Thirty-five years into one of R&B’s most enduring careers, En Vogue is not just still here they are heading into one of their most anticipated summers yet. The group recently took the iHeartRadio Music Awards stage alongside fellow 90s icons TLC and Salt-N-Pepa, a preview of their upcoming It’s Iconic Tour, which kicks off Aug. 15. But before the road calls, the group sat down with People to reflect on the shake-ups, exits, and hard-won peace that brought them to this moment.
Where it all began
When founding members Cindy Herron, 64, Terry Ellis, 62, and Maxine Jones, 64, first came up with the group’s name in 1990, it was meant to capture something specific a sense of being on the cutting edge, not just musically but visually. The wardrobe followed the name, and the identity clicked into place.
What followed was one of the defining runs in 90s R&B. Hits including 1. Hold On, 2. Free Your Mind, and 3. My Lovin (You’re Never Gonna Get It)” made En Vogue then a quartet with original member Dawn Robinson a household name. The group, nicknamed The Funky Divas, became a direct influence on later acts including Destiny’s Child and Xscape.
Ellis still remembers the exact moment the group’s first major hit broke through. She picked up a call early one morning to find Robinson on the other end, screaming that their song was on the radio. The memory still carries weight.
The departure that started it all
Robinson, 59, left the group in 1997, just before the release of their third studio album, later titled EV3. The split came amid stalled contract negotiations and has remained a source of tension in the years since.
Ellis and Jones both say they were blindsided. Jones recalls calling Robinson directly and pleading with her to reconsider. Ellis says there were recurring moments of frustration within the group that often went unexplained, and that Robinson’s departure was genuinely hard to process at the time.
In the years since, Robinson has periodically rejoined the group for special performances and anniversaries. More recently, she drew widespread attention after posting on social media that she has been living out of her car. The remaining members say the disclosure was difficult to watch.
Herron expressed concern that sharing such personal struggles publicly invites reactions that lack full context. Ellis echoed that sentiment, noting that the door has never been closed to Robinson and that the group has always wished her well. Robinson could not be reached for comment.
Regarding Robinson’s longstanding public claims about the group’s finances, Ellis says the contract they all signed was standard and that the characterization of their earnings does not reflect reality.
Jones is more direct about the underlying dynamic. Ambition and ego, she says, were always part of Robinson’s makeup qualities the group admired in her early on, but which ultimately made staying difficult.
Rhona Bennett’s exit and Maxine Jones’s return
After Robinson’s departure, the group brought in singer Rhona Bennett, 49, initially as a temporary replacement. She eventually became a full member and remained with En Vogue for more than two decades.
Herron describes Bennett in the early days as a fast learner, a team player, and a strong vocalist. But recently, negotiations over a new operating agreement created friction. According to Ellis, the process dragged on through multiple rounds of attorney involvement, and the group continued performing together in good faith while the contract remained unsigned.
The breaking point came at the 2025 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame ceremony. With Jones having returned to the group and Bennett’s contract still unresolved, the three original members performed without Bennett, who had a prior commitment. Shortly after, Bennett announced on social media that she was leaving En Vogue and entering a new chapter. She did not respond to People’s request for comment.
Jones’s own return, meanwhile, came after a 10-year absence. She stepped away, she says, because her daughter was entering her teenage years and being present at home felt more important than anything else at the time. The reunion with her former bandmates required setting aside old tensions, but she says the group has made peace with the past and is focused on moving forward.
What comes next
For Ellis and Herron, who have been active members of En Vogue continuously for 35 years, the excitement around the It’s Iconic Tour feels earned. Performing alongside TLC and Salt-N-Pepa three acts that collectively defined a generation of pop and R&B is not lost on them.
Herron acknowledges that performing at this stage requires more effort than it once did. The voice, she says, does not always cooperate the way it used to. But she frames that not as a limitation, only as reality. You cannot be who you were; you can only be who you are right now.
And right now, En Vogue is together, touring, and by every indication, exactly where they want to be.
The It’s Iconic Tour featuring En Vogue, TLC, and Salt-N-Pepa begins Aug. 15. Tickets are on sale now.
EXCLUSIVE : PEOPLE
