En Vogue

Band

Photo: Cultureinject · CC BY-SA 4.0
Active 1989-present
Origin Oakland, California
Albums 7
Tracks 90
Most frequent collaborator Denzil Foster · 71 tracks
Genres R&BSoulFunkNew Jack SwingPop
Co-Performer
32%
Authorship

Holds writing credit on 29 of 90 tracks

Did En Vogue write their own songs?

Barely at first, then increasingly. Members are credited on 20 of the group's 90 tracks, and none of those come from the first two albums. Denzil Foster and Thomas McElroy, the producers who assembled the group, wrote all of Born to Sing and Funky Divas and are credited on 54 tracks overall.

By the Numbers

7
Studio Albums
90
Tracks Credited
32%
Self-Written
20 million
Records Sold
37
Years Active
81
Collaborators

Authorship Breakdown 29 / 90 self-written

Who wrote the songs?

Across all 90 tracks: how many En Vogue wrote alone, how many they co-wrote, and how many were written by others. The bracket marks every track they hold any writing credit on.

En Vogue has a writing credit32%
32%
68%
Sole author0tracks0%
Co-written29tracks32%
Outside writers61tracks68%

Role Fingerprint how they contribute

Lyricist Performer Composer Producer
En Vogue's roles across the catalogue

Share of all 90 tracks where they are personally credited, by role.

Lyricist (words)32%
Composer (music)32%
Producer1%
Performer100%

Member Credit Breakdown share of tracks each member is credited on

Percentage of all 90 tracks, across every album, where each member holds a credit - split by role.

MemberPeriodLyricsMusicProductionPerformance
Terry Ellis 1989-present
20%
20%
0%
0%
Cindy Herron 1989-present
20%
20%
0%
0%
Maxine Jones 1989-present
10%
10%
0%
0%
Dawn Robinson 1989-1997
0%
0%
0%
0%
Amanda Cole 2001-2003
0%
0%
0%
0%
Rhona Bennett 2003-present
9%
9%
0%
0%

Authorship Over Time writing credit per album

En Vogue's writing credit per album, in release order. Hover any bar for the album.

avg 32%
42%
0%
8%
57%
31%
33%
55%
1990Born to Sing
1992Funky Divas
1997EV3
2000Masterpiece Theatre
2002The Gift of Christmas
2004Soul Flower
2018Electric Café
Early · 16% written
Mid · 40% written
Late · 55% written

Authorship by Decade track-weighted

16%
1990s
Born to Sing, Funky Divas +1 more
40%
2000s
Masterpiece Theatre, The Gift of Christmas +1 more
55%
2010s
Electric Café

Authorship Spectrum pure performer to complete author

Where En Vogue sits on the scale from a pure performer (0%, sings songs written by others) to a complete author (100%, writes everything). The bright marker is their catalogue authorship score, plotted against other artists on the site.

En Vogue
Other artists on the site

Reference artists spread across the scale, closest by genre and era.

Whitney Houston5%
The Jacksons24%
Michael Jackson51%
Stevie Wonder64%
Janet Jackson72%
Mariah Carey87%
Prince96%
32%En Vogue
Pure Performer0%
Songwriter~50%
Complete Author100%

