Danity Kane

American girl group

the group

Danity Kane was an American girl group whose most recent line up consisted of Aubrey O'Day, Dawn Richard, and Shannon Bex. The group originally had five members, but Wanita "D. Woods" Woodgett left the group in 2008, and Aundrea Fimbres left in 2014. Formed on the third iteration of MTV's Making the Band reality television series in 2005, they signed to Bad Boy Records by Diddy. Danity Kane's self titled debut studio album was released in 2006 and achieved success in the United States, shipping a million copies domestically, while spawning two singles with top 10 single "Show Stopper" and the ballad "Ride for You". Their second studio album, Welcome to the Dollhouse, was released in 2008 following the release of their second top 10 single "Damaged". The band became the first female group in Billboard history to debut their first two albums at the top of the charts. Despite initial success, tension in the group led to a meeting with Diddy where, in the October 2008 finale episode of Making the Band 4, he removed O'Day and Woodgett from the group. The three remaining members of the group carried on with previously scheduled promotional events before officially disbanding in early 2009. All group members were ultimately released from their contracts with Bad Boy Records later within the year. In 2013, four of the five group members (O'Day, Bex, Richard and Fimbres) made an official announcement regarding their reunion at the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards; however, on May 16, 2014, the first night of their reunion tour in San Francisco, Fimbres announced her departure from the group due to wanting to start her family, leaving O'Day, Bex and Richard to continue as a trio. On August 8, 2014, after a fight in the recording studio between members O'Day and Richard, O'Day and Bex announced publicly that Danity Kane had disbanded again. Although they disbanded, their third studio album, DK3, was released in October 2014. Following the second disbandment, Richard continued to release solo music while O'Day and Bex formed the duo Dumblonde. In August 2018, the trio announced that they would reunite and tour together. O'Day and Richard released new music as a duo under Danity Kane in 2020. However, since March 2020, the group stopped posting on their official Instagram account, leaving the group on an indefinite hiatus.

In 2004, producer Sean Combs returned with Making the Band 3, the third iteration of the Making the Band television series, in search of the next female supergroup. When seven women remained, Combs became discontent with the level of talent remaining in the competition and decided not to form a band. As the competition's challenges increased, their friendship seemed to become the foundation upon which the group was being built. The group would later be featured on the second and third seasons of Making the Band 4 with new male R&B group Day26, as well as new solo artist Donnie Klang.

After months of recording, the band's self titled debut album was released to mixed reviews on August 22, 2006, in the United States. Produced by Timbaland, Scott Storch, Rodney Jerkins, Mario Winans and Ryan Leslie among others, the album sold over 90,000 copies in the first day of release, and over 234,000 in the first week of release. It debuted at number one on the U. S. Billboard 200 albums chart. The album's lead single "Show Stopper", produced by Jim Jonsin, was serviced to radio on August 4, 2006, and subsequently debuted at number 17 on the Billboard Hot 100 and later peaked at number 8. Outside the United States, the song became a top 30 hit in Germany and Lithuania. The album's second single, the Bryan Michael Cox produced "Ride for You", was influenced by a fan poll. The music video for the song premiered on MTV's Total Request Live on December 5, 2006, the same day the band released the holiday song "Home for Christmas", which was written by Richard. From February to May 2007, Danity Kane performed as an opening act along with The Pussycat Dolls on Christina Aguilera's Back to Basics Tour. Concurrently, the band worked on their second album, which was initially scheduled for a late 2007 release but was pushed back to 2008. In the summer of 2007, speculation concerning a disbandment circulated entertainment news outlets. The rumors were fueled by quotes taken out of context (most notably when Aubrey O'Day was questioned by TMZ about her relationship to the pop girl group the Pussycat Dolls) and by work the group members had done outside of Danity Kane. D. Woods's association with another girl group, The Girl's Club, was specifically cited as adding credibility to breakup rumors. On July 25, 2007, Danity Kane released an official statement on their group MySpace page stating that they were still together and working on their second album.

