Lucy Pearl Announces Debut

This past Monday, December 6, in an exclusive online press conference, the members of the new hip-hop/ R&B ensemble Lucy Pearl fielded questions from music journalists |regarding their new collaborative effort.

Lucy Pearl is a brand new group including producer/songwriter/singer Raphael Saadiq, formerly of Tony Toni Tone, singer/songwriter Dawn Robinson, one of the four signature vocalists from En Vogue and producer/mix master Ali Shaheed Muhammad, previously of A Tribe Called Quest.

Although all three members of Lucy Pearl had enormous success with their respective groups, they have wanted to collaborate creatively with each other for several years. Saadiq got the ball rolling when he approached Robinson and Muhammed, "They were each picked out because they're good at what they do. And we could just come together and have fun," said Saadiq. When asked why they had chosen to reconnect with a trio when they have all recently embarked on solo careers, Saadiq, Robinson and Muhammed said it came down to nostalgia. "I miss certain things about En Vogue, being around the girls personally and sharing things that women share," said Robinson, " and it [Lucy Pearl] is a new experience, so you grow."

Lucy Pearl is currently recording original material, and a debut album is expected sometime in March of 2000. A nationwide tour is also in the works, but for now Saadiq, Muhammed and Robinson are getting their feet wet by performing locally in Los Angeles. Anticipate a few "surprise" shows, in undisclosed venues around LA in the coming months. What sound can fans expect from Lucy Pearl? According to Saadiq, the sky's the limit for Lucy Pearl's potential for pushing the boundaries of hip-hop and R&B: "I see the music getting crazier. This is like the beginning version of Lucy Pearl. I just see it going somewhere like ballistic or something, just funky wild. I see it getting more edgy."

Whether this hybrid group will find the same measure of success that each member found in En Vogue, Tony, Toni, Tone and Tribe, respectively, remains to be seen. At the very least, Lucy Pearl will draw in fans of these now-defunct groups who are curious to see what Robinson, Saadiq and Muhammed are up to now.

Muhammed said it best when asked about Lucy Pearl's uncertain, but potentially very successful future: "I just like to think I make music, period. I enjoy what I do. But to say that your music will be the next hit for the next century or the next six months or whatever, that's too much for me."

Fans can check out Lucy Pearl audio clips before the anticipated release date at http://www.broadcast.com/music/chat/lucypearl.

Gabrielle Schafer