En Vogue singer Dawn Robinson has been living in her car for the past three years.
The 58-year-old star – a founding member of the Free Your Mind group – explained that she has now become devoted to the lifestyle after first doing it out of necessity during the coronavirus pandemic.
Dawn was performing with the group in 2019, with the rest of the band – comprised of Cindy Herron, Terry Ellis, and Rhona Bennett – still going strong.
In a lengthy YouTube video, Dawn said: ‘You guys, for the past three years, I have been living in my car.
‘I said it. Oh, my God, it’s out. I’ve been living in my car. Oh, my gosh.”
Dawn explained that she first started living in her car after she moved out of her parents house in 2020 as she became weary of her mother’s ‘anger’.
She said: ‘That was wonderful until it wasn’t. I love my mom, but she became very angry, and a lot of her anger she was taking out on me. And I was her target all the time, and I was like, “I can’t deal with this. Like I respect her too much.” I didn’t understand it. I still don’t. It hurt me, so I was just trying to figure it out, but I couldn’t.’
Dawn was offered the chance to stay with her manager in Los Angeles but he didn’t have any room in the end, and she ended up in a hotel he had paid for.
However, her attempts to move into an apartment were thwarted, prompting her to make the decision to live in her vehicle.
Robinson recalled: ‘I told my assistant one day, “I have been researching car life. There’s a whole community of people that live in their cars, and a whole community of people that live in their RVs, and a whole community of people that live in vans, van life, car life, RV life, and I loved what I was seeing.”
‘I just thought, “Wow, these people. I could do that, I could do this, I think. And I ended up in my car, and it’s been, like I said, three years.”
Dawn is happy with life in her car although she does have to be mindful of her safety at times.
She said: ‘That first night was scary, but then, as I got to know what to do in my car and how to do it, like, how to cover my windows and, you know, you don’t talk to certain people. You’re careful of telling people that you’re alone, as a woman especially, and I’m a celebrity.
‘I don’t just divulge that to people. If you don’t know who I am, I’m not telling you that part.’
She also said she felt ‘free’ and like she was ‘on a camping trip’.
The star clarified: ‘Just so you guys know, I have a gym membership and I shower there. I’m a Funky Diva but I’m not funky!’
Dawn added that while it’s not an easy lifestyle, she doesn’t regret her decision.
Her dog Max also died in her car, which she said was ‘hurtful’ after 16 years together.
The Free Your Mind hitmaker is documenting her journey for a future documentary, and also hopes for a future career resurgance.
‘I mean society tends to look down on people for living off-grid when I tell you off grid is exactly what a lot of people are going to start doing,’ said Dawn, urging her fans to take a leap and do something ‘scary.’
‘Would I have an apartment right now if I had a choice? I would. I’m not going to lie, but am I glad that I did this. Absolutely proud of what I’ve accomplished out here.’
En Vogue originally formed in 1989 with members Dawn, Terry Ellis, Cindy Herron and Maxine Jones.
The Don’t Let Me Go hitmakers have sold 20million records worldwide.
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