! she choosed her digitey over the phat c-notes and 4 that I can't help but to take my hat off 4 her.

The sistah will get her dues and props,,,time will tell!

Harlepolis said:

Hey I love starng black women. Don't get me wrong. But Dawn falls into the camp of those who start shit just for shit. I know of some of this second hand.

intha916 said:

I don't know the details over the drama... but the original En Vogue DOES need to get back together. They made a winning team with Foster & McElroy. (Though I did like Organized Noize's production of "What's It Gonna Be" as well.)

Dawn is Looney.She trips whereEver She goes.She Pissed Mcfoster&Elroy Off,Pissed off Saddiq,&Dr.Dre&Her didn't see eye to eye at all.if Dawn was about Business She would have dropped way before Truth Hurts over on Aftermath.En Vogue were Very Talented&Foxy ladies but there Problem as Artists was that they were to Factory Driven Product in the same Vein as Boyz11Men.Very Successful&whatnot but never Grew as Artists IMHO.and now 10 Years later both way on the outside looking in because there Era&time are done.