“Part of being human is to be vulnerable…I’ve always been honest.” Dawn Robinson just posted a new YouTube video on her channel. It had been a “minute,” she explained to followers, because she’s taken a lot of time for herself recently. That honesty, she hopes, will be appreciated even more after watching the 18-minute update. “I think that’s what a lot of people love about me…I hope that’s what you guys love about me.” Robinson, of course, was a founding member of the R&B group En Vogue. The artist’s “positive vibes only” intro flows into the reason for her new video: “You guys, for the past three years – almost three years – I have been living in my car.”

The interesting thing is that Robinson says she discovered van life and insists she chose this option over getting a hotel in LA during a vulnerable time.

Dawn Robinson and hit R&B group En Vogue

Dawn Robinson was a founding member of En Vogue, along with Cindy Herron, Maxine Jones, and Terry Ellis. The group dominated the ‘90s R&B scene with hits like “Hold On,” “My Lovin’ (You’re Never Gonna Get It),” “Giving Him Something He Can Feel,” and “Free Your Mind.” Their success earned them seven Grammy nominations…and a lasting impact on the music industry.

Robinson left En Vogue in 1997 to sign with Dr. Dre’s Aftermath Records. Though she briefly reunited with the group in 2005 and again in 2009, En Vogue continued with different lineups over the years. Despite member changes, the group remains active, performing and touring with Herron and Ellis as the core members.

Robinson later appeared on Season 1 of R&B Divas: Los Angeles, giving fans a glimpse into her life post-En Vogue. Now, she’s sharing her personal journey in a way that reflects her resilience and determination to find her own path.

“You’re capable of anything no matter what the odds are against you.”

After revealing that she’s been staying in her vehicle for an extended period, she lets out a scream. “Oh my God, it’s out!” she exclaims. “I’ve been living in my car.”

The narrative goes back to at least 2020 when Robinson was living with her parents in Las Vegas. She explains that she loves her mom, but the woman seemed quite angry and often targeted Robinson. “It hurt me,” she says, recounting that she didn’t understand the behavior and decided she needed to figure something else out. “You can’t read someone else’s mind.”

She moved out…and into her car. After about a month of sleeping in her vehicle in Vegas, a co-manager suggested she move back to LA. He offered her a spot in his place. Unfortunately, they both had dogs, and he didn’t actually have enough space for Robinson. “It turned into, ‘Um, okay, I’m going to put you into a hotel for the night,’ and that night turned into eight months.”

The former En Vogue member says she sent her manager apartment listings and tour videos, but the manager blasted the options down over and over.

Robinson says that she felt her manager was playing games. After all, his rent was around $1,700 a month, while her hotel was more than $3,000. It didn’t make sense to her. She says she had an inkling that he was attempting to trap her when she was vulnerable, so she took her own path instead.

Finally, she told her assistant that she’d been researching “car life.”

“There’s a whole community of people that live in their cars…RVs…vans…and I loved what I was seeing,” Robinson confesses. She left the hotel on March 9, 2022. “I ended up in my car, and it’s been, like I said, three years.”

She opted to stay in Malibu because of U.S. Highway 1. Robinson explains that since a lot of people drive the 1 from New York all the way to California, many motorists stop along the way and stay in their cars.

During her first night in Malibu, she remembers being scared, but not regretting the move. Over time, she learned the ropes. “Like how to cover my windows, and, um, you know, you don’t talk to certain people…you’re careful of telling people you’re alone.” She also avoids telling people that she’s a celebrity.

Robinson has a gym membership, where she showers. She has an older vehicle, so learned how to adapt to the elements. She installed insulation, for instance, to stop water from leaking into the door seals.

“I felt free.”

Once she was permanently “home” in her vehicle, she explains a sensation of freedom that many van lifers express, too. “I just felt like, um, it was the right thing to do.” Robinson mentions that Marvin Gaye also lived in a commercial van for some time, too.

Robinson says that during the pandemic, many Americans wondered why they’d been paying rent or a mortgage when RVs and the like were a viable option. With housing expenses and all else, there’s definitely an argument for the tiny living movement.

“You guys, this is not, ‘Poor Dawn…she’s living in her car, it’s terrible…’ It’s not that,” she claims with confidence. “I’m learning about who I am.”

The singer admits that during her En Vogue days, she would have had trouble believing she’d live in her car one day. “I’m definitely in the trenches of this right now, and I wouldn’t trade my experiences and what I’ve gone through for the world. 

In fact, Robinson says she thinks her followers should be proud of her resilience and independence. “I miss my family, I miss everybody that I was connected to, but I needed to do this alone and without everybody’s opinions and judgment and all that stuff.”

Robinson says she’s looking forward to her career resurging. After all, since it’s just her and her car now, “Life is going to be amazing from this point,” she posits.

It seems that even if this isn’t a forever decision, just like other van lifers who opt for temporary stints in vehicles to live more simply and reset financially, she’s happy with her time in her car.

You can watch the former En Vogue member’s full “car life” update below.