After the wildly successful dance-pop debut by Expose in the late 80s, commercial music began taking a detour right when Hip Hop started to mainstream to a wider audience. In 1990, En Vogue released their debut album “Born To Sing” which yielded the #2 hit “Hold On.” As talented as these ladies (Terry Ellis, Dawn Robinson, Cindy Herron, and Maxine Jones) were, it wasn’t clear if they had staying power.
Two years later that question was answered with the release of “Funky Divas” which yielded three top 10 hits “My Lovin’ (You’re Never Gonna Get It)”, “Giving Him Something He Can Feel”, and “Free Your Mind.” There was no doubt, these ladies dominated. With expectations running high, they finally released their third album “EV3” in 1996 which generated the top ten smash “Don’t Let Go (Love)” but then dropped off shortly after.
It’s possible that the long lapses between releases had a lot to do with their decline in popularity. I truly believe that the Clive Davis philosophy played a big role as well. That is to remix their hits for the dance floor to extend their presence in all facets of popular music. We’ll see the same with another superstar all-girl Hip Hop group in a couple of days. The remixes were and still are a vital marketing tool for artists to reach as many fans as possible. It’s not they didn’t have any, but remixes appeared to be commissioned for non-hits off their albums.
Regardless, En Vogue has sold 20 million records worldwide and ranked as the 2nd most successful female groups of the 1990s with “Don’t Let Go (Love)” and “Hold On” ranking as the #12 and #23 most successful girl group songs of all-time. ¹
In 2017, En Vogue (now consisting of Terry Ellis, Rhona Bennett, and Cindy Herron) released “Electric Cafe” and is still touring in support of their current and previous work. You can keep up with their latest at envoguemusic.com.
Party Favorz is proud to induct these talented ladies into the Diva Hall of Fame.
¹ En Vogue [Wikipedia]
Album: En Vogue – The Diva Series
Genre: House Music, Hip Hop
Year: 2018
Total Time: 01:14:16
- Hold On (Hip Hop Remix)
- My Lovin’ (You’re Never Gonna Get It) (Dominique Torti Remix)
- Whatta Man (12” Danny D Mix) [with Salt ‘N’ Pepa]
- You Don’t Have To Worry (Frankie Knuckles Classic Club Mix)
- Love Don’t Love You (Remix 1)
- Free Your Mind (Tommy’s Spoiled Brat Mix)
- Give It Up, Turn It Loose (Kevin’s Extended R&B Mix)
- Whatever (Mousse T. Radio Mix)
- Runaway Love (Extended Version)
- Hip Hop Lover (Hip Hop Remix)
- Strange (Steve ”Silk” Hurley House Remix)
- Lies (New Jack Remix)
- Hold On (Tuff Jam Classic Garage Remix)
- Don’t Let Go (Love) (Jacked Club Mix)
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