En Vogue Reaction Hold On (WOAH!!! THIS IS A SUPERGROUP!!!) | Empress Reacts

[@Dt.1.KENOBI]

That's EXACTLY what they were

[@terrygelinas4593]

Their harmonies are fire. And the bassline! Also their other song's "Give It UP, Turn Me Loose" harmony grand finale gives me goosebumps.

[@EmpressReacts]

I actually reacted to that song already kzbin.info/www/bejne/eHLRfGqOeNOse68si=aTgnpEX7Tf603NfO

[@terrygelinas4593]

​@EmpressReacts thank you! Will check it out. I remember when they were first releasing videos, I was thinking "The Supremes, updated, so fine!"

[@donaldgilbreath4200]

They were a super group. There were heated debates on which one was the hottest. They dominated the radio back then.

[@cstianlew406]

On the real tho' the difference between En Vogue and all the other female groups is all the members in En Vogue can take the lead vocals and not skip a beat cuz they all can sang!

[@EmpressReacts]

🔥🔥🔥

[@kurtadams3021]

Facts

[@kurtadams3021]

Whos loving you is a Smokey Robinson and his Miracles classic. Written and produced by the musical Genius Mr William Smokey Robinson 💯💯💯💯💯💯💯

[@kurtadams3021]

The Genius of the LEGENDARY Iconic musical treasure Mr James Joseph Brown 💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯

[@missbigkim]

Yes the producers wanted to create a “super” girl group with 4 lead singers! They got what they asked for! 😁

[@EmpressReacts]

ah, so this was very intentional! they are 🔥🔥

[@missbigkim]

@@EmpressReacts Yes completely. They said the norm for a girl group is one great singer and basically two or three girls to sing harmony/backgrounds. They said what if we found 4 amazing singers who could each stand alone but put them and their voices together? Magic!!!

[@missbigkim]

Their first two albums are incredible, their debut “Born to sing” and the follow up “Funky Divas” are must listen. I saw the album cover in the store of these 4 pretty black girls and then saw the title “born to sing” and I said SOLD!!! 😂

[@kurtadams3021]

The LEGENDARY Iconic En Vogue ❤❤❤❤

[@kimbrash2025]

Runaway Love was always my favorite song of theirs.

[@carolineneisha]

It’s so underrated! I love it too!

[@feudist]

That smirk from Cindy at 2:11...I was instantly smitten.

[@leondasellis9854]

They were called the Funky Divas for a reason 💥💯

[@EmpressReacts]

🤣yaaas I'm here for it

[@fidel2xl]

I'm sure that other commenters already said this, but just in case I'll say it again ---- this song and music video was En Vogue's very first release back in 1990....it was the song that put them on the map. Before this song, they were unknowns.

[@Marc-zi5cq]

It was 1990, the year we are in on the Madonna journey as well. I think it all got more funky in the 90s especially the early ones. Pop went more urban and R&B more Hip Hop and New Jack Swing.

[@Marc-zi5cq]

En Vogue, Too Gone Too Long, please someone request this! Only real fans know this but vocally it SLAPS so hard and they never looked better!

[@TheRealKymiPoo]

They were the blueprint for a long of girl groups. That intro was everythaaaang!

[@EmpressReacts]

🔥🔥

[@Marc-zi5cq]

Omg Patreons coming though with my all time favorite songs lately!!! En Vogue are the greatest girlgroup of all time vocally! And i love most girlgroups! This is 10s for sure, the beat omg, soooo funky!

[@winslow551]

This song dropped and this group took control!!! Love it.

[@indigoace261]

Great insight and reaction. I'd rather hear vocal talent than see a perfectly executed two-step... Hip-hop did change the game. Thanks for sharing.

[@EmpressReacts]

Thanks ‼️

[@diamondm9746]

LOVE En Vogue and this song...but it was always that acapella FLEX for me! 🔥

[@EmpressReacts]

Okay ‼️‼️💯

[@mariannematus6703]

They were da Bomb back in the day. Love this song.

[@darnell49]

THIS STARTED IT ALL‼️FOR EN VOGUE.🔥🔥🔥This is still a bop. Cindy had a role in JUICE opposite Omar Epps. Empress you on point as usual🎯

[@treylincoln08]

This was the start of 1990 and yes this was an intro into a new RnB sound and boy were we in for a treat that decade musically 💕

[@EmpressReacts]

Ah, so 1990 kicked in with a bang

[@powerbad696]

En Vogue was the$$$$!!! They were all PRETTY,lay the smack-down on the vocals!!! LOL.1990,I was in the navy stationed at the Phila Naval Shipyards-assigned to the USS KITTYHAWK(aircraft carrier)it was going thru a major over-haul at this time.This refit would add 20 plus years to the KITTYHAWK's service life.A small fraction of the crew(about 2,500 sailors)lived on the ship,the rest of us lived in the barracks.Remember watching this video in our dayroom,til this day En Vogue is my favorite female singing group.And our enlisted club was the BOMB!!! PACKED with civilian and military people every Friday and Saturday nites.If you couldn't dance the civilian females wouldn't mess with you,they'd dance circles around you!!! LOL.The Cabbage Patch,the Running Man,the Wop were the dance moves of the day back then. SEMPER-FI.

