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En Vogue singer Dawn Robinson revealed yesterday that she has been living in her car for the past three years, and now her ex-husband has offered help.
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.
Now Dre Allen – who she was married to from 2002 until 2010 – has reached out to help his former partner by offering her work at hotel chain Hilton, where he now works.
The former IV Xample singer explained to TMZ he thinks Dawn’s ‘charisma and personality’ would serve her well within the company’s sales department as her stage presence could help her earn ‘real money’ to ‘influence people with sales’.
The two-time Grammy award-winner added that the position would allow her to receive ‘free medical from day one’, as well as being able to earn paid time off ‘to juggle her career’..
The 49-year-old star stressed he ‘doesn’t want to see’ his ex-wife ‘crash out’ and thinks she’d be a ‘perfect inclusion’ into the firm.
Dre believes the music industry and ego has disillusioned Dawn so he hopes she takes him up on the offer, which he said he made before her current situation was made public.
He explained taking his own career in a new direction saved both his life and his finances, as he’s now found god, got a new fiancee and makes more money than he did in music.
Dawn was performing with En Vogue 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 posted yesterday, Dawn revealed: ‘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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