Defining Danity Kane
They made the band, so now what?
The Life
With budding careers, a hectic schedule of rehearsals, interviews, industry events and an aggressive tour schedule coming up, the girls of Danity Kane have to be on top of their game just to keep up.
The all-girl group is the brainchild of Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, who hand-picked the five members over the course of MTV’s ‘Making the Band 2.’ The next season,‘Making the Band 3,’ saw the new ensemble evolve as a group and record their first album. The self-titled debut dropped August 22, 2006.
The girls of DK get earthy. Click HERE for more pix.
The Definition
Added to these daily challenges facing each member of the group, one of the biggest hurdles they face collectively is their shared identity in an industry that’s broken down into sharply delineated genres.
With a sound that encompasses hip-hop, r ‘n’ b, rock and pop, and members whose backgrounds span the racial spectrum, the group’s identity defies strict categorization, leaving them to define themselves and navigate new territory in the music landscape.
"We deal with all things from race, to being women,’ Dawn said. "It affects certain media things … Just in general, people don’t touch [our group] because we have multiethnicities, because [Danity Kane] is so many things to touch.
"[For example,]" she continued, "an African-American magazine won't touch us because we are so many things -- but we can be in everything, and it’s interesting, it’s no nobody’s fault."
The Chat
Catching up with one of the fastest rising girl-groups isn’t easy, but we chatted with Danity Kane for fifteen minutes to get a look at life behind the scenes. We asked them what inspired their break into the music biz, what other hurdles they face, and how they kick back – if they ever do.
Dawn: 'Because we are black, we are supposed to
be ... overly diva. And it's weird.'
AD: What’s the biggest thing you’ve had to give up to be in Danity Kane?
DAWN: The biggest thing for us, is lack of sleep. We don’t sleep at all -- we get maybe two hours, I’m not exaggerating, we really don’t sleep! We do at least three days like that at a time sometimes. We all knew coming in it would be hard work, and it is hard work, but it's your body, and sometimes your body shuts down. Then we finally get a vacation, but you go home and you’re sick! And that’s the hardest thing to deal with.
SHANNON: We work extremely hard because we want perfection, and having a boss [Diddy] that wants perfection as well, I think he’s passed it on to us.
AD: Are there any specific challenges you’ve faced as young women entering the entertainment field?
SHANNON: I don’t feel personally I’ve been too affected by it. If anything it’s because it’s business. I’m not sure if it’s because we’re artists or because we’re new artists, but we’re not always included in [the business end of things]. I don’t know if it’s because we don’t know how, but we want to be involved [in every step of the way].
DAWN: I know for me, and I know [fellow DK member] D. [Woods] can confer on this, I can’t even say not knowing the business is one thing, but just the overall, because, there’s this idea that we slept our way through here, and I knew D and I, being African American women, it seems like even more of a crutch; [this idea that] because we are black, we are supposed to be bitchy, or overly diva, and it’s weird -- certain women are acting a certain way [in the industry].
Shannon: DK's self-described 'country girl.'
AD: Do you have any advice for young people who want to break into the business?
DAWN: For all of us, we really want people to know, we really believe in learning your craft: If you love art, get the knowledge of it. If you love music, learn music theory, learn the guitar, so you learn what you’re doing.
Also, I know Shannon always says, be mindful that just because you get the ‘nos’ – and they will come -- but that should not be a reason for you to give up. When someone slams a door in your face, you can’t give up. Those falls you help you to be better…and we believe in our dream. Just two years ago, we were at home watching ‘TRL’ and ‘MTV,’ and three years later, we were at the Billboard Music Awards. Your dream is never too big for yourself.
AD: What’ve been the biggest changes in your daily lives since you went on ‘MTB’?
SHANNON: I’m married, so maybe that’s my biggest thing: Not as much time with my husband! But we’ve dealt with that really well. It hasn’t been an issue or anything -- and we’re traveling a lot … [fellow DK member] Aubrey, though, definitely can’t go to the supermarket anymore!
DAWN: I think the biggest thing is what you said, is having fans. We really are down to earth, quiet, and the biggest change is having fans. We’re learning more every day, because they’re out taking pictures of us.
AD: What are the biggest thrills of being famous so far?
SHANNON: We … did the Billboard Awards in Vegas, and literally I had to stop and pinch myself … you never get to have prom and homecoming again, and I love to get all dressed up and walk the red carpet dressed to the hilt. Being a part of that is pretty exciting and fun.