[@EmpressReacts]

Wow cool story

[@Nonchalant_248]

This song was released in 1990. The 90s had several girl groups making hit after hit. En Vogue came first in 1990, then TLC in '92, SWV and Xscape in 94. Then later in '97 the Spice Girls came and just exploded. On top of the female groups you had Boys II Men, Jodeci, Backstreet Boys and NSYNC doing their thing. The 90s were a great time for music.

[@carolineneisha]

But tbh, the combination of strong leads, strong harmonies, fire choreography, and iconic looks…nobody ever came close

[@fidel2xl]

Don't forget 'Bell Biv Devoe' (BBD). They were the ones that really started the new R&B heavily infused with Hip Hop. BBD's first song 'POISON' in 1990 changed the face of R&B to this very day.

[@petersavieri]

She does look a bit like Whitney! Same kinda ultra pretty with a tiny sprinkling of handsome in the strong jawline. Interesting you made that comparison, because En Vogue are a great example of a soul/RnB group who made certain they were making black music through their more hip hop influences, while soul artists were using a lot more of the strings and clean beats and rhythms that could cross over onto mainstream (white) radio (like Whitney and early Mariah). Interesting too, how one of En Vogues biggest international hits, Free Your Mind, has more of a rock n roll backing. Janet also used this style of hard rock with Black Cat, tho Janet didn’t need more help crossing over because her brother (and her appearances on Diff’rent Strokes) had already blazed that trail. Btw I can’t help hearing this song as an opposite bookend to Madonna’s Express Yourself. En Vogue are advising patience and sacrifice to hold onto love, and M’s all “if the time isn’t right then move on”.

[@EmpressReacts]

Omg did I ever tell you how much I ❤ u😘😘😘 wow great breakdown of the scene but it was the comparison to express yourself that did it for me

[@petersavieri]

@@EmpressReacts Why thank u ⭐️ (Bows)

[@JoeyGarcia.]

She did look like Whitney there! I was just thinking the same thing. Lol

[@EmpressReacts]

🤣we're vibin - Wonder if that was a little intentional by the label

[@JoeyGarcia.]

@@EmpressReacts who really knows. She’s just as cute as Whitney was. I really never heard any of that. Now there was a girl group called Seduction. Had a few hits. One of their girls was Michelle Visage which she’s been a judge with Rupaul for years. I’m sure you know who she is,, well madonnas camp told her to tone it down because they said she was trying to copy madonnas look😱🤣. I always taught that was BS. People copy each other’s looks all the time Madonna sure got some from Marilyn Monroe lol. It all comes down to how many records you sell. I guess that’s important lol

[@EmpressReacts]

@@JoeyGarcia. wait! Michelle Visage looked like Madonna at some point🤣

[@Lovejazz01]

You should hear ( and see) the video of them accepting their award with accapella harmony just like they did with “ Whose Loving You” on this song. Such amazing vocals and harmonies that no one even thinks about these day. These ladies are missed, not be because EnVogue hasn’t been around , they have released albums the last two decades. But they are not the same because they don’t have ghetto original four members thus don’t have the original four part harmony and four different leads on the songs like the original EnVogue. And at the same time that I love Cindy and Terry amazing vocals, the vocals of Dawn and Maxine were unique and stood out. They should have paid those beautiful sistas so that they would remain with the group all these years. It’s a travesty how they were obviously blackballed into never recording or performing again, solo or in another group. I wish that they would have formed a duo and continued…

[@Reagan98]

This song was off En Vogue's first Album born to Sing , which was fire and they did have a hip hop song on the called "lies".

[@bethanythatsme]

Modern Supremes for sure and so underrated

[@WCD199317]

This song the debut single of ''En Vogue'' from the debut album. This song was at the time the highest charting single in US, reaching n.2 until ''My Lovin (You're Never Gonna Get it)'' was also reaching n.2. Theses girls have six top 10 singles in US, three of them at n.2 (Hold On, My Lovin and Don't Let Go). The second album ''Funky Divas'' was their best-selling album to date. I never hear this song unlike the singles of ''Funky Divas'' album (around 2007-2008) when i listen music video channel.

[@dipsydoodle7988]

Talent personified. Loved these ladies so much. And may I also say that the 90s videos had the absolute best dancing. 😊 Please check out Never Gonna Get It.

