Dawn Richard: Solo Artist in the Making

One-third of Bad Boy’s Super Group, Dirty Money, talks Danity Kane, Diddy and her future…

Some performers are known as triple threats, but former Danity Kane member Dawn Richard, has talent that surpasses that; in fact, she’s what I like to call a quadruple threat.

Born with an amazing voice and superb dancing skills, she landed a spot in Diddy’s best selling pop group, Danity Kane. Their determination and hard work paid off, blessing the group with two successful albums.Although their popularity grew, fans didn’t see the problems that grew between Danity Kane when the cameras were turned off. Diddy eventually dismembered Danity Kane, firing four of the band members, leaving only Dawn signed onto the Bad Boy label essentially making her a solo artist. Now she joins Diddy on his quest of creating a new sound and album, Last Train to Paris, with the formation of his group Dirty Money.

Dawn has always known she’s wanted to be a performer. She made sure she was prepared in every way before she became a member of Danity Kane, “I wanted to take classes to know everything,” and she did just that, studying several business, marketing, and accounting courses, making sure she was always one step ahead of the game.

She reminisced about the time Diddy called her name to be a part of Danity Kane, “My family and I survived Hurricane Katrina. I was given an opportunity to have something positive come out of something so negative. I knew it would be hard work, I love the hard work. I just wish it wouldn’t have been about business.”

It feels like everyday, Dawn is approached by fans who ask the dreaded question: why did Danity Kane breakup? “I don’t know,” she replies unable to muster another excuse.

Being a member of a successful female pop group gave Richard the opportunity to learn a lot about herself and the music business, “your voice is extremely important. In my opinion, it’s okay to be strong and observe things. I am very proud of how I’ve handled myself in this situation. I learned that this industry is 90 percent about business, and 10 percent about music.”

Lately Dawn has received a lot of slack from fans and bloggers due to the perception of her character on MTV’s Making the Band, “I don’t get support because they see the show and get an interpretation. I can’t say ‘I wish they showed this’ because it’s a television show and you get what’s interesting.”

But like all of us, there are times when Richard likes to chill and relax to her favorite music, “I love all types of music, from Radiohead, Soundgarden, No Doubt, Bush, Cranberries, 30 Seconds to Mars and Nicky Green.”

With Dawn’s adoration for various musical genres, I can guarantee that the new music she creates will be something everyone will love.

Although Danity Kane is no longer together, Dawn wants her fans to not be sad but enjoy Danity Kane’s past and know that she continues to work hard for you, “find beauty in every situation and be encouraged that we [Danity Kane] made great music.”

Dawn been working hard in the studio writing and producing music for her fans, but if you want a piece of the songstress now, you can purchase her comic book, Danity Kane Comics on her official site DanityKaneComics.com. Once again her talent surpasses us, Dawn has teamed together with her brother and other creative minds, to write her first comic, Danity Kane Adventures; a story about a girl who tries to conquer the record label enemy, to have a voice of her own.

Besides working with other writers for her comic book, Dawn has hopes of working with other musicians, “I want to develop my relationship with Jazmine Sullivan and Jordin Sparks. I would love to work with them and build my portfolio.”

Dawn Richard has experienced a life that some of us can only imagine. She was chosen to be a member of one of the most popular female pop groups to ever exist, and survived the crash when the group went their separate ways. She’s a strong, talented woman who has only showed us a little of what’s in store for Dawn Richard, “I will show people I really want to be here, and will work hard to be here.

This year we learn to find positivity to move forward. I encourage taking other routes, and appreciate people who start a new trend.” To find out about Dawn Richard’s upcoming events or to watch footage of her in the studio, visit her official MySpace at www.myspace.com/dawnrichard. If you want to stay up to date on her daily tasks, then follow her twitter: @DawnRichards