Dawn
Dawn Angelique Richard was born on August 5, 1983 and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana. Music has played an influential part in her life since early childhood. In fact, it’s been debated that Dawn’s first words could have been song lyrics. Performing is in her roots as her father was a member of the band Chocolate Milk and her mother owned a dancing school where Dawn spent much of her childhood developing her skills at choreography and singing. With a background like that, it was inevitable that she would become the music industry’s next big force to be reckoned with.
Dawn’s talents span far beyond performing. She is also a talented athlete. The one-time homecoming queen was a high school national basketball champion, as well as a state bowling champion. Throughout all of these accomplishments, Dawn never lost sight of her first love -- music. She later began performing with a local group,called "Realiti," before blossoming into a solo artist going by the name of "Dawn Angelique." She performed throughout New Orleans before venturing out to events all across the country. Even though music was her dream, Dawn understood the importance of her education and attended the University of New Orleans under a full academic 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. Together, they form the super group "Danity Kane," which happened to be the name of an anime character that Dawn created in high school. Danity Kane gave Dawn the opportunity to collaborate with various producers such as Timbaland, Brian Michael Cox, Rodney Jerkins, Scott Storch, Jim Johnson, and a slew of others. The group released their self-titled debut album in August 2006, which immediately shot to #1 on the Billboard charts and hit platinum status three months later. Christina Aguilera then invited Danity Kane to join the North American leg of her Back to Basics Tour in 2007. Dawn was able to showcase her love for entertaining and performing on this tour in 36 major cities across the country.
In the fall of 2007, Dawn and Danity Kane returned to the studio to record their second album while filming the second season of the "Making the Band 4" series on MTV. While recording, Dawn was able to fully tap into her creative side, co-writing 5 of the 15 tracks on the album, entitled "Welcome to the Dollhouse". Released on March 18, 2008, the album introduced the world to the true essence of Dawn and Danity Kane.
Dawn was blessed with an amazing soulful voice and talent beyond her years. No matter where she chooses to take her career or what her plans are for the future, there’s no doubt she’ll find success.