Oakland '90s R&B group teases future biopic
The Oakland R&B group — currently made up of members Terry Ellis, Cindy Herron, Maxine Jones and Rhona Bennett — celebrated the 35th anniversary of its first album during an appearance on 'The Jennifer Hudson Show' last week and hinted at the possibility of a film adaptation of its career journey.
'Do you think there's a world where there would be an En Vogue biopic?' Hudson asked the singers during a rapid fire question segment of the episode, which aired Thursday, May 15.
'Yes,' Herron immediately responded, prompting the studio audience to erupt into cheers.
'That's a good question,' Ellis said with a laugh as the other members of the group flashed knowing smiles.
Hudson then asked if there would be a role for her to act in the hypothetical film, to which Jones replied, 'Yes,' while her bandmates continued to giggle.
En Vogue was formed in 1989 by songwriters Denzil Foster and Thomas McElroy. Ellis, Herron and Jones were founding members, and Bennett joined in 2003, replacing Dawn Robinson. Robinson departed the quartet in 1997, later joining the supergroup Lucy Pearl, led by Tony! Toni! Toné! frontman Raphael Saadiq, who also grew up in Oakland. She eventually launched a short-lived solo career.
En Vogue rose to widespread fame in the 1990s with hit singles such as 'Free Your Mind,' 'My Lovin' (You're Never Gonna Get It)' and 'Hold On,' which the group performed on the show.
After gathering around a piano for an acoustic rendition of 'Hold On,' which was En Vogue's first-ever single, Herron revealed that the song almost didn't get a release by Atlantic Records.
'The label didn't love it. They didn't think it was a radio song, but our producers fought for it to get released as a single. So the label decided to service radio without the a cappella,' she told Hudson, referring to the soulful intro of the song.
Herron went on to explain that radio hosts somehow discovered the version with the a cappella intro portion that most fans know and love today, and it skyrocketed to success.
Before the '90s R&B group sat down with Hudson, the four singers did a on-camera strut down the Spirit Tunnel as part of the talk show's pre-interview hallway tradition. These filmed hallway dances, shared to the show's social media accounts, are a signature feature where all guests make their entrance, greeted by staff members who line the walls and serenade them with various songs.
This time, 'The Jennifer Hudson Show' team chose to sing 'En Vogue is here in the Spirit Tunnel' to the tune of the group's 1992 hit 'My Lovin' (You're Never Gonna Get It).' The clip has since gone viral.
All four members began grooving down the hallway, each in lightly colored pantsuits, before stunning the team by whipping out silver fans and striking a pose. They were met with cheers as they continued to shimmy along, waving their fans.
In February, En Vogue was back in the national spotlight during the NBA All-Star Game, hosted at San Francisco's Chase Center. The singers performed alongside rappers E-40, Too Short and Saweetie as part of a tribute to the Bay Area. Saadiq was also in attendance, and delivered a pregame performance.
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