[@RobertSmith-js2kz]

You so nailed the historical context. "Hip-Hop soul" was just around the corner and you could hear it starting to creep in on this one. Gospel influenced vocals over that James Brown sample. It was all going to change in a hurry in another year or so. Lived it. Remember it well. Still have all the records. Did you check out "My Lovin' (You're Never Gonna Get It) yet? Even better song in my opinion. And even further down the road when En Vogue was done ... Dawn Robinson (of En Vogue) was part of a legit supergroup LUCY PEARL. Check out the songs "Dance Tonight" and "Don't Mess With My Man" (Late 90s) You will LOVE it.

[@EmpressReacts]

Thanks for confirming my thoughts

[@RobertSmith-js2kz]

@@EmpressReacts You know your stuff. Respect

[@wellitsjustG]

i like 1:25 when, as good as you are, you throw them hands up bc Envogue about to go off.

[@jeffreygriffin7248]

I got two for ya! 😁 The Good Girls Your Sweetness! And Karyn White I Love The Way You Love Me 🎼🎵🎶🎵 These were and still are the jam from the late 80's early 90's!

[@michaeldebree4870]

Do yourself a favour and now watch en- vogue: my love ( you’re never gonna get it) you will be hooked for life. Destiny’s child who???? I always thought en- vogue was better

[@dtaylor939]

I love Destiny's Child, but they are nowhere near as talented as En Vogue

[@royg9080]

Empress actually reacted to my lovin back in July. You can check it out here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/m2KtZKOXp7pkeK8

[@EmpressReacts]

Yeah that song slaps

[@BrenJen86]

This was their first single from their debut album in 1990. They blew us all away! You are correct when discussing the sound shift. 1989/1990 ushered in the new jack swing style merging hip hop and r&b.

[@EmpressReacts]

Ah, thanks for confirming ❤

[@carolineneisha]

@@EmpressReacts then what was (is!) cool about EV is they kept mixing different genres - soul, R&B, hip hop, rock, rap, jazz, funk, EDM, pop and even classical.

[@wellitsjustG]

good observation. I never thought of it that way. Envogue did put the world on notice. LL Cool J does a song over this beat aswell and it is fire.

[@JoeyGarcia.]

One of their best bops! Great song!!

[@royg9080]

Such a great reaction Empress! I knew you would love that acapella moment at the beginning. If I am remembering correctly, I believe this was their debut song/video. I remember when I first heard this being blown away by everything you just mentioned… crazy vocals from all 4 members, sophisticated, polished sound and look that you just did not see in any groups really at the time. Plus they were 4 beautiful women so they were the full package for instant success. They had a great string of hits until one member decided to leave and they never were the same after that unfortunately. BTW on a side note, Dawn Robinson (the group member that left) also had a short stint in a group called Lucy Pearl formed by Raphael Saadiq (who was from the 80s R&B group Tony! Toni! Tone!) and they had a couple of hits that I have on my list for future picks! 😉

[@dtaylor939]

"Don't Mess With My Man" is great

[@royg9080]

@@dtaylor939 Yaasss! That song and Dance Tonight were both great bops from Lucy Pearl. It’s too bad they couldn’t work out their differences and keep the group together. I will be requesting these two songs in future picks though if one of the other Patreons does not pick them first! 😉

[@EmpressReacts]

Dang that's unfortunate ‼️no wonder I hadn't heard of them until last yr

[@Marc-zi5cq]

@@dtaylor939 hell yeah! I request that in clubs still to this day!!

[@DanCrowleyNYC]

100% a firebop, and a debut firebop single at that! You're right about the shift from R&B and hip-hop as two separate entities (at least commercially) in the '80s sort of mashing together in the early '90s (and late 80s as well) to form a whole new sound. It was so exciting.

[@EmpressReacts]

sooo interesting!!!

[@laraismyname821]

One of my fav things is when they did a collaboration with Salt-N-Pepa. Check out 'Whatta Man', you won't regret it. So fun. Link: kzbin.info/www/bejne/nnbQeWR7nK-Ve9U

[@EmpressReacts]

Oh wow they had a collab‼️

[@izzzz1313]

Yup definite fire bop 🔥 one of my favorite groups of all time. Top 5 DOA!

[@Joelsellers29]

Love their first album. Every song is a Bop. And, those vocals. Whew. Goosebumps!!!!

[@sparky9643]

Magical

[@confucius12012]

Yes, this was the the very beginnings of the 90s.

[@EmpressReacts]

Ah makes sense

[@patrickmiller1834]

You working hard today. I love your videos. So natural and your “Let’s Go” classic

[@michaelcarson7941]

They are the bomb!!!💯

[@wellitsjustG]

great take away-Look at "self destruction"

[@oceanlover3530]

When they were doing the close up I was thinking that very same thing, hey, she kinda looks like Whitney. Lol I love this group. Each one of these beautiful ladies were equally talented and contributed to the groups success. Vocals on point, always! 👍🏻 Thanks for another great reaction Empress! ✌🏻🙂✌🏻

[@wellitsjustG]

1:10 we all get cooked. great react.

