To have longevity in the entertainment industry for nearly 30 years, you have to have a little something special – and the fact that En Vogue, who launched their careers in 1989, are still regularly giving shows internationally, proves that they have that something in spades.
Since their beginnings as a young quartet in Oakland, California, En Vogue has seen a number of departures and re-entries into the fold; the current line-up of founding members Terry Ellis and Cindy Herron, and Rhona Bennett, who first entered the group in 2003, has been going since 2012.
But no matter the arrangement of the group, that combination of soul and sass has kept the magic alive – and now, this month they’ve released their seventh studio album, Electric Café, as well as bringing their tour to the UK.
Pride caught up with Terry Ellis ahead of the release, to find out how the ladies are feeling while on the verge of something new and exciting.
On why now is the right time to release new music…
We’ve been on tour quite a lot, so finding the time to be in the studio, to record, going from the road doing shows to back in the studio at the same time. Before then, we would usually have a block of time where we were completely off and recording a record. But this time, we were working and recording and other obligations. Then it was finding the right distribution deal, the right partnership with the label. We were shopping for that and finding the right songs – and every time we were in the process of thinking we were done, we would be like “ah, we need one more, let’s get one more” or we’d hear other songs that we loved and be like, “that has to be part of the project.” So, it took a minute, probably the longest it’s taken for us to make a record. But we are here now, finally finished and we are really excited – we love our project and we just hope everyone loves it as much as we did recording it.
Glamour time: Terry, Cindy and Rhona
On whether possible reservations about coming out with something new after so long…
No nerves; we just do what we do, although we do hope people love it. I think that part, the fear, we decided that we have to dismiss, or else it would drive our creative process and we would never allow that to happen. So we just trust that when we get in the studio and we are recording and we are doing music that we love, our fans will find something on there they will like, even if it’s only one song.
On the origins of the album title, Electric Café…
Initially we were intending on doing a record that was more dance, EDM – electronic dance music. But as we were recording, moving along our creative process, our vibe started to venture into different areas of music. The record kind of took on a life of its own, but we definitely stuck to our R&B roots. There are undertones of EDM, but we wanted to do a record that had a global feel to it – the record now has become more of a gumbo, a mix of different genres of music. But we loved the name Electric Café, from its dance days, so stuck with it.
On managing to still look so fresh and fantastic – nearly 30 years since starting out…
I think it’s been the fact that we have never stopped working. We have consistently working for 27 years, and with that comes a vanity that we have chosen to adhere to. It entails us exercising at least five days a week when we are at home, drinking a whole lot of water and eating clean, which means being very selective, eating a plant-based diet, primarily. That doesn’t mean we don’t indulge in sugary things, but we are just very selective on when we do it and the timing of when we do it. So it’s low-carb dieting, and getting a lot of rest. The show we are doing is very high energy, so it requires that we stay on top of our physical regimen.
Fly girls: Terry, Cindy and Rhona
On the ‘Time’s Up’ movement, and women in entertainment standing up…
I’m definitely optimistic about the future of women in music – what goes around comes around. I think it is an incredible time for women in the music industry, with women sticking up for themselves and just exuding self-empowerment. Our music, and our group has always stood for that, so it’s a beautiful thing to see – especially African-American women standing up and speaking for themselves and representing self-empowerment, self-respect and honour.
On the UK fans…
Oh my gosh – we were there not too long ago and the audience was so freaking amazing! From the time we hit the stage, it went from level 0 to 100. The European crowd has always been so supportive and we love it; in Europe there is a different level of respect for R&B music. It is just really incredible and we are so grateful and appreciative and we love coming to Europe. We love the shopping, we love the food, the energy – and did I say, the shopping?
On her current playlist…
Bruno Mars, alongside all the greatest – Kendrick Lamar, all our soul sisters – Erykah Badu, Aretha Franklin, Chaka Khan, Gladys Knight, Patti Labelle. We love all the classic divas! Because the bar was set high when growing up, so that’s our roots and we stick to that and it always reminds us of why we wanted to be singers in the first place. So we were always encouraged and inspired listening to their music before we get ready for a show. I could go on and on.
Electric Café is available for streaming and download now.
