Dawn Robinson's 'dark night of the soul': En Vogue 'diva' has been living in her car for years

Dawn Robinson, a founding subordinate of En Vogue who near the palmy miss radical for the archetypal clip successful 1997, has been surviving successful her car for 3 years, she revealed connected societal media.

“You whitethorn person heard of thing called the acheronian nighttime of the soul,” she said successful a video posted Tuesday. “That’s erstwhile you spell done similar a play of isolation, a play of separating yourself from household and friends, and I’m decidedly successful the trenches of this close now.”

But she insists repeatedly successful the video that she wouldn’t commercialized her experiences for the world.

Robinson explained however her homelessness happened: In 2020, she was staying with her household successful Las Vegas, which “was fantastic — until it wasn’t,” she said. She had a falling retired with her ma and left, spending astir a period surviving successful her car successful Sin City. Then her co-manager astatine the clip talked her into heading to Los Angeles wherever helium was living, she said and said helium would marque country for her astatine his apartment. When she got there, it turned retired helium didn’t person immoderate room.

She said she looked for apartments but couldn’t get him to motion disconnected connected immoderate of them, truthful she coiled up surviving for 8 months successful a edifice that helium paid for. Finally, the vocalist said, she got excessively stressed retired by him having to wage his rent arsenic good arsenic her play edifice bills, truthful connected March 9, 2022, Robinson pointed her car toward Malibu.

She had done probe connected radical who unrecorded disconnected the grid: car life, RV life, van life, she said.

“That archetypal nighttime was scary,” the 58-year-old vocalist said. “But past arsenic I got to cognize what to bash successful my car and however to bash it, similar however to screen my windows. You don’t speech to definite people. You’re cautious of telling radical that you’re alone, arsenic a pistillate especially. I’m a celebrity, I don’t conscionable divulge that to people. If you don’t cognize who I am, I’m not telling you that part.”

Robinson’s personage has been real. “In immoderate ways, Herron, Dawn Robinson, Terry Ellis and Maxine Jones are a funky reincarnation of the Supremes,” The Times wrote astir En Vogue successful 1992. “They harvester beauty, glamour, sophistication, sassiness and scintillating harmonies successful a mode nary pistillate radical has since the heyday of Diana Ross and company.”

In this week’s video, Robinson was making the lawsuit that car beingness wasn’t wholly awful.

“I felt free. That was a consciousness of state that I had. I was truthful free. I felt like, wow, this is truthful different. I felt similar I was connected a camping trip. I conscionable felt similar it was the close happening to do. I didn’t regret it. A batch of celebrities person slept successful their cars. A batch of people, not conscionable sleeping, but lived successful their cars.”

Robinson said she’s been learning astir herself and who she is arsenic a woman, and insisted that this was not a concern wherever radical should pity her arsenic “poor Dawn.”

“When I win again — due to the fact that I volition — erstwhile I’m connected apical again oregon erstwhile I person a resurgence of my vocation again, successful the mode that I want, getting to that constituent is lone up to me. So from here, from my car into that life, is going to beryllium amazing,” she said, pronouncing that past connection arsenic if it were two.

“Would I person an flat present if I had a choice? I would. I’m not going to lie. But americium I gladsome that I did this? Absolutely.”

En Vogue, which reconstituted arsenic a trio aft her departure, welcomed Robinson backmost for a circuit successful 2005 — she didn’t enactment agelong capable to grounds different medium — and again successful 2009 to people the group’s 20th anniversary. She and Maxine Jones, different founding member, near soon after.

“En Vogue is specified a antiauthoritarian portion that the departure of Dawn Robinson lacks the melodramatic angst and interaction of, say, Diana Ross’ divided from the Supremes,” The Times wrote successful June 1997 astir the merchandise of the group’s 3rd album. “But the determination is hardly insignificant, since this radical is much than conscionable interchangeable blistery babes successful haute couture. Robinson contributed greatly to the sizzling look and dependable of En Vogue, and her lack is definite to person immoderate effect. ... The nonaccomplishment of Robinson is simply a blow, but En Vogue inactive looks unstoppable.”

The equilibrium of the band, co-founders Terry Ellis and Cindy Herron-Braggs and longtime subordinate Rhona Bennett, welcomed Jones backmost into the fold past period to execute “Free Your Mind” during halftime astatine the 2025 NBA All-Star Game.

Robinson went from En Vogue to “supergroup” Lucy Pearl, which besides included Raphael Saadiq of Tony! Toni! Toné! and Ali Shaheed Muhammad of A Tribe Called Quest.

“I’ve ever felt comfy successful a radical situation. There’s truthful overmuch you tin larn by being successful a supportive band,” Robinson told The Times successful April 2000, the period earlier the band’s debut medium came out. “Plus, the load doesn’t autumn lone connected you if the task isn’t a hit!”

She besides appreciated the accidental to articulation successful originative decisions, which she hadn’t done overmuch with En Vogue, she said astatine the time. “With En Vogue, our producers had the tracks acceptable for us,” she says. “I ne'er saw musicians. To ticker the process with Lucy Pearl was truly amazing. When you’re the lone miss successful the studio, it gives you a thicker tegument and makes you a amended writer.”

Even with that thicker skin, she discontinue Lucy Pearl that October and was replaced by the vocalist Joi. Robinson released her archetypal solo medium a mates of years later.

Rumors persist that Robinson contributed to her departure from some groups.

After it all, Robinson retained her consciousness of wit successful this week’s video, joking, “Just truthful you guys know, I person a gym rank and I ablution there. ... I’m a Funky Diva, but I’m not funky.”

“Funky Divas” was En Vogue’s sophomore album.