En Vogue

En Vogue effortlessly marries the soulful runs and perfected harmonies of R&B with the audacious attitudes of hip-hop, rock, and new jack swing. At its core, the group’s musical sensibilities ring true to the girl group dynamics of years past, drawing comparisons to the Supremes—if four Diana Rosses sang lead. With an original line-up of Terry Ellis, Cindy Herron, Maxine Jones, and Dawn Robinson, the Oakland-based quartet was formed in the late ’80s under the auspices of producers Denzil Foster and Thomas McElroy, former members of R&B group Club Nouveau. By fusing strong lead vocals with assertive production, En Vogue immediately set itself apart. Its 1990 debut album, Born to Sing, showcased the talents of the band of powerhouse singers, as evinced by the breakthrough single “Hold On.” The camp elevated with its 1992 follow-up, Funky Divas, which saw the group members solidifying themselves within R&B on “My Lovin’ (You’re Never Gonna Get It)” as well as experimenting grandly with rock elements on “Free Your Mind.”