Dawn Richard facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Dawn Richard
Richard performing at the House of Blues Houston in January 2019
Background information
Birth name	Dawn Angeliqué Richard
Born	(1983-08-05) August 5, 1983 (age 41) New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.
Genres	R&B pop art pop electronic
Occupation(s)	Singer songwriter dancer actress
Years active	2005–present
Labels	Local Action Our Dawn MBK Creative Artists Agency RED Merge Bad Boy

Dawn Angeliqué Richard (born August 5, 1983) is an American singer, songwriter, and dancer from New Orleans, Louisiana. She became famous after appearing on the MTV show Making the Band 3 in 2004. On the show, she helped form the girl group Danity Kane.

Danity Kane signed with Sean "Diddy" Combs's Bad Boy Records. They released three albums before breaking up in 2009. Later that year, Dawn joined a new group called Diddy – Dirty Money with Diddy and singer Kalenna Harper. This group released a successful album called Last Train to Paris in 2010.

After Diddy – Dirty Money, Dawn focused on her solo music. She started releasing music as DΔWN, later known as DAWN. Her albums Goldenheart (2013), Blackheart (2015), and Redemption (2016) were part of a special album series. These albums explored different sounds like electronic music. Her more recent albums, New Breed (2019) and Second Line (2021), also received great reviews.

Early life

Dawn Richard was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. Her family has roots in Louisiana Creole and Haitian cultures. She has one brother. After Hurricane Katrina, her family moved to Baltimore, Maryland.

Music was a big part of Dawn's life from a young age. Her father, Frank Richard, was the lead singer for a funk/soul band called Chocolate Milk. Her mother owned a dance school. Dawn spent a lot of time there, learning to dance and sing.

When she was a teenager, Dawn performed with a local group in New Orleans called "Realiti." She was discovered as a solo artist in 2004. She even had a solo album called Been a While in 2005. Before becoming famous, she was also an NBA cheerleader for the New Orleans Hornets. She also attended the University of New Orleans.

Career

2005–2009: Making the Band 3 and Danity Kane

Dawn got her big chance in 2005 when she auditioned for MTV's Making the Band 3. She was chosen to compete for a spot in Diddy's new girl group. She earned her spot, joining Aubrey O'Day, Aundrea Fimbres, Wanita Woodgett (known as "D. Woods"), and Shannon Bex.

The new group was named Danity Kane. Dawn herself came up with the name. She loved manga and drew a female superhero named "Danity Kane." Diddy liked the name and decided it would be perfect for the group. The group's name was first shared on MTV's Total Request Live in June 2006.

In 2009, Danity Kane officially broke up. Dawn told MTV News that she still hoped the group would work together again someday.

2009–2011: Diddy-Dirty Money and The Prelude to a Tell Tale Heart

After Danity Kane split, Dawn began working with Bad Boy Records. She wrote songs for other artists. Soon, she became a member of the group Diddy-Dirty Money. This group included Diddy and singer-songwriter Kalenna Harper.

In 2010, Dawn started working on her own mixtape, The Prelude to A Tell Tale Heart. She released some songs from it, like "Me Myself & Y." The full mixtape came out on February 7, 2011. It had 15 songs. She also planned to release an official album called A-Tell Tale Heart.

Dawn performing in 2010

2012–2013: Armor On and GoldenHeart

In 2012, Dawn released a music video for her song "SMFU (Save Me From U)." She also released other songs like "Fly," "Change," and "Black Lipstick." Her main single from her EP Armor On was "Bombs." The video for "Bombs" featured a lot of dancing in a desert.

Dawn announced that her first major solo project would be a series of three albums. These albums would be called Goldenheart, BlackHeart, and RedemptionHeart. GoldenHeart was released on January 15, 2013. It was released independently, meaning Dawn put it out herself without a major record label.

Goldenheart was very popular and received praise from music critics. Many called Dawn one of the best new artists in pop and R&B music.

2013–2015: DK3 and Blackheart

Dawn planned to release the second album in her series, BlackHeart, in October 2013. However, she decided to release it after a new Danity Kane project.

In 2013, four members of Danity Kane announced they were reuniting. This time, they would work on their own terms, without Diddy. The group's first new song, "Lemonade," was released online.

During their #DKNoFilter Tour in May 2014, Aundrea Fimbres announced she would leave the group. Aubrey O'Day, Shannon Bex, and Dawn continued as a trio. However, the group later broke up again. Despite this, their third album, DK3, was released on October 27, 2014.

Two days after DK3 came out, Dawn released the music video for her song "Blow." She also announced that her second album, Blackheart, would be released on January 15, 2015. Dawn shared that she and her creative partner, Kyle Cabrol, worked hard to make this project special.

2015–present: Redemption, New Breed, Second Line

Richard performing in 2016

On September 28, 2015, Dawn released "Dance." This was the first song from her "Red Era." She said the song was about moving forward and finding yourself again. The music video for "Dance" came out on October 5, 2015.

Her fourth album, Redemption, was released on November 18, 2016.

Dawn also sang on the song "Cool Your Heart" for the band Dirty Projectors in 2017. On January 25, 2019, she released her fifth solo album, New Breed.

In September 2020, Dawn joined the cast of an independent thriller movie called Issac. On April 30, 2021, she released her sixth solo album, Second Line: An Electro Revival. This album also received very good reviews. She has also collaborated with Spencer Zahn on albums like Pigments (2022) and Quiet in a World Full of Noise (2024).

Personal life

Dawn Richard has been vegan since 2013. She is also Catholic.

Other ventures

Fashion

In 2013, Dawn worked with Coco & Breezy to create her own line of sunglasses. These sunglasses went along with her first solo album. In 2014, she launched a small collection of women's shoes. She also released new sunglasses for her Blackheart album. In 2016, she released a special USB necklace. This necklace held her trilogy finale album, REDEMPTION.

Adult Swim

Dawn started working with Adult Swim in 2016. She created content and recorded songs for them. In July 2020, she announced a partnership with Adult Swim. She became a creative consultant, helping to find Black animators and artists to create content for the channel.

Discography

Studio albums

• Been a While (2005)
• Goldenheart (2013)
• Blackheart (2015)
• Redemption (2016)
• New Breed (2019)
• Second Line (2021)
• Pigments (with Spencer Zahn) (2022)
• "Quiet In A World Full Of Noise" (with Spencer Zahn) (2024)

Filmography (selected)

See also

In Spanish: Dawn Richard Angelique para niños