En Vogue | |
|---|---|
 En Vogue in 2018 (L–R): Terry Ellis, Rhona Bennett, and Cindy Herron | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Oakland, California, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Discography | En Vogue discography |
| Years active | 1989–present |
| Labels |
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| Members | |
| Past members |
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| Website | envoguemusic |
En Vogue is an American vocalgirl group whose original lineup consisted of singersTerry Ellis,Dawn Robinson,Cindy Herron, andMaxine Jones.[1] Formed in Oakland, California, in 1989, En Vogue reached No. 2 on theUS Hot 100 with the single "Hold On", taken from their 1990 debut albumBorn to Sing. The group's 1992 follow-up albumFunky Divas reached the top 10 in both theUS andUK, and included their second US number two hit "My Lovin' (You're Never Gonna Get It)" as well as the US top 10 hits "Giving Him Something He Can Feel" and "Free Your Mind".
In 1996, "Don't Let Go (Love)" became the group's third, and most successful single, to reach number two in the US, and became their sixth number one on theUS R&B chart. Scoring more number one singles on theUS R&B chart than any other female group other thanThe Supremes.[2] Robinson left the group in 1997 shortly before the release of their third albumEV3, which reached the US and UK top 10. Jones left the group in 2001, Amanda Cole joined shortly thereafter. However, in 2003, Cole left the group, andRhona Bennett joined the group during the recording of their albumSoul Flower. In 2005, the original members briefly united before disassembling again. In 2009, the original members once again reunited for their "En Vogue: 20th Anniversary". Shortly after the tour, Robinson and Jones again departed from En Vogue, with Bennett rejoining the group as a trio.
En Vogue has sold 20 million records worldwide.[3][4][5] The group has won sevenMTV Video Music Awards, threeSoul Train Awards, two American Music Awards, and received sevenGrammy nominations.[6] They are the first and only female group to be awarded theSammy Davis Jr. Award for Entertainer of the Year. In December 1999, Billboard magazine ranked the band as the 19th most successful recording artist of the 1990s. They ranked as the second most successful female group of the 1990s.[7] In March 2015,Billboard magazine named the group the ninth most-successful girl group of all time.[8] Two of the group's singles ranks inBillboard's most successful girl group songs of all-time list, "Don't Let Go (Love)" (#12) and "Hold On " (#23).[9]Billboard lists them as the third most successful female R&B group of the past 25 years, after TLC and Destiny's Child and seventh most successful group overall.[10]
In the late-1980s, when they were assembling their 1989 compilation projectFM2 forAtlantic Records, Oakland-based production and songwriting duoDenzil Foster andThomas McElroy first conceived the idea of a modern-day girl group in the tradition of commercially successful female bands that flourished in the late 1950s and early 1960s.[11] Foster and McElroy envisioned an entertainment unit with interchangeable but not identical parts in which every member would qualify to take the lead vocals on any given number.[11] Thus, their plan was to recruit singers who possessed strong voices, noticeably good looks, and intelligence.[12] Approximately 3,000 women attended the auditions held in 1988,[11] withDawn Robinson,Cindy Herron, andMaxine Jones making the final cut.[13] Conceived as a trio, Foster and McElroy decided to create a quartet after hearing the audition ofTerry Ellis whose plane had been late from Houston, Texas.[14] At first, they selected the band name 4-U but soon shifted to Vogue, ultimately settling on En Vogue, upon learning that another group had already claimed the Vogue name.[15]
After forming, the group began working with their producers on their debut album. Recording began in August 1989 and wrapped up in December of the same year.[16]Born to Sing was released on April 3, 1990. The album peaked at No. 21 on theBillboard 200 chart and No. 3 on Billboard's R&B Albums Chart. The first single, "Hold On," was released to radio in late February 1990 and became a crossover pop hit, reaching No. 2 on theBillboard Hot 100 singles chart, and No. 1 on both the R&B singles and Hot Dance Music/Club Play charts. It later went to No. 5 in the UK and became a hit in Europe. The next two singles, "Lies" and "You Don't Have to Worry," each went to No. 1 on theBillboard R&B charts, while the fourth and final single, "Don't Go," charted at No. 3 on the Billboard R&B. The album was later certified platinum by the RIAA.
