It’s safe to say that we almost lost hope for members of Making The Band‘s Danity Kane when Diddy disbanded the group back in 2009. For most of them, it’s been hard to maintain visibility in the ever-changing music industry, except for Dawn Richard.
Interview Magazine sat down with the New Orleans native, who often remained a standout member with her husky vocals and fierce dance moves, to talk about how she’s been able to achieve success without major label backing. A Tell Tale Heart, released in February 2011, set the tone for Dawn’s new sound and look which can be described as tribal and edgy.
Today, she’s gearing up for her official solo debut, Goldenheart: “Goldenheart is like a modern-day Joan of Arc. Think of it like medieval times-cum-2045 or Lancelot and Guinevere in 3025. It’s a new version of these battles—age-old stories for the now.”
As for the demise of Danity Kane, Dawn credits that to the fact that they were ‘manafactured’ and didn’t come together organically: “I mean, it was a reality show project [Making The Band] that created us—a competition. We were picked and at a time, we actually had a relationship, or rather, a bond that was tighter than sisters, but that was really just to survive and that’s hard to do when there’s cameras documenting your every move. So many people thought we were a joke because they watched us on the show. We had to make people believe we were great, and we were, but it was that much harder to prove ourselves because we were manufactured. We had success, but it ran its course for what it was.”
Contrary to rumors that Diddy ends groups just as quickly as he creates them, Dawn simply thinks Dirty Money was “ahead of its time” and notes that we hear a similiar sound from artists today. Like Dirty Money, Dawn’s music is definitely out of left field. It’s both alternative and urban with references to everything from medieval culture to everyday issues. There’s no doubt that this Vixen will make her mark before year’s end.–Nicole Brown
Check out the exclusive song premiere for “86” here.