(This article is about Dame Four the new girl group with former dancer, Tomasina Parrott aka Geneva, for Prince on the Hit & Run Tour. - Nita)

http://www.vibe.com/music...ing_girls/


Dame Four - Working Girls

By: Serena Kim

November 7, 2005

There’s a tiny space in the playfully decorated Madd House Studios in West Hollywood that the ladies of Dame Four dread.

They call it the timeout room, where their Svengali Chris Stokes (B2K, Marques Houston, Omarion) will “discipline” them if they don’t get a dance move or a vocal key absolutely perfect. “He is a perfectionist,” says Tennille Mathis, 18. “He is gonna push you, because he wants your best.” The last time they were in here, Jamila Chilombo, 23, and Mathis had to act out Usher and Alicia Keys’s “My Boo” until they matched the famous singers’ level of emotion to a tee. It took hours.

But for Dame Four, the blood, sweat, and tears are worth the chance to fill Destiny’s Child’s high-heeled shoes as the preeminent female ensemble. “Coming after DC is tough,” says Chilombo. “But we’re not trying to follow exactly what they did. It’ll be easier for us if we’re different.”

And they’ve certainly traveled dissimilar roads to attain their collective goal. Following a failed attempt with another Stokes-helmed group, GYRL, Chilombo brought her singing/rapping act to the table, while Mathis honed her skills as a soloist before
finding a home with Dame Four. Tomasina Parrott, 24, is the showgirl of the crew, having danced for PRINCE, Jennifer Lopez, and B2K. And Mercedes Nelson, 21, made a strong impression on Stokes as the lead in several of the videos he directed. “We all worked with Chris under different circumstances,” says Parrott. “So it was really natural for us to be in a group.”

Still, talent and familiarity weren’t the primary factors in assembling this set. The ability to check egos and dig deep in the elbow grease was essential. Since Stokes gave the go ahead, they’ve been working nonstop creating their self-titled debut on T.U.G. Records. “The glamorous days are a payoff for the hard work,” says Parrott. “Our hair is usually tore up from sweating it out for five hours.”

But Stokes has no pity for the ladies. “If they can’t handle it, they should get out,” he deadpans. “Destiny’s Child is the hardest working group out. Dame Four is now showing signs that they’ll work as hard as that.”

With Dame Four’s buzz up and running, thanks to their crunk & B anthem “How We Roll,” they’re approaching their dream in harmony. “You get a group of women together, and it’s not going to be all roses,” confides Parrott. “We’re staying away from pitting ourselves against one another.” Otherwise, it’s straight to the timeout room.