"Hold On" was awarded aBillboard Music Award for "#1 R&B Single of the Year," aSoul Train Award for R&B/Urban Contemporary Single of the Year, Group, Band or Duo and have been nominated for a Grammy Award forBest R&B Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group. In 1990, En Vogue signed an endorsement deal to appear in a Diet Coke commercial directed bySpike Lee.
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En Vogue's second album,Funky Divas, was released in the spring of 1992. The album debuted at No. 8 on the Billboard 200 and No. 1 on the Billboard R&B and ultimately doubled the take of its predecessor, going triple platinum. The album's first two singles: "My Lovin' (You're Never Gonna Get It)" and "Giving Him Something He Can Feel" both went top 10 and peaked at No. 1 on the R&B charts. The next single, "Free Your Mind" also went top 10. The final two singles "Give It Up Turn It Loose" and "Love Don't Love You" both were top 40 hits. The album went on to sell more than five million copies, won anAmerican Music Award for "Favorite Soul/R&B Album," and was nominated for five Grammy Awards. The music video for "Free Your Mind" earned the group three MTV Video Music Awards for Best Choreography, Best Dance Video, and Best R&B Video. They were honored with Soul Train's Entertainer of the Year Award. In addition to this, the group was featured inRolling Stone,Entertainment Weekly, andEssence, and other major publications. Riding on success ofFunky Divas, a six-song EP titledRunaway Love was released in the fall of 1993, spawning the hit "Runaway Love."
The group was signed to an endorsement deal withConverse, and was featured as an opening act onLuther Vandross' 1993 "Never Let Me Go" Tour. England, Germany, the Netherlands, and France were among the numerous countries toured. However, according to an article inVibe magazine, Vandross (by his own admission in interviews) and his entourage clashed with the members of En Vogue during the tour, and he vowed never to work with them again. En Vogue made numerous television appearances on such series asIn Living Color,A Different World,Roc andHangin' with Mr. Cooper (the latter two in which they also sang the shows' theme songs). In 1993, En Vogue was featured onSalt-N-Pepa's top 10 hit "Whatta Man", from Salt-N-Pepa's albumVery Necessary. The track appeared (slightly edited) on En Vogue'sRunaway Love EP.
In 1995, En Vogue was among numerous African American female vocalists featured on the song "Freedom" for the soundtrack toMario Van Peebles's filmPanther (1995).[17] Also in 1995, while band membersCindy Herron andMaxine Jones went on maternity leave, Ellis recorded and released a solo album titledSouthern Gal, which spun off the top 10 R&B single "Where Ever You Are." The same year, the band made a cameo appearance inJoel Schumacher's superhero filmBatman Forever.[17] In 1996, En Vogue recorded "Don't Let Go (Love)" for the soundtrack to the motion pictureSet It Off. Released as the soundtrack's lead single in the fall 1996, it became the group's biggest hit yet, selling over 1.8 million copies worldwide and becoming certified platinum by theRIAA.[18] In response to the large commercial success of "Don't Let Go (Love)," the group worked on their third studio album.[18] As the album was nearing completion, Robinson chose to leave the group in March 1997 after contractual negotiations reached a stalemate.[18] Despite Robinson's abrupt departure, Ellis, Herron, and Jones continued on as a trio.[18]
Following Robinson's departure from the group, the remaining trio re-recorded several of her original lead vocals for their forthcoming albumEV3, released in June 1997. A breakaway from previous projects, it marked En Vogue's first project to include a diverse roster of collaborators including credits fromBabyface,David Foster,Diane Warren,Andrea Martin, andIvan Matias along with regular contributors Foster and McElroy. Upon its release,EV3 received mixed reviews from critics, many of whom praised the band's vocal performances but were critical with overall production of the album. In the U.S., it debuted at number eight on bothBillboard'sTop R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and theBillboard 200 with sales of 76,500 units, the band's highest first-week numbers.[19] Two further singles released from the album, "Whatever" and "Too Gone, Too Long", entered the top 20 and top 40 theBillboard Hot 100, respectively.[19]
In 1998, En Vogue recorded the song "No Fool No More" for the soundtrack to the filmWhy Do Fools Fall in Love (1998). A top 40 entry on theNew Zealand Singles Chart, it was later included on the band's first compilation albumBest of En Vogue, released in June 1999. A moderate success, the album reached the top 40 in Austria and the United Kingdom.