Want more of DK? Check the rest of their interview HERE!
With budding careers, a hectic schedule of rehearsals, interviews, industry events and an aggressive tour schedule coming up, the girls of Danity Kane have to be on top of their game just to keep up.
The all-girl group is the brainchild of Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, who hand-picked the five members over the course of MTV’s ‘Making the Band 2.’ The next season,‘Making the Band 3,’ saw the new ensemble evolve as a group and record their first album. The self-titled debut dropped August 22, 2006.
The Definition
Added to these daily challenges facing each member of the group, one of the biggest hurdles they face collectively is their shared identity in an industry that’s broken down into sharply delineated genres.
With a sound that encompasses hip-hop, r ‘n’ b, rock and pop, and members whose backgrounds span the racial spectrum, the group’s identity defies strict categorization, leaving them to define themselves and navigate new territory in the music landscape.
"We deal with all things from race, to being women,’ Dawn said. "It affects certain media things … Just in general, people don’t touch [our group] because we have multiethnicities, because [Danity Kane] is so many things to touch.
"[For example,]" she continued, "an African-American magazine won't touch us because we are so many things -- but we can be in everything, and it’s interesting, it’s no nobody’s fault."
The Chat
Catching up with one of the fastest rising girl-groups isn’t easy, but we chatted with Danity Kane for fifteen minutes to get a look at life behind the scenes. We asked them what inspired their break into the music biz, what other hurdles they face, and how they kick back – if they ever do.
Dawn: 'Because we are black, we are supposed to
be ... overly diva. And it's weird.'
AD: What’s the biggest thing you’ve had to give up to be in Danity Kane?
DAWN: The biggest thing for us, is lack of sleep. We don’t sleep at all -- we get maybe two hours, I’m not exaggerating, we really don’t sleep! We do at least three days like that at a time sometimes. We all knew coming in it would be hard work, and it is hard work, but it's your body, and sometimes your body shuts down. Then we finally get a vacation, but you go home and you’re sick! And that’s the hardest thing to deal with.
SHANNON: We work extremely hard because we want perfection, and having a boss [Diddy] that wants perfection as well, I think he’s passed it on to us.
AD: Are there any specific challenges you’ve faced as young women entering the entertainment field?
SHANNON: I don’t feel personally I’ve been too affected by it. If anything it’s because it’s business. I’m not sure if it’s because we’re artists or because we’re new artists, but we’re not always included in [the business end of things]. I don’t know if it’s because we don’t know how, but we want to be involved [in every step of the way].
DAWN: I know for me, and I know [fellow DK member] D. [Woods] can confer on this, I can’t even say not knowing the business is one thing, but just the overall, because, there’s this idea that we slept our way through here, and I knew D and I, being African American women, it seems like even more of a crutch; [this idea that] because we are black, we are supposed to be bitchy, or overly diva, and it’s weird -- certain women are acting a certain way [in the industry].
AD: Do you have any advice for young people who want to break into the business?
DAWN: For all of us, we really want people to know, we really believe in learning your craft: If you love art, get the knowledge of it. If you love music, learn music theory, learn the guitar, so you learn what you’re doing.
Also, I know Shannon always says, be mindful that just because you get the ‘nos’ – and they will come -- but that should not be a reason for you to give up. When someone slams a door in your face, you can’t give up. Those falls you help you to be better…and we believe in our dream. Just two years ago, we were at home watching ‘TRL’ and ‘MTV,’ and three years later, we were at the Billboard Music Awards. Your dream is never too big for yourself.
AD: What’ve been the biggest changes in your daily lives since you went on ‘MTB’?
SHANNON: I’m married, so maybe that’s my biggest thing: Not as much time with my husband! But we’ve dealt with that really well. It hasn’t been an issue or anything -- and we’re traveling a lot … [fellow DK member] Aubrey, though, definitely can’t go to the supermarket anymore!
DAWN: I think the biggest thing is what you said, is having fans. We really are down to earth, quiet, and the biggest change is having fans. We’re learning more every day, because they’re out taking pictures of us.
AD: What are the biggest thrills of being famous so far?
SHANNON: We … did the Billboard Awards in Vegas, and literally I had to stop and pinch myself … you never get to have prom and homecoming again, and I love to get all dressed up and walk the red carpet dressed to the hilt. Being a part of that is pretty exciting and fun.
Game
Go ahead. Go berzerk.
Celebs
Fame, cash, love. (Yawn.)
Surfing
Could you win the dream?
Ringtones
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