Dawn Robinson, who was a member of the hugely successful R&B group En Vogue, has opened up about enjoying a different lifestyle
Former En Vogue star Dawn Robinson says she’s been living in her car for nearly three years.
The singer, whose R&B group sold over 20 million records worldwide, shared her struggles with homelessness in a YouTube video.
The 58-year-old vocalist, whose former band will head to Glastonbury Festival this summer, said: “For the past three – almost three years, I have been living in my car… I said it. Oh my God.”
Dawn’s troubles began in 2020 when circumstances forced her to leave the Las Vegas property she shared with her mother. She said: “I can’t deal with this. I respect her too much. I didn’t understand it. I still don’t and it hurt me. I was just trying to figure it out but I couldn’t … you can’t read someone else’s mind and you can’t figure them out.”
After departing, she spent about a month sleeping in her car in the searing Las Vegas heat..
During this time, her manager suggested she move back to Los Angeles, a city close to her heart. The initial plan was for Dawn to temporarily stay with her manager until she could secure a more stable living arrangement.
However, complications arose due to both of them owning dogs. Despite these hurdles, her manager continued to offer support by organising a hotel room for her.
She stayed there for a significant “eight months,” providing a glimmer of hope in her challenging situation.
Dawn, on the hunt for a new property, got a helping hand from her former manager who suggested they go house-hunting together. However, he was never quite satisfied with any property they saw.
She revealed that she had told him: “I’m trying to make this easier on you because financially I know it’s got to be hard. You’re paying rent and you’re paying my hotel.”
Yet, as they struggled to find somewhere suitable, Dawn began to envision a life in her car after getting hooked on the idea through online content.
“There’s a whole community of people who live in their cars and a whole community of people who live in their RVs and a whole community of people who live in their vans,” she said. “And I loved what I was seeing. I just thought, ‘Wow, these people. I could do this, I think.'”.
In 2022 Dawn swapped her hotel existence for life in her motor in sun-kissed Malibu. Although she faced initial challenges, like a rough first night, she’s since found no cause for second thoughts.
She shared how living out of her car brought on a sense of freedom, especially once she got the hang of concealing her car’s windows. She said: “I felt free. That was a sense of freedom that I had. I was so free.”
En Vogue will be hitting the stage on Friday June 27. The band is now made up of Terry Ellis, Cindy Herron, Maxine Jones, and Rhona Bennett.