Masterpiece Theatre, the group's fourth studio album, was released in May 2000. Their first project withElektra Records, the trio worked exclusively with their founders on the album who made heavy use ofsamples from classical music and traditional pop music to construct songs for recording.[19] Preceded by leading single "Riddle", the album received a mixed reception from critics upon its release, who were divided by its overall sound, and became a commercial disappointment, reaching number 33 on theTop R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and number 67 on the USBillboard 200 only.[20] WhileMasterpiece Theatre and "Riddle" fared better in international territories, its poor performance resulted in the release of no further singles from the album and the band was soon dropped from the Elektra company.[20]
In 2001, Jones had announced her desire to spend more time with her daughter and departed the group.[21] With Ellis and Herron wanting to continue performing En Vogue, singer-songwriter Amanda Cole joined as a performing member after submitting a demo.[21] The following year, Ellis, Herron, and Cole collaborated with Timothy Eaton on the holiday albumThe Gift of Christmas, featuring four original songs and eight cover versions of Christmas standards and carols. Released in fall 2002 through Discretion Records, it failed to chart.[22] In December 2002, the trio gave a concert at theAlabama State Fairgrounds in Birmingham, Alabama which was recorded and released, along with bonus footage, on a DVD and live album throughCharly Records in 2004.[22] Cole, who felt increasingly limited vocally and creatively, decided to leave the band in favor of a solo career soon after,[23] with singer and actressRhona Bennett joining after being recommended to Denzel Foster through a mutual friend and songwriting partner.[22]
With Bennett, the trio began work on their sixth albumSoul Flower. Produced by Ellis and Herron, it was made independently through their own label Funkigirl Records as well as Foster and McElory's33rd Street Records, and distribution was handled through an outside deal with Bayside Entertainment.[22] Released to mixed reviews from critics, who noted its mellower tone, the album failed to chart on theBillboard 200, but reached number 47 on theTop R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and number 15 on theIndependent Albums charts.[22] Its two singles, "Losin' My Mind" and "Ooh Boy", reached the top 40 onBillboard'sAdult R&B Songs chart.[24] During the latter part of 2004, En Vogue traveled three months in Europe as part of theNight of the Proms concerts series, with Jones rejoining the group to fill the place of Herron, who went on maternity leave.[25] The Ellis/Bennett/Jones performing incarnation of the group headlinedLifetime's fifth annualWomenRock! alongsideBlondie,Angie Stone, and several others. Performing several of their hits, co-headlinerKelly Clarkson joined them for a rendition of "Free Your Mind."[26]
In 2005, Herron and Robinson rejoined En Vogue, and Bennett withdrew from the group.[27] The original four signed with one of the industry's largest management firms, the Firm Management Group, and began soliciting material for a new studio album which was expected to be released through Los Angeles-based Movemakers and Funkigirl Records.[27][28] That September, the band joinedSalt-N-Pepa for their first joint public performance of their 1994 single "Whatta Man" atVH1 Hip Hop Honors, and briefly toured together.[22] The quartet also collaborated withStevie Wonder andPrince on the backing vocals and music video for "So What the Fuss" from Wonder's 2005A Time to Love album, which received aGrammy nomination at the48th award ceremony in 2006.[29]
After failing to agree on business terms, Robinson once again chose to defect from En Vogue, and Bennett returned to complete the quartet. As a result, En Vogue was let go from the Firm and an album full of new original material did not materialize.[27] En Vogue continued to perform with Ellis, Herron, Jones, and Bennett on selected spot dates in North America, Europe, and Japan. During this time, they teamed with Flemish singerNatalia Druyts on a remix version of her song "Glamorous" which featured lead vocals by Bennett. Released as the second single from Druyts's third studio-albumEverything and More (2007), it reached number two on theUltratop 50 of the Flemish region of Belgium and launched the six-partNatalia Meets En Vogue feat.Shaggy concert series at theAntwerps Sportpaleis in January 2008.[30]
