POP MUSIC : 10 QUESTIONS : Dawn Robinson of EN VOGUE

En Vogue, a sizzling ‘90s update of the all-girl vocal groups of the ‘60s and ‘70s, began as pure contrivance--the creation of writer-producers Thomas McElroy and Denzil Foster. But when the duo held auditions three years ago in Oakland to select women to realize their ambitious hormonal and musical vision, they probably never imagined they would put together such a formidable unit.

As if born to sing and perform together, Dawn Robinson, Terry Ellis, Cindy Herron and Maxine Jones melded into a captivating mix of musical and star power. “Born to Sing,” the quartet’s 1990 album debut, spawned three No. 1 R&B; singles and garnered a Grammy nomination for best R&B; performance by a duo or group, as well as several other industry awards.

Boosted by canny videos that showcase the shapely and fashionable women out-vamping Parisian catwalk models, this year’s “Funky Divas” seems destined to do even better: three hit singles and still counting, as well as a current No. 19 spot on the Billboard pop album chart.

En Vogue is currently touring, generating glowing reviews that salute both the group’s talent and its lush stage production. En Vogue will be at the Universal Amphitheatre on Saturday for shows at 7 and 11 p.m. and at the Celebrity Theatre in Anaheim for two shows next Sunday. In an interview, Robinson, 23, spoke about the group’s sexy image and its musical independence.

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Question: Since McElroy and Foster put En Vogue together from auditions, did you ever worry about people taking the group seriously? Were you afraid of being perceived as puppets?

Answer: Denny and Tommy didn’t want puppets. They wanted women with a strong sense of self . . . women who were very independent, and that’s what they got when they found us. We were all singers way before we got in the group, and now we handle all our business. The only thing Denny and Tommy do is write our songs and produce the records. We have a big say-so in everything else . . . our look, our photos, what we do with the public, interviews and the like.

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Q: You’re often called a ‘90s version of the Supremes. Does the comparison bother you?

A: The Supremes were fabulous. I love them. Hopefully, people who compare us are thinking that we’ll have the same kind of longevity and become classics. But one difference, I think, is that we’re more in control of our career than perhaps the Supremes were.

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Q: What do you think you’ve added to the girl-group tradition?

A: One big difference to me between us and the early girl groups and women in general is that women today have much more power. I think there’s a sense of independence in what we do . . . plus (the matter of) getting along together, not being catty toward each other. We’re also showing that women can (accomplish something). We really believed in ourselves and our dreams to be singers.

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Q: Was the compatibility you talk about an accident, or