Dawn Robinson stole the hearts of R&B lovers across the world with her undeniable voice since she came on the scene in 1989. Now, she’s found herself in headlines once again — but for a different reason.
The eight-time Grammy nominee spent the ’90s and 2000s gracing stages across the globe and topping the charts, as she achieved commercial success musically wherever she went. Her contributions to En Vogue’s sophomore album, Funky Divas, helped the LP crack the top 10 in both the US and UK, and her vocals on Lucy Pearl’s “Dance Tonight” and “Don’t Mess With My Man” solidified the releases as recognizable hits.
In addition to collecting back-to-back nominations at the Grammys during her reign, she also appeared as herself in shows like In Living Color, Soul Train, and plenty more.
LOS ANGELES, CA – JANUARY 25: Members of the musical group “En Vogue” (from L): Dawn Robinson, Maxine Jones, Terry Ellis and Cindy Herron hold their trophy 25 January 1993 at the American Music Awards in Los Angeles, CA
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Earlier this week, the vocalist shared a vulnerable update about her life with her YouTube subscribers. She revealed she has been living in her car for the past three years and walked viewers through what events led up to her “car life” decision and the lessons she’s learned along the way. The news spread like wildfire, with a majority of her supporters showering her with encouragement and empathy.
“I respect her for having the tenacity to go against the norm and do things on her own terms. She will succeed again,” someone replied under her video. “Let’s make sure we watch Dawn’s videos to support,” reads another comment, which racked up over 500 likes.
Learn more about Dawn Robinson’s journey below.
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Early life
Image Credit: Paul Drinkwater/Network/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images Dawn Robinson was born in 1966 in New London, CT. She is the oldest of three siblings and sang in the choir at AME Zion Church in Connecticut. She relocated to California during her early teenage years, settling in the city of Oakland in 1981. The singer attended Oakland High School, San Leandro High School, and the Institute of Cosmetology in Oakland.
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En Vogue
Image Credit: Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images In July 1989, Robinson auditioned for a female group and went on to become a founding member of En Vogue, one of the best-selling female groups of all time. They achieved massive success with their debut album Born to Sing in 1990 and their triple-platinum second project Funky Divas in 1992. The LP’s landed at No. 21 and No. 8 on the Billboard 200, respectively. En Vogue is known for hits like “Don’t Let Go (Love),” “Hold On,” “Free Your Mind,” and many more.
However, Robinson’s journey with the group was not linear. She chose to leave the group in 1997 and sign to Dr. Dre’s Aftermath label after difficult contractual negotiations. She released a solo album, Dawn, in 2002, and reunited with En Vogue in 2005 after an eight-year absence. She left again once more, but reunited with the group and performed alongside her bandmates at the 2008 BET Awards.
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Lucy Pearl
Image Credit: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic, Inc When Robinson left En Vogue for the first time, she found a home as a member of Lucy Pearl. In 1999, she joined the R&B squad with members Raphael Saadiq (formerly of Tony! Toni! Toné!) and Ali Shaheed Muhammad (formerly of A Tribe Called Quest).
They released their debut self-titled album in 2000, a well-received body of work that boasted guest appearances from Snoop Dogg and Q-Tip. Its lead single “Dance Tonight” charted at No. 5 on the R&B singles chart as well as at No. 35 on the Billboard Hot 100. Other notable hits include “Don’t Mess With My Man,” “You,” and “Everyday.” Dawn left the group in 2000.
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TV and film cameos
Image Credit: George De Sota/Liaison In addition to lending her vocals to countless musical hits, Robinson has quite a few entries on her acting résumé. She has appeared in films like Another 48 Hrs., Thank girl, Batman Forever, Conceiving Ada, The Last Request, and even voiced a role in The Rugrats Movie.
She was also featured on a handful of TV shows, mostly as herself, including Soul Train, In Living Color, Sesame Street, R&B Divas: Los Angeles, and Life After. She played Henrietta on A Different World in 1993 and Sara Toenin on SeaQuest DSV in 1995.
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Accolades
Image Credit: Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images Robinson received recognition from the Recording Academy for her talents throughout her career. She went on an impressive run in the 90s, as she was nominated at the Grammys almost every year from 1991 to 1997.
Her nominations are as follows: Best R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal (Born To Sing) in 1991; Best Music Video, Free Your Mind Best Rock Performance (“Free Your Mind”), and Best R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal (Funky Divas) in 1993; Best R&B Performance (“Turn It Loose”) in 1994; Best R&B Performance (“Whatta Man”) in 1995; Best R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal (“Don’t Let Go Love”) in 1997; and Best R&B Performance (“Dance Tonight”) in 2001.
En Vogue‘s “Hold On” was awarded a Billboard Music Award for R&B Single of the Year, and the group also collected four Soul Train awards.
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Outspoken about unfair contracts
Image Credit: Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images Throughout her career, Robinson has shown she will remove herself from situations she deems as unfair. She initially left En Vogue due to disagreements about contractual negotiations, and again later on after a dispute over the recording of a new album.
Even in more recent years, she has continued to be outspoken about the treatment she allegedly received as an artist. “We were just getting started and it was over before we knew it,” she told Stardust Daily. “Raphael [Saadiq] was not nice. I couldn’t stand it. I couldn’t deal with it anymore… I lost my house during that whole thing.”
She also said on the Cherie World podcast, “They’re making a lot of money because of us… and we’re not paid yet. In ’97, we had sold 28 million records. But we only made two pennies per record, two cents per girl!”
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Currently living in her car
Image Credit: YouTube screenshot. On March 11, 2025, Robinson opened up to her supporters about her current living situation, revealing she has been living in her car for the past few years. She shared an 18-minute video on her YouTube channel and explained why she chose the lifestyle.
“You guys, for the past three years, I have been living in my car. I said it, oh my gosh, it’s out,” she revealed. She explained the series of events that led up to her wanting to venture out on her own, which included living situation disputes with her former manager, familial conflict, and more.
Around 2021, she began researching “car life” and learned about the community of people who live in their vehicles. She thought to herself, “Wow, I could do this,” and started her journey on March 9, 2022. Upon reflection, she gathered that her former manager was attempting to “control” and “trap” her by “playing” with her housing situation, and “car life” was her solution.
Robinson made sure to emphasize that she felt empowered by her decision. “I felt free,” she shared about her choice. “I felt like I was on a camping trip. It just felt like it was the right thing to do.”
Read a full breakdown of the announcement here and watch the full video below.
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