After the disbandment of Danity Kane, Diddy still wanted to work with Richard so they formed a trio called Diddy Dirty Money with singer/songwriter Kalenna. The trio released 2 mixtapes and one album, the hip hop meets eurodance “Last Train to Paris” (2010). Following the release of the album, Richard asked to be released from her recording contract so that she could pursue a solo career as an independent artist. The singer reasoned that she could work on and release music at her own pace instead of waiting a few years to complete the typical album cycle. Diddy released Richard from her contract and in 2011 she became an independent artist.
Richard’s first solo venture since leaving the two groups was a mixtape “A Tell Tale Heart”, which was released February 7. 2011. Her tone and melodies on the project are reminiscent of R&B singer Brandy’s music - though she balked at the comparison. The mixtape consists of 15 tracks including ‘Me Myself & Y’, ‘Let Love In’, ‘These Tears’. The only feature on the project is none other than former Diddy Dirty Money member Kalenna who lends vocals to the song ‘I Know’.
March 25, 2012 Richard released EP “Armor On”. The alternative R&B style set consists of 11 tracks counting the intro and outro and has no features. It was supported by singles ‘SMFU (Save Me From U)’, ‘Bombs’, ‘Wild ‘N’ Young’, and ‘Automatic’. Each single received a music video although the third video was titled ‘Wild ‘N’ Faith’.
Richard released an EP “Whiteout” on December 1, 2012. The 5 song project is the artist’s unique take on Christmas music. It sounds nothing like conventional carols but with titles such as ‘Wynter’, ‘And the Bells’, and ‘December Sky’ it’s clear that the winter season is her focus.
After the release of her two EPs Dawn announced that her forthcoming album called “Goldenheart” would be the first in a trilogy of albums. In an interview the artist described the lyrical content of the album as being “like a modern-day Joan of Arc… like medieval times-cum-2045 or Lancelot and Guinevere in 3025. It’s a new version of these battles--age-old stories for the now.” The album “Goldenheart” was released January 15, 2013 and was a critical success. Fans and critics alike appreciated the way that Richard wove together medieval battle imagery and futuristic tropes into an emotional epic that spans 16 tracks. The album was lead by the only single ‘86’.
The second in the trilogy, “Blackheart”, was expected in October of 2013 and was preceded by singles ‘Judith’, ‘Meteors’, ‘Levitate’, and ‘Valkyrie’. The project was postponed due to the members of Danity Kane banding together again, save for D. Woods. The four women (Richard, Aundrea Fimbres, Shannon Bex, and Aubrey O’Day) toured and worked on an album before Fimbres dropped out as she had gotten engaged and wanted to start a family. Richard, Bex, and O’Day continued on as a trio and planned to release their third album “DK3”. The lead single of the project was called ‘Lemonade’ and featured rapper Tyga. Unfortunately the trio didn’t last because of an alleged fight that broke out in the recording studio. “DK3” was released in spite of their second disbandment and Richard returned to her solo career.
“Blackheart” was finally released on January 15, 2015 and contained none of the previously released singles. The 14 song set continues the features battle/medieval imagery but has darker lyrical content and more electronic or dance-pop leaning production. The album was supported by 7 singles including ‘Blow’, ‘Calypso’, and ‘Billie Jean’. The lone feature on the project is former Danity Kane member Aundrea Fimbres on a track called ‘Phoenix’.
The last in the trilogy of albums was known as the Red Era with the album called “Redemption”. Richard said “The Red Era is for everybody. Every gay, every fluid, every black, every white. Because my fan base has been through a lot of shit.” The album was preceded by singles ‘Dance’, ‘Not Above That’, ‘Wake Up’, and ‘Cali Sun’ but none of them are included on the tracklist. Altogether the standard set contains 15 tracks (including into, interludes, and outro) while the deluxe version adds two more tracks. The album was supported by singles ‘Renegades’, ‘Vines’, ‘LA’, and ‘Lazarus/Love Under Lights’.
For Fans of: Brandy, Kelly Rowland, and Estelle
Website: https://www.facebook.com/DawnRichard
Credits: Wikipedia
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