While making several solo appearances on other artists' albums during fall 2007, Danity Kane was featured on the second season of the fourth iteration of Making the Band which debuted January 28, 2008, on MTV, where solo singer Donnie Klang, Day26, and the girls, lived and recorded their albums together. "Damaged", the band's poll voted lead single from their second album Welcome to the Dollhouse, was officially released as a digital single on January 29, 2008, and became the band's second top ten hit on the Billboard Hot 100. Its music video was nominated for an MTV Video Music Award for "Best Pop Video" and "Best Dancing in a Video". Welcome to the Dollhouse, was eventually released on March 18, 2008, in the United States, where it debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, with first week sales of 236,000 copies. The album eventually received a gold certification from the RIAA in April 2008. By September 28, 2008, the album had sold a total of 546,790 copies. In a May 2008 interview with Kiwibox. com, Danity Kane revealed that the follow up single to "Damaged" would be "Bad Girl". On the second season finale of Making the Band 4, it was announced that Danity Kane would be headlining a tour in 2008 and be featured on the next season of Making the Band. The third season of Making the Band 4 premiered on MTV August 19, 2008. A week later, the girls were featured in an interview with Z100 at the Beatstock Dance Festival, where they stated they were planning to release another single after "Bad Girl". After Making the Band 4 – The Tour and the release of the single "Damaged", Danity Kane once again encountered rumors of a breakup, largely spurred by scenes from the Making the Band series featuring their mentor Sean Combs sparring with O'Day. On the August 28, 2008, episode of Making the Band, Combs expressed his frustratation with the "oversexed" image he felt O'Day now showcased. O'Day was absent from promotional appearances with the group to appear as Amber Von Tussle on Broadway's Hairspray. On September 7, 2008, however, the group appeared together at the MTV Video Music Awards to help present the Best New Artist Award. Speculation of a break up were also developing because of rumors that Richard would launch her own solo career with Bad Boy Records. Combs introduced Richard in a solo performance in early September. An Atlantic Records spokesperson responded, "The girls are still very much together. [ ] They're promoting their album Welcome to the Dollhouse and working on their third." The group intended to open for Janet Jackson's Rock Witchu Tour, but had to withdraw due to label conflicts. Danity Kane planned to start pre production for their third studio album, which would have begun in October 2008. In the meantime, Danity Kane released a line of denim jeans through Dollhouse. Under Russell Simmons Plastic Cash International, the decision was made to feature Danity Kane's image on Visa debit cards. The group had also been a part of an ad campaign for PETA. Collectively, as a group, there were plans for a fragrance, clothing and makeup line. In Season 3, Episode 8 of Making the Band, Combs stated that Richard recorded three demos for his new album. On the same episode of the show, which was filmed on September 12, 2008, after continued debate with O'Day, he stated that O'Day was no longer in the group. The season finale, which took place Tuesday, October 14, 2008, confirmed the departure of both O'Day and Woods. Combs removed Woods due to feeling that she was unhappy with the group and that she had gotten "caught up in the wrath" of close friend O'Day. In a January 28, 2009, interview with MTV News, Richard announced that the group had split up. O'Day conveyed her hope that fans continue to honor the group that "made her a star". O'Day said that though she is pursuing her own career as a solo artist, she would never turn down the chance to get onstage with her former bandmates. An announcement with regard to their reunion was made at the 2013 Video Music Awards on MTV. The band had their first performance in more than five years on September 21, 2013, at iHeartRadio Music Festival's Village in Las Vegas and performed an a cappella version of "Damaged". They confirmed in an interview that they were working with James Fauntleroy, Dem Jointz, Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins, Timbaland, Da Internz, and The Stereotypes for the new album. They had their first reunion concert in December 2013. On March 15, 2014, Danity Kane performed their second concert since reuniting at Fort Cheyenne in Las Vegas, performing the new track "Bye Baby". On March 24, 2014, it was announced that the group would be hitting the road in May to begin their new tour entitled "No Filter". On May 15, 2014, the band's first official reunion single, "Lemonade", was released on the Internet via SoundCloud. The single was produced by The Stereotypes, and features rapper Tyga over a production sampled from "Grindin'", the 2002 hit song by Clipse. On May 16, 2014, on the first night of their #NOFilter Tour at The Fillmore in San Francisco, after performing several songs with Danity Kane, Fimbres announced that she would be leaving the group at the end of their tour, and O'Day, Bex, and Richard would be continuing on as a trio. On May 28, 2014, "Lemonade" was released for purchase on iTunes, and on May 29, 2014, a lyric video for the song featuring three child impersonations of the trio was released to Vevo on YouTube. On August 4, 2014, while in a Los Angeles recording studio, a fight ensued in which Richard allegedly punched O'Day. After days of speculation, O'Day and Bex released a public statement on August 8 announcing the group's second disbandment. Following the group's break up, Bex and O'Day began to release music under the name Dumblonde, while Richard continued to pursue her solo career.

In August 2018, Bex, O'Day and Richard announced The Universe Is Undefeated Tour, with O'Day and Richard stating that they had made amends. The set list for the tour would be split into three parts. The first part to focus on promoting the sophomore material from Bex and O'Day's duo, Dumblonde, followed by a second part showcasing Richard's solo efforts, while the finale part would include songs by the group. To promote the new single, Danity Kane had a two day interactive event, entitled "Choose Your Own Adventure", where fans decided which songs they performed for the first half of the show. In 2020, Danity Kane released an EP entitled Strawberry Milk containing two singles: "Fly" and "Boy Down". Although the track was released under Danity Kane, the EP is also promoted as Aubrey X Dawn. On Instagram Live, O'Day addressed Bex's absence from the group. She stated "Shan is building a company right now called Vooks." O'Day said, "Danity Kane is so much bigger than five girls. It can be one girl, it can be two, it can be five. It's a voice for women and you got two of us right now giving you that voice and who knows what the future will have ahead of us. Things can evolve, things move in different directions. Everyone is always invited back." On March 19, 2020, Danity Kane released their third single as a duo entitled, "New Kings". However since March 2020, the group has been on an indefinite hiatus.

Member 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2013 2014 20182019 2020 Dawn Richard Aubrey O'Day Shannon Bex Aundrea Fimbres D. Woods

Year Award Category Work Result 2006 Urban Music Award "Best Group – Female"Danity Kane2007Poptastic Awards"Best Ringtone""Show Stopper"Soul Train Music Award"Best R&B/ Album Group, Band or Duo"Danity Kane2008BET Award "Best Group"Danity KaneTeen Choice Award "Best R&B Track""Damaged"MTV Video Music Award "Best Pop Video" "Best Dancing in a Video""Best R&B / Hip Hop Song""Album of the Year (R&B)"Welcome to the Dollhouse "Off the Hook Award (R&B)"Damaged2009Guinness World Records "First female group in Billboard history to debut their first two albums at the top of the charts. "Danity Kane