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Dawn Robinson, a former member of the R&B girl group En Vogue, told fans in a new YouTube video that she is homeless and has been living in her car for the past three years.
“You guys, for the past three years, I have been living in my car,” Robinson said in the Tuesday, March 11 video before sighing with relief. “I said it, oh my gosh, it’s out.”
The singer explained that she was living with her parents in Las Vegas in 2020. However, after some time, she decided to move out. Robinson, 58, relocated to Los Angeles upon her former manager’s suggestion. He proposed she could stay with him for a bit, but that didn’t work out, and she remained in a hotel for eight months.
As she stayed in the hotel, it became difficult to find an apartment because the manager was allegedly “playing games” and would disapprove of the places Robinson proposed she could live. “Sometimes people want to trap you and keep you in a situation where you’re vulnerable and depending on them,” she said of their dynamic. “So I got out of there.”
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That’s when Robinson began researching “car life” and “loved what [she] was seeing.” Quickly, she decided to take the leap, and now it’s been three years since she started her “car life” and headed for Malibu, Calif.
“I felt free,” she said of her decision. “I felt like I was on a camping trip. It just felt like it was the right thing to do.”
The musician reiterated to viewers that she is not sharing this experience to receive pity.
“It’s not ‘Woe is me,’ ” she said. “I’m learning about who I am. I’m learning myself as a person, as a woman.”
“I miss my family. I miss everyone I was connected to. But I needed to do this alone… But I needed to do this for me,” she said, before revealing that her dog Max had died in the car. She “really is on [her] own.”
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She concluded the video by telling the viewers she would have an apartment if she could, but she’s “absolutely” glad she did this. “I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished out here.”
“Be spontaneous,” she said. “Do the scary. F— fear.”
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Robinson was one of the founding members of the four-member girl group En Vogue, alongside Cindy Herron, Terry Ellis and Maxine Jones. The group was formed in 1989 and released their debut album, Born to Sing, the following year. Robinson notably sang the lead vocals on “My Lovin’ (You’re Never Gonna Get It),” “Giving Him Something He Can Feel,” and “Free Your Mind.”
En Vogue earned six Grammy nominations between 1991 and 1997.
Robinson left the group in March 1997 and signed with Dr. Dre’s label, Aftermath. She rejoined En Vogue for brief stints in 2005 and 2009. Robinson also acted in several films and was part of the first season of R&B Divas: Los Angeles.