Who Really Wrote the Hits signature songs

Hold On
Born to Sing
Written by Denzil Foster, Thomas McElroy
Outside writers
Lies
Born to Sing
Written by Denzil Foster, Thomas McElroy, En Vogue, Khayree
Co-wrote
My Lovin' (You're Never Gonna Get It)
Funky Divas
Written by Denzil Foster, Thomas McElroy
Outside writers
Giving Him Something He Can Feel
Funky Divas
Written by Curtis Mayfield
Outside writers
Free Your Mind
Funky Divas
Written by Denzil Foster, Thomas McElroy
Outside writers
Give It Up, Turn It Loose
Funky Divas
Written by Denzil Foster, Thomas McElroy
Outside writers
Don't Let Go (Love)
EV3
Written by Andrea Martin, Ivan Matias, Organized Noize, Marqueze Ethridge
Outside writers
Whatever
EV3
Written by Babyface, Keith Andes, Giuliano Franco, Kenneth Edmonds
Outside writers
Too Gone, Too Long
EV3
Written by Diane Warren
Outside writers
Riddle
Masterpiece Theatre
Written by Denzil Foster, Thomas McElroy, Terry Ellis, Cindy Herron, Maxine Jones
Co-wrote
Ooh Boy
Soul Flower
Written by Denzil Foster, Jamie Brewer, Kisha Griffin, Thomas McElroy
Outside writers
Losin' My Mind
Soul Flower
Written by Andre Merritt, Rhona Bennett, Troy Johnson
Co-wrote
Rocket
Electric Café
Written by Shaffer Smith, Curtis Wilson
Outside writers
Reach 4 Me
Electric Café
Written by Dem Jointz, Isabella Peschardt, Dwayne Abernathy
Outside writers

Discography 7 albums

Collaborator Network who they worked with most

En Vogue90 tracks
DF71Denzil Foster, 71 tracks TM71Thomas McElroy, 71 tracks IM5Ivan Matias, 5 tracks 5David Foster, 5 tracks 4Curtis Mayfield, 4 tracks AM4Andrea Martin, 4 tracks MJ3Michael J. Mani, 3 tracks MM3Marlon McClain, 3 tracks CW3Curtis Wilson, 3 tracks G2Gatewood, 2 tracks RG2Russell Gatewood, 2 tracks DM2Dave Meyers, 2 tracks MB2Mo Benjamin, 2 tracks TW2Tony Woods, 2 tracks PS2Phillips Scott, 2 tracks MM2Michael Marshall, 2 tracks DJ2Dem Jointz, 2 tracks MF2Modern Future, 2 tracks TS2Taura Stinson, 2 tracks K1Khayree, 1 track DT1Debbie T., 1 track DR1Don Raye, 1 track HP1Hughie Prince, 1 track CJ1Chuck Jackson, 1 track MY1Marvin Yancy, 1 track JL1John Lennon, 1 track on The Beatles's page PM1Paul McCartney, 1 track on The Beatles's page B1Babyface, 1 track KA1Keith Andes, 1 track GF1Giuliano Franco, 1 track KE1Kenneth Edmonds, 1 track ON1Organized Noize, 1 track ME1Marqueze Ethridge, 1 track CB1Chris Bolden, 1 track JE1J.B. Eckl, 1 track P1Pro-Jay, 1 track DW1Diane Warren, 1 track RR1Raymond Ransom Jr., 1 track KM1Kamil Marzette, 1 track WJ1Wayne Jackson, 1 track ME1Mark Elliott, 1 track BT1B. Thompson, 1 track DM1Dave Meeze, 1 track MW1Michelle Woods, 1 track RP1Robert Page, 1 track BM1Bobby McFerrin, 1 track ML1Mark Lomax, 1 track WC1William Chatterton Dix, 1 track AM1Andre Merritt, 1 track TJ1Troy Johnson, 1 track DM1Dwayne Morgan, 1 track JB1Jamie Brewer, 1 track KG1Kisha Griffin, 1 track EB1Eric Baker, 1 track RN1Robbie Nevelle, 1 track SF1Somethin' for the People, 1 track RH1Rochad Holiday, 1 track TH1Track Headz, 1 track AH1Aaron Hall, 1 track GG1Gene Griffin, 1 track TR1Teddy Riley, 1 track on Blackstreet's page TG1Timmy Gatling, 1 track BE1Billy Eylle, 1 track DG1Dillon Gorman, 1 track AM1Arvel McClinton, 1 track NM1Ngai McGee, 1 track T1Trackheadz, 1 track JW1John Webb, 1 track MT1Matt Theriault, 1 track JH1Jara Harris, 1 track DC1Dorian Cheah, 1 track RV1Robert Ventura, 1 track N1Ne-Yo, 1 track C"1Curtis "Sauce" Wilson, 1 track IP1Isabella Peschardt, 1 track CP1Candice Pillay, 1 track KM1Kid Monroe, 1 track SD1Snoop Dogg, 1 track CB1Calvin Broadus, Jr., 1 track RS1Raphael Saadiq, 1 track

Bubble size = tracks worked on together. DF Denzil Foster · TM Thomas McElroy · IM Ivan Matias · AM Andrea Martin

Photo credits

Portraits in the web and the rail come from Wikimedia Commons. The artist's own photo carries its credit under the picture.

