Aubrey O'Day and Shannon Bex (dumblondeofficial)

Danity Kane is back! Well…kind of. Actually not really, but here goes! 

Danity Kane was rapper, business mogul, and Bad Boy Records CEO Diddy’s superstar girl group as a result of his hit television show “Making the Band.” The group was formed in 2005 and released two platinum selling albums, with the classic songs “Show Stopper” and “Damaged” blowing up the airwaves. However, the girls' successes came to a screeching halt with the revelation that there was intense inner turmoil between the group members. Diddy fired group mates Aubrey O’Day and D. Woods in 2008, with Aundrea Fimbres subsequently fired the next year. Shannon Bex and Dawn Richard eventually quit, and the group officially disbanded in 2009. Years passed, and in 2013, fans were elated with the revelation that O’Day, Fimbres, Bex, and Richard were reuniting to bring Danity Kane back. Woods was not invited to return. 

But the comeback only lasted a year. While Danity Kane had a successful tour and mass excitement from original and new fans, Fimbres left the group to get married and start a family, causing the three remaining ladies to brand themselves as “DK3.” However, interpersonal issues came up again, which resulted to a physical altercation in a recording studio between O’Day and Richard. Although their third album "DK3" was released to good reviews, Danity Kane officially ended. 

However, Bex and O’Day decided to continue being partners and making music together. With that, the alternative pop duo “dumblonde” emerged. After a year of red-carpet appearances, interviews, and music snippets released on Instagram, their self-titled debut album was released on September 25.

Is it different than Danity Kane? Yes.

After hearing this album, do I wish Danity Kane were still together? Sadly, yes. 

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There are ten songs on the album, but majority of them aren't very relevant. “you got me” is the standout song from the album. It’s very hip and has a 70’s disco vibe. The melody between O’Day and Bex’s voices is good and consistent, and it is a song that I would actually dance to at a party. “yellow canary” is another knockout one, as it has a club-beat and reminds me of a toned down version of “Show Stopper." However, most of the songs are very high-pitched and don’t have as much singing as I expected, as the instrumentals are extremely overpowering. Overall, these songs are a far cry from Bex and O’Day’s DK days. 

O’Day and Bex have announced that the album will be a visual one, but they have only released four music videos – “dreamsicle”, "white lightning", "carry on", and “tender green life.” In that, their visual album dream has already failed because it’s not a visual album – they still have six music videos to go! Beyonce’s self-titled album was a visual album because when the album was released, all the music videos were included on it. By not having all the music videos ready to go and packaged with the music on the album, dumblonde has not delivered. 

Do I think their venture as dumblonde will last? Probably not, based on the little buzz they’ve been receiving and the mourning that DK fans are still in. Bex and O’Day are a double-threat in that they can sing well on a record and live, as well as dance live and in music videos. However, they have two different personalities that aren’t evenly matched. Bex is seen as being the more submissive and reserved one of the two, whereas O’Day’s big mouth and personality, as well as raunchy behavior and style of dressing has sparked controversy. dumblonde feels like the Aubrey O’Day Show feat. Shannon Bex – someone is going to overpower the other, and that is clearly Aubrey. I can conclude that while this is a unique effort and new look for the two, they probably won’t be able to outshine their Danity Kane reputation. 

Reach Staff Reporter Adrianne Ramsey here