On June 24, 2008, the original lineup of En Vogue appeared on theBET Awards, where they performed a medley withAlicia Keys,SWV andTLC as a tribute to girl groups of the 1990s.[32] Complimented by the media, who declared their performance one of the evening's highlights, and with people buzzing about the industry return of the original band,[33] the quartet talked about being united on a permanent basis.[33] In August, after performing during selected spot dates, the original members announced their reformation for their 20th Anniversary World Tour which coincided with the release of their debut albumBorn to Sing (1990) and led them to tour North America, Europe and Japan.[34] In 2009, En Vogue along with singersBeyoncé,John Legend, andNe-Yo, performed at theEssence Music Festival, held at theLouisiana Superdome in New Orleans.[31]
Again, new material with Robinson failed to materialize, and in 2010, Herron, Ellis, and Jones signed with René Moore's Rufftown Records in a deal that was to include two albums and touring.[35] While the trio finished several songs for a new album, including promotional single "I'll Cry Later" which was sent to select urban adult contemporary radio stations on September 26, 2011,[36] the comeback stalled and Jones left the band once more.[35] In August 2012, Jones and Robinson announced that they would potentially record a group album together under the name Heirs to the Throne.[37] While Herron and Ellis continued to tour as En Vogue along with a rejoined Bennett,[35]Jones and Robinson added singer Shaunté Usual to their lineup.[38] However, in 2013, Robinson chose not to begin a new group with her former band member and instead joined the cast of theTV One reality showR&B Divas: Los Angeles.[39] Meanwhile, Jones began touring with singers Alison Carney and Maria Freeman as her new lineup of En Vogue, titled En Vogue to the Max.[40][41][42] Jones later lost the right to use the En Vogue name after Herron and Ellis had filed suit against her for unauthorized use of the name, and a judge ruled that Herron and Ellis, as holders of the group's LLC, had exclusive rights to the group's name. Jones went solo and began recording her own original material, releasing her debut single "Didn't I" and a new ballad version of the En Vogue hit "Don't Let Go (Love)" with Australian singerGreg Gould.[43]
In July 2014, Bennett, Ellis, and Herron signed a new contract with Pyramid Records and began work on the albumElectric Café with mentors Denzil Foster and Thomas McElroy.[44] In November, the trio appeared on theLifetime holiday filmAn En Vogue Christmas in which they played fictional versions of themselves, reuniting to perform a benefit concert to save the nightclub where they got their start.[45] The original movie featured En Vogue's hit singles as well as two new tracks and a rendition of "O Holy Night", later released digitally through En Vogue Records.[45] In February 2015, Rufftown sued Ellis and Herron for over US $300 million, claiming the duo violated an exclusive recording contract by signing with Pyramid, alleging breach of contract, negligence, interference and fraud.[35] Settled out of court, it resulted in the release of theextended playRufftown Presents En Vogue in April 2015, which contained four songs recorded during their time with Rufftown, including "I'll Cry Later".[46]
In 2016, En Vogue released "Deja Vu," the first promotional single fromElectric Café, through their own label En Vogue Records after signing withEntertainment One Music.[47] The following year, they embarked on theFor the Love of Music Tour.[48] The European tour launched on April 6, 2017 in Dublin, Ireland and concluded in Bremen, Germany on April 25.[49] Also in 2017, the trio released three further singles from their forthcoming effort,[50] including buzz singles "I'm Good" and "Have a Seat" featuringSnoop Dogg as well asNe-Yo-penned lead single "Rocket", the latter of which became their first top 10 hit onBillboard'sAdult R&B Songs chart in over 20 years.[51]
