Oct 17 2008
Dawn Richards in a red, white and green sundress

Dawn Speaks on Possible Split from Danity Kane

So D. Woods and Audrey were kicked out of Danity Kane in the Making the Band 4 finale. I always thought Audrey would wander off on her own anyway. As much as Audrey is criticized for being ‘trash’, she was the only interesting personality in the group. D. Woods was the people’s favorite, for some unknown reason (can she sing?). The other two are placemats, and then there is Dawn. If nothing else, she’s cute. That could be enough to have Diddy try to make her the next star of the label.

Essence spoke to Dawn about that possibility. The short answer: she’ll go solo, but isn’t pushing for it.

ESSENCE.COM: There’s been much hearsay about Diddy’s intentions of making you the lead of Danity Kane as well as offering you a solo record deal. Is that true?


RICHARD: It’s so interesting how the media chooses to interpret or report things. I have never said that I was pursuing a solo deal. I told someone that I have waited so long for my dream, and singing is my dream and has been for so long. I have done nothing on the side as far as solo projects; I’m not sidestepping. I have totally been supportive of the group - that’s my priority. We had shows where Aubrey didn’t show up and we had her back and no one wrote about it or said anything. Some of the other girls have pursued their interests and I have sat back and supported them in their individual pursuits.
It truly hurts my feelings because I work so hard and I’ve been so honest from the beginning. I can’t control it if someone says, ‘I respect your artistry and I’d like to work with you.’ What’s wrong with that?  Instead of getting support there is nothing but negativity.

ESSENCE.COM: But has Diddy ever approached you personally about a deal?

RICHARD: Everyone should ask Puff if that’s what he has in line for me. If he does, then I’m honored and I will work hard as I’ve always done. What I know for certain is that he would never break up Danity Kane. I’ve always been on that same train, too. At the end of the day, I’m going to rock with the first priority, which is Danity Kane. Who knows what can happen, because Puff changes his mind every five seconds. I’m going to work hard. I’m going to be the same person I was in the beginning. What’s honest and true is that I respect people. I respect and love the group. I wish it could still be five of us.


☼ What's Your Opinion? ☼

1 Dolores Hernandez Fri, Oct 17, 2008 - 12:45 pm

Dawn looks like a man and Q deserves much better because you look like a tranzy u are a man look alike and you know it and you was too working behind there back!!

2 Candace Hoegus Fri, Oct 17, 2008 - 12:47 pm

I HATE DAWN SHE SUCKS AT SINGING AND DIDDY’S A HATER ALSO!

3 The real dolores h. Fri, Oct 17, 2008 - 12:48 pm

i love danity kane theres nothing wrong wit dawn either and Q be looking fiwinnnnnnneeee all the
time.

4 CANDACE Fri, Oct 17, 2008 - 12:51 pm

haha dawn SUCKS:)

5 the real candace hougas Fri, Oct 17, 2008 - 12:51 pm

i did not say that bout you
Dolores did and shes a hater cuz u can sing and she cant lolz

6 candace Fri, Oct 17, 2008 - 12:53 pm

Dolores is a fag :D

7 dOLORES Fri, Oct 17, 2008 - 12:53 pm

CANDACE DAWG UR THE HATER AT LEAST I DONT TRY TO SING IN 3RD HR.EVERYDAY.HAHAHAHAHA LOOK WHOS LAUGHIN NOW!!  😊 HAHA

8 dOLORES Fri, Oct 17, 2008 - 12:54 pm

CANDACE IS A FAGIT:) NO LIE
AND SHES A HATER ON THE REAL….....TALK ABOUT A HATER OVER HERE<———————————————

9 Steph Fri, Oct 17, 2008 - 1:33 pm

I love how she never fully answered the question….

10 Nette Fri, Oct 17, 2008 - 1:59 pm

You all are not looking at the big picture.  Aubrey always talked to Diddy crazy.  He is the president of Bad Boy records therefore her boss.  He was RIGHT to tell her that he can do whatever he wants with HIS label.  He has worked hard for a number of years to build what he has and to have a new artist talk to him like he owes them something is just CRAZY! She was warned a number of times and he was just fed up.

11 Jerome Fri, Oct 17, 2008 - 2:16 pm

How about the way Diddy treats people like shit on the regular basis. Sure it is his label and Aubry went over the line but this guy is an ass and some people just get tired of people like him talking down to them. Maybe that is what happened in her case. We don’t see everything that goes on behind the scenes.