The Authorship Story

Data Insight

Foster and McElroy are credited on 54 of the group's 90 tracks and wrote every song on the first two albums, the records that sold the most. No member has a writing credit until EV3 in 1997, eight years in. From Masterpiece Theatre onward the singers write more than the producers do, which is the exact reverse of how the group started.

Quick Facts

  • FromOakland, California, formed in 1989
  • Self-writtenMembers are credited on 20 of the 90 tracks
  • The writersDenzil Foster and Thomas McElroy on 54 tracks between them
  • First member creditEV3 in 1997, the group's third album
  • Career sales20 million records worldwide
  • Best sellerFunky Divas sold 4,416,000 in the US

Creative Fingerprint

A group built by two producers who wrote everything, until the singers took the pen a decade later.

The Story

En Vogue formed in Oakland in 1989 when producers Denzil Foster and Thomas McElroy auditioned singers for a modern girl group. Seven studio albums have followed and the group has sold 20 million records worldwide.

Awards & Recognition

American Music Award, Favorite Soul/R&B Album for Funky Divas
Billboard Music Award, No. 1 R&B Single of the Year for "Hold On"
Soul Train Award, R&B/Urban Contemporary Single of the Year for "Hold On"
MTV Video Music Awards, Best Choreography, Best Dance Video and Best R&B Video for "Free Your Mind"

Frequently Asked Questions En Vogue

Did En Vogue write their own songs?
Barely at first, then increasingly. Members are credited on 20 of the group's 90 tracks, and none of those come from the first two albums. Denzil Foster and Thomas McElroy, the producers who assembled the group, wrote all of Born to Sing and Funky Divas and are credited on 54 tracks overall.
Who wrote "My Lovin' (You're Never Gonna Get It)"?
Denzil Foster and Thomas McElroy. It reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100 and no member of the group is credited on it.
How many albums has En Vogue released?
Seven: Born to Sing in 1990, Funky Divas in 1992, EV3 in 1997, Masterpiece Theatre in 2000, The Gift of Christmas in 2002, Soul Flower in 2004 and Electric Café in 2018.
Who is in En Vogue?
Terry Ellis, Cindy Herron and Maxine Jones have been there since 1989. Dawn Robinson sang on the first two albums and left in 1997. Amanda Cole and then Rhona Bennett followed.
When did the members start writing?
EV3 in 1997 carries the first member credit, on one track. Masterpiece Theatre in 2000 is the first album where they write most of it, eight of fourteen.
Which album sold the most?
Funky Divas, at 4,416,000 in the United States, certified 3x platinum. Born to Sing sold 1,700,000.
Who are Foster and McElroy?
Denzil Foster and Thomas McElroy, the Oakland production duo who auditioned the singers, formed the group and wrote its first two albums outright.
How many records have they sold?
20 million worldwide.
What awards have they won?
Funky Divas won an American Music Award for Favorite Soul/R&B Album. "Hold On" won a Billboard Music Award and a Soul Train Award, and the "Free Your Mind" video won three MTV Video Music Awards.
Why do some tracks credit the group rather than people?
Nine tracks, five on the debut and four on the Christmas album, credit the writing to En Vogue as a whole. Those credits are left as the group name rather than assigned to individual members.

Sources

Wikipedia: En Vogue Wikipedia: En Vogue discography File:Terry, Rhona and Cindy. En Vogue.jpg - Wikimedia Commons