Artist Spotlight: Dawn Richards
Dawn Angelique Richard was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Creole/Haitian beauty wanted to be a performer since early childhood, showing a knack for writing, composing, singing, dancing, and acting. Performing is in her roots as her father was a member of the band Chocolate Milk. Her mother owned a dancing school where Dawn spent much of her childhood developing her skills at choreography and singing.
Not only was she an exceptional performer, but she was also a talented athlete. This homecoming queen was a high school national basketball champion as well as a state bowling champion. Dawn later began performing with a local group who called themselves Realiti before blossoming into a solo artist by the name of "Dawn Angelique." She performed throughout New Orleans before venturing out to events such as the Louisiana Jazz and Heritage Festival, New Orleans Black Heritage Festival, American Teen Beauty Contest in Orange County, and California. Throughout all this Dawn understood the importance of her education and attended the University of New Orleans under a full scholarship. She continued her dedication to dancing by performing with the New Orleans Hornets cheerleading squad for two years–becoming captain the second.
In 2005, Dawn auditioned for the MTV show Making the Band 3 in Orlando, where she was chosen to compete for a spot in Diddy's future girl-group. After a season of drama, competition, and friendships, Dawn made the band along with Aubrey O'Day, Aundrea Fimbres, Wanita "D.Woods" Woodgette, and Shannon Bex. Dawn's soothing voice "blends beautifully" with the group. Yet, she stands out with her sultry-yet-vibrant vocals. In June the band announced their group name, Danity Kane, on Total Request Live. Unfortunately the band dismembered during the filming of Making the Band.
My two cents:
After Danity Kane broke up, Dawn Richards worked hard to become a solo artist. Her hard work was later rewarded by the formation of Dirty Money. Although she is yet to find her break as a successful solo artist, the media coverage she will gain from being a member of Dirty Money will help her stand on her own two feet.
Check out her latest single with Dirty Money here and the performance of the song.
Check out her blog here