12 abby Fri, Oct 17, 2008 - 3:31 pm

i think that its unfair to the public to split up the group. danity kane is his biggest money makin group and with them gone hes going to lose alot of money. there isnt a danity kane at all if it aint dawn, aubrey, shannon, d.woods, and aundrea.  and besides aundrea wanted to leave the group too and she didnt get kicked out.  wtf is up with that???

13 maurice Fri, Oct 17, 2008 - 10:47 pm

aubrey is a whore, d. woods is sexy, dawn is the girl next door, the other two are nobody’s

14 gabby love Sat, Oct 18, 2008 - 12:28 am

i think diddy was right they are a group and aubrey was getting to big for the group cuz when you go to work you cant tell your boss how you feel the way she did but d woods i think that was unfair but dawn i like her and she is the best singer in the group

15 Moe Sat, Oct 18, 2008 - 1:39 am

Aubrey deserved to get kicked out of ther group.  She forgot who put her and her group on the map and made her a star.  where was her gratitude?  If this was your dream come true, you should have treated it as such and did your damn job!

16 MsMoni Sat, Oct 18, 2008 - 5:06 am

I like Dawn she seems so humble and you can tell she treasures every moment she has while in the group.  The same could be said for Shannon and Aundrea, and I’m sure Aubrey appreciated it too, however she allowed herself to think she was bigger than the group.  I understand wanting to stand up for yourself but there’s a time and a place for everything, and trying to out do Diddy in front of the cameras was not the best place to speak your mind.  D. Woods, I think she allowed herself to get caught up in Aubrey’s ego. As for people thinking Dawn is going solo, Diddy never said that, he said he used her to make some demo songs, songs that will most likely never be heard outside the studio.  That’s not cause for the group to be on notice or for Diddy to have to go out of his way to let them know. It seems kinda cruel but if they all trusted each other they’d be ok with the situation instead of thinking the worst about a member in their own group.  It’s clear that there was much more going on than any of us really knew.

17 a-nat Sat, Oct 18, 2008 - 8:51 am

First, I love Danity Kane. I think creatively this is the best girl group since Destiny’s Child with a touch of the Spice Girls. I always felt like they got shafted by Diddy because after their first project, instead of promoting them and giving them the attention they needed, he started to work on his solo project (remember the song “Tell Me” that he had Danity Kane record? That would eventually become his duet with Christina Aguilera).

As far as Dawn goes, I love her voice and truly she is the mastermind behind the vocal talent of DK. However, I do not like her as a solo artist. She has great skill, but her skill works well with and frankly was chosen for a group! Ultimately she’s lying when she says she wasn’t work behind the group. There are countless leaks and downloads from her own solo projects AFTER her signing with BadBoy. These appeared on countless blogsites and even her own myspace page.

I honestly respect Aubrey for speaking up and standing up to Diddy. The problem with this industry is that all these label heads think they own the world and the world must bow down to them. At the end of the day an artist is still human and they have feelings and pride. If you don’t speak up against any injustice you feel is being done to you, you wind up looking like just another drone in the system. This is how you get people hooked on drugs and looking to commit suicide because their artistic freedom is shackled. I know I’m preaching, but I’m in the same situation right now. I can soooo agree and relate to Aubrey right now. I wish her the very best and hopefully Diddy will be smarter about this and keep DK together.

18 DW Sat, Oct 18, 2008 - 10:49 am

Let’s back up for a second when Aubrey began to speak she said that all the issues coming out of her mouth were all the issues that danity kane were feeling. With that being said danity kane members left her hanging she was the only one that stuck up. Ms. Diddy wanted them to be real and aubrey came with the real Ms. Diddy couldn’t handle it. Each of the women are talented of in their own right. I honestly feel andrea has the strongest voice and has the biggest chance to make it solo if she mans up. Bad boy doesn’t promote the group well that’s the only problem I see.the rest can be fixed among the ladies of Kane.

19 M. Ray Sun, Oct 19, 2008 - 2:18 pm

Dawn is a beautiful person and a great entertainer.
Now we will be able to see where the real talent is.
Aubrey’s image has been very negative for the group.
Dawn is very professional and very dedicated. The
three ladies will be forever blessed and I think they have a great chance of making it. They all have class respect and that is rare these days. I
will always give my support for whatever you do.