In April 2018, En Vogue began the second leg of their European Tour in support of their seventh full-length studio albumElectric Café.[52] The same month, the album, their first studio project in 14 years, was released.[53][54][55] A blend ofneo soul,pop, andcontemporary R&B withelectronic dance music, the trio worked withRaphael Saadiq,Dem Jointz,Curtis "Sauce" Wilson as well as regular contributorsFoster & McElroy on most of the album.[56]Electric Café received mixed reviews from critics, many of whom praised the band for their vocal performances but found the material too generic and uneven.[57] In the United States, the album debuted at number 14 onBillboard'sIndependent Albums and reached theTop Album Sales chart.[58] A second and final single from the album, "Reach 4 Me" became a top 20 hit on US Adult R&B Songs Chart in August 2018.[58]
In July 2019, the group performed on the song "I Got You (Always and Forever)" alongsideChance the Rapper,Kierra Sheard, andAri Lennox on the rapper's albumThe Big Day.[59] In October 2019, original members Robinson and Jones reunited with Ellis, Herron, and Bennett for an on-stage performance to salute music industry executiveSylvia Rhone at theCity of Hope Gala 2019, marking the first time all five members performed together.[60] Plans to reunite permanently for another concert tour in support of their 30th anniversary in 2020, failed to materialize when the four original members could not agree on whether Bennett should once again step down as a non-original member.[61]
In October 2020, the trio of Ellis, Herron, and Bennett closed out the2020 Billboard Music Awards, performing "Free Your Mind". The following year, the group made a cameo in the romantic comedy sequelComing 2 America alongsideSalt-N-Pepa.[62]
In 2022, En Vogue competed inseason seven ofThe Masked Singer as the "Queen Cobras" of Team Bad. The trio narrowly missed out on a spot in the finale of the singing competition as they were eliminated on the week of May 4 alongsideShaggy as "Space Bunny" of Team Cuddly.[63] The same year, the band embarked on the Mixtape Tour alongsideNew Kids on the Block, Salt-N-Pepa, andRick Astley.[64]
In the summer of 2023, En Vogue joinedTLC andShaggy on the Hot Summer Nights tour,[65] and performed as the headlining pop group for the 2023Boston Pops Orchestra Fireworks Spectacular on July 4, 2023.[66] Later that year, they performed "Free Your Mind" in theMacy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.[67]
In May and June 2024, the group returned to London, England for the first time since 2018 for performances at the Cross the Tracks and Mighty Hoopla 2024 festivals,[68][69] also performing at summer festivals in the United States and in CNN's "The Fourth in America" in July.[70]
In February 2025, En Vogue performed at theNBA All-Star Game 2025 halftime show alongside music actsE-40,Too Short,Saweetie andDJ Cassidy, with former member Maxine Jones rejoining the group.[71][72]
Current members
Former members
|
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Aces: Iron Eagle III | Performers | Cameo appearance |
| 1995 | Batman Forever | Girls on the corner | Cameo appearance |
| 2014 | An En Vogue Christmas | Themselves | Main role |
| 2021 | Coming 2 America | Themselves | Cameo appearance |
| Year | Title | Role | Episode |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Super Dave | Themselves | Episode: "Geiger Car" |
| 1993 | In Living Color | Themselves | Episode: "Stacy Koon's Police Academy" |
| A Different World | Charity, Faith, Henrietta, Hope | Episode: "Mind Your Own Business" | |
| Roc | The Downtown Divas | 3 episodes | |
| Sesame Street | Themselves | "Sesame Street's 25th Birthday: A Musical Celebration" | |
| 1998 | Sesame Street | Themselves | Episode: "Elmopalooza" |
| 1997 | The Wayans Bros. | Themselves | Episode: "I Was En Vogue's Love Slave " |
| 2008 | Don't Forget the Lyrics! | Themselves | Episode: "En Vogue" |
| 2022 | The Masked Singer | Themselves | Season 7 contestants; 3 episodes |