[@blakey2408]

Yessssss!! This was the song I was telling you about on the last EnVogue video… knew you’d love it!! I used to rinse their ‘Funky Diva’s’ album on cassette when I was little… jeese I feel old!! Still one of my all time fave songs… so amazing right!? The girls teaching some valuable love lessons… PREACH🙌🏻❤️🥳🤩

[@EmpressReacts]

Omg ❤ the album title

[@melissawest9124]

Love, love, love this song. Thanks for your reaction. You are my favorite reactor on KZbin because you know so much about music and musical history. You take your job seriously and it always shows. Keep up the great work, Empress. We all appreciate you!

[@EmpressReacts]

Wow thank u‼️❤️‍🔥

[@gacaptain]

People now a days know them for Free Your Mind but this jam which came out first will forever be the song I most associate with En Vogue. And Yes. You are right. This year was a pivotal time in which R&B, dance and Hip Hop seemed to kind of collide fuse together and share with one another. Mary J Blige (Queen of Hip Hop Soul) also came out around this time and she also gave a very strong Hip Hop meets R&B feel in her first album.

[@EmpressReacts]

Ah, thanks for confirming my thoughts =)

[@mr.goodenough3796]

Saw them in concert in 92 and they were really good live.

[@teddyrob28]

Oh geesh, I just love you. I'm gonna watch all of your reactions.

[@EmpressReacts]

Thanks! Hope you sub

[@Sailor-Alpha]

yes she was giving whitney my exact thoughts lol

[@dtaylor939]

En Vogue is the real deal. You won't find a better girl group. En Vogue is hands-down the most talented girl group ever. They are all lead vocalists. Don't let the latest incarnation of the group fool you. It's only these original 4 girls that have the magic together. They even played Mr. Gaines nieces on "A Different World". One of the Patreons needs to request one of their live performances from Arsenio Hall.

[@EmpressReacts]

🔥🔥

[@bobbieanderson6328]

Except for Brownstone.

[@brynneholt1990]

Not a hip hop song - it’s James Brown (The Big Payback, I think) 😄 As the younger sister, I would often have copies of my sister’s cassette tapes, but this was my first ever cassette tape of my own. They also have a couple other good covers - Yesterday by the Beatles, Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy, and Just Can’t Stay Away.

[@chriskershaw4164]

Empress you cheered me up today. Thank you.

[@EmpressReacts]

😊😍glad I could do that

[@wellitsjustG]

you could pull this off

[@joshuawater3493]

Classic

[@wellitsjustG]

in some way this was a groundbreaking endevoure. Good observation.

[@EmpressReacts]

Thanks

[@blackkatt777]

Trivia: Who's loving you was not by the Jackson 5. It was a Smokey Robinson and the Miracles song. The Jacksons covered it, and Smokey said this song belongs to Mike now, since he sung it like a grown man in despair...better than him. Lol

[@EmpressReacts]

Oh wow!!! Didn't know that!

[@wellitsjustG]

really just "class" is what exudedes

[@michaelwilliams-vu2nf]

You need to react to the Three Degrees a song call When will I see you again

[@lanceflx63]

This was their breakout hit.

[@THEPATRIOT1000]

some people need to Free Your Mind

[@slimlouis6441]

You’d think they were a super group. Until one thought she could go out on her own….

[@zanohoriamazo1]

Yu said the same thing I mentioned on another reactor’s post. Only recently watching is when I realized Cindy Heron resembleWhitney like a whole lot! Only thing is, queen that Whitney was, she didn’t physically move like these sistas here. All do respect that was not her thing, though she didn’t need it. Yeah I really don’t feel like En Vogue had any real peers on the scene as far as all that they brought to the ‘table’, or stage. SWV was very popular with hip hop generation & hair & nails culture, but wasn’t this level vocally. Of course Destiny’s Child was a great follow-up, with probably more production involved in their videos. 👍🏾

[@toriboy25]

I too thought Cindy resembled Whitney back then.

[@StealthLifePuma]

Poor girls got paid 2 cents each per album. Totally Robbed.

[@EmpressReacts]

😳😳😥

[@wakeupstopsleeping6300]

This is 1990

[@mmurph617]

The lead singer has a Tisha Campbell thing going aesthetically.

[@EmpressReacts]

Hmmm is she giving S1 Gina.., let me see 😂

[@DeAnne1233]

You weren’t expecting that? You sang along with the 8th word. 🤷‍♀️

[@EmpressReacts]

after i had heard the chorus - duh!

[@DeAnne1233]

@@EmpressReacts When I, Had You, I Treated You BAAAAAD (8th).