20 janqua Sun, Oct 19, 2008 - 3:41 pm

i love you gurl you have a very strong voice
and forget all them other haters because im not
like none of them o.k.  if i could meet you i
bet you wont be fake thank you

21 NEW ORLEANS FINEST Sun, Oct 19, 2008 - 3:55 pm

DAWN IS MY GIRL SHE FROM MY CITY NEW ORLEANS IM HAPPY TO SEE A YOUNG GIRL MAKE IT FROM WHERE WE FROM ITS HARD OUT THERE DAWN KEPT UP THE GOOD WORK AND HATERS STOP HATING….MS.DIVA

22 Jazmyne Mon, Oct 20, 2008 - 9:31 am

I THINK WHAT DIDDY DID WAS WRONG! I MEAN HOW CAN YOU HAVE DANITY KANE WITHOUT THE WHOLE GROUP.DIDDY NEEDS TO FIX THAT BEFORE HE LOSES ALL HIS MONEY. FOR REAL, THEY ARE BRINGING HIM ALOT OF MONEY!!!!!!!!AND ITS NOT REALLY ALLL ABOUT THE MONEY, ITS ABOUT THE GROUP AND HOW THAT COULD CHANGE THEIR WHOLE CAREER!!!

23 Jazmyne Mon, Oct 20, 2008 - 9:34 am

ALL THE GIRLS EARNED THEIR SPOT AND THEY DESERVE TO KEEP IT.ALL U HATERS NEED TO STOP TALKIN ABOUT DAWN B/C SHE WOULDNT HAVE GOT THAT FAR IF SHE COULDNT SING!!!!!!

24 Jamarcus Sanders! Mon, Oct 20, 2008 - 11:05 am

Personally, I think that Dawn could be a good solo artist and the next big thing for Bad Boy. I really do miss the other members on Danity Kane, but I mean the group is doomed for failure if Aubrey and D. Woods are not back in the group. I think that Aubrey is better solo anyway. Aundrea and Shannon, can just stay in the background…. But I still love Shannon Bex!!

25 Marv Mon, Oct 20, 2008 - 11:42 am

Jazmine, I agree with you. All the girls did earn their spots but with Diddy if you dn’t jump through hoops at all times for him he will dog you out as you see. People like Diddy do not deserve to be blessed like he is because they really don’t appreciate what thy have. The way he treats people is just awful and when they decide to finally let him know about it you see what happens. He is a d*ckhead.

26 nikol2u Sun, Oct 26, 2008 - 6:07 pm

i think that everybody is being too wordy in this situation. so here are the bottom lines:
-regardless if diddy is a jerk,or not he’s the boss (it may not excuse his behavior) and you would be fired or at any other if you were repeatedly pulled on being disrespectful:
-if you were a follower of making of the band since they first started, then you could clearly see how they have all evolved either for the better or worse.
-if you remember the season when they were working on their album, aubrey had already started venturing out on her own by going to photo shoots and making appearances without the permission of the label and diddy pulled her on it.
-he also pulled on her then about how he started see changes in her that were not repping the group and the tabloids that started then…
-fame does get to the heads of people, you must maintain a leveled head cuz you can be well liked one day and the next you are a questions mark
-aubrey has a chance to redeem herself… diddy said that…but look at how she is reacting to it all
-n finally the bottom line is…it can all be worked out so that danity kane can survive… it depends on how much they want it!

27 Above Sun, Oct 26, 2008 - 6:24 pm

True, Diddy is the boss but enough is enough! The way he is treating people usually is on TV in front of the world and sometimes he needs to be pulled on it. You said anybody would be fired if they were repeatedly pulled for disrespect at any other job which is correct but also there are people you can complain too if your BOSS is continually treating you disrespectfully as he does constantly. Aubrey had the right to venture out on her own if she didn’t he would have not allowed her to do that but it was her right. But since she showed she could be her own person and not have to depend on Diddy he didn’t like that at all. Bottom line is bosses should be the boss and employees should work for the boss but when a boss is as arrogant as Diddy something has to be done

28 nikol2u Sun, Oct 26, 2008 - 10:29 pm

i hear what you are saying but check this out. he called the group on their nonsense as he always did. this by no means is to say anything about his tact and how he did it but he recognized that the group was having some internal issues. like any parent or problem solver you sit everyone down to try to resolve the situation. enough is enough.
again the bottom line is: when someone helps you to get to a certain level you dont crap on them. he felt like he was being crapped on. he told her repeatedly but just like any situation, when you are tired of talking you show that you are fed up… he gave her three plus years of chances to get back on track…
-and if she was tired of being a part of danity kane then she shouldve made a clean break and just left. no one was holding her back.
-fame got to her head. she was no longer grouded. she is not the same person who was furst signed to danity kane.
-they all need to self reflect and see what they each brought to the table to get to that point.
-and i may not always agree with how diddy talks but when you look at football coaches, basketball coaches and so on, they grind on you to pull forth you best potential… if he didnt stay on her then i would think that he didnt care… although at times he could be more tactful with how he relays what he wants…

29 nikol2u Sun, Oct 26, 2008 - 10:32 pm

n for the haters on the top of this page… get a life. they all are responsible for the rise and fall of danity kane. if diddy wants to do something with dawn who is to criticize his gift. aubrey was on one of dannys songs. besides i hear that there are two spots open for the group. if you are blessed with the same gifts that they all have… try out for the spots… if not then dont talk about how someone looks sounds sings or whatever. people are so quick to put someone down… try lifting them up… cuz all of their careers are on the line right now…

30 Above Sun, Oct 26, 2008 - 10:45 pm

All excellent points. I see your side as well but all I am saying is that Diddy has showed patterns of disrespect for years. Just like you say the girls should reflect on how they got there so should he. I also agree with you on how coaches get after their teams to get the best out of them but once again EVERY time he gets after people it’s on TV and he just eats that up and disses them harder becase it is good for TV.

31 nikol2u Wed, Oct 29, 2008 - 5:55 am

well the bottom line for that is that they knew that they were going to all be on tv when this whole thing started… and everything is always pumped up for prime time. im sure that after seeing him with da band, they shouldve been made aware of what to expect… so his behavior is of no surprise…

32 Above Wed, Oct 29, 2008 - 9:39 am

Once again another good point.

33 jenesis tucker Wed, Oct 29, 2008 - 12:01 pm

well i think that aubrey got kicked out because of her disrescpectful mouth sooo yea thats why
now d woods WHY did she get kicked out??

34 K Dub Sun, Nov 02, 2008 - 10:19 am

I think Aubrey and to a lesser extent D Woods did go too skanky, but that could have easily been dealt with away from the cameras, told them to get their ass in line, and moved on…  The real problem is Diddy’s ego.  He told them to speak truthfully and openly, and when Aubrey did, he kicked her out.  Is she ungrateful?  Yes.  But she was honestly speaking her mind from where she was from.  Aundrea was the weak one, pretending there were no problems, just to get Diddy off her…  Ultimately, it is about Aubrey’s ego clashing with Diddy’s mega-ego (who the F cares about Puff’s 4 pound weight loss?)  I still think Diddy looks the worst.  But he is the boss, so he has the final word…

35 Shameka Sun, Dec 07, 2008 - 11:00 pm

hey yall aint nutin but some hatin bitches.dolores especailly you .Dawn got it and u no.i bet ur fat n ugly ass hell

36 deonce Fri, Dec 26, 2008 - 7:36 pm

i see all u hatas hatin on dawn like she did anything she kept it real when u put 5 girls together u are going to have some sort of jelousy and it was very clear of who was jelous over who most of the dk girls can sing but none can hold it like dawn most of the dk girls can dance but none pop like dawn aubrey changed she got a big head and she got the boot that simple yea dwoods got caught up but u can tell she wasnt in it for the band just to get her name out as u see her in more videos then her own group did and shannon shes sweet she can sing but she cant dance she always looked stiff u can tell shes a cheerleader lol and aundrea cant say too much about here cause she is a cool down to earth girl nothing to bad to say about her so in the end dawn was the better girl in the group shes humble shes real and she has it to be a star if she goes solo then u will know who held the danity kane voice structure together cause even didy said she had something speacial if u cant see it then u dont know shit about music its that simple

37 DD Sat, Mar 30, 2013 - 5:16 pm

Dawn looks great, you’re all just a bunch of f***s. I hope you get aids dirty buttpirates

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