Dawn Richard Talks Life Lessons From Diddy, Being A Whore For Her Man + Missing Danity Kane

Over the weekend, newly independent artist Dawn Richard held a private album release celebration in DC, before her concert at Howard Theatre. The New Orleans native was all smiles, as she gave a very open and candid interview with us. We got her to open up about all things Diddy and Danity Kane, what went wrong in her public relationship with Que (formerly of Day 26) and being a whore (her words, not ours) for her new man. Check the interview out below.

On the most challenging record on her album:

That’s a good question. Everything was organic. Most of the songs were written in a half an hour which was different from the process of working with Dirty Money. There were aren’t any challenging or difficult moments with recording this album.

Three things she learned from Diddy:

One….If you don’t believe in yourself, no one else will. Diddy is the king of believing in himself. Two….Marketing your brand. It’s so important to be able to sell yourself as a brand and believe in that brand enough to give it to people in a way that’s honest, raw, genuine and ever-evolving. Three…Presentation is everything. I am always fine tuning ways of marketing myself because now I don’t have the same push as I did when I was with a big label.

Her favorite gospel song:

Prodigal Son by Kim Burrell

Favorite song to get dressed to before a party:

Army of me by Bjork

Favorite ratchet song:

All Gold Everything by Trinidad James. That is my shit.

Favorite song to get her in the mood in the bedroom:

Anything by Sade. Mostly Ordinary Love or Cherish the Day. If you put on
Sade, we will make a baby.

On what she misses most from Danity Kane:

The funny drunk moments. Those girly moments. Being on the stage. We had great, great chemistry. We had fun.

On her relationship with the other former members of Danity Kane:

I love them. Yes, we speak we can. They are my girls forever. But nothing can last when you’re competing each other. People misunderstood us. We did our best to support and love one another in the way that we were created. But we did a hell of a job. We weren’t like Destiny’s Child who grew up as sisters and chose that. We were put together. It’s hard to have something like that in that situation. But I still love them.

Her view on a possible Danity Kane reunion:

Oh, I would do it. But everybody has to want to do it.

Her views on being in a relationship and being an entertainer: 

I don’t think it’s tough when you’re honest. I think people make it tough when you choose to be dishonest. It would have been easier if he was just honest and he wasn’t. I am a private person and it took a lot out of me to put my relationship out there. Honesty would have carried us farther.

On what her previous relationship with Que from Day 26 taught her:

It taught me a lot about myself and what I could withstand. I was surprised that I wasn’t more violent when I found out some things. But I surprised myself with being more kind, understanding and tolerant. I used to look at it as being horrible; now I look at it as something that I had to go through. I appreciate what Que was. I still love him as a person. But the relationship ran its course. It wasn’t meant to be.

On whether or not she is relationship-oriented:

I’m a serial monogamous. I am great at being single but when I’m with someone, I can be with them forever. I am a Leo, I am loyal and I can find the beauty in you even at your worst.

On who she is dating now:

I am dating. I won’t tell you who it is. It’s very private. But I am very nasty. I’m very sexual. Girl, I am a whore for my man. So, because I am all over the place for him, I keep things to myself. But I’ve always been secretive because I am such a wild child.

On whose wardrobe she would swap with in the industry:

Daphne Guinness. She is incredible. She is a style icon. She isn’t an entertainer but she is a style muse. I love everything she has.

On whether or not she wears Spanx:

Nope. Whatever you see hanging out is hanging out. Hahaha. The cellulite on my ass, stretchmarks and all. Take me as I am.

Three items in her purse she can’t live without:

Lip gloss, my iPhone, my Nokia and condoms, you know, just in case.

On what she wants her legacy to be:

That I changed music. That I changed the sound of R&B.

For all things Dawn Richard, follow her at @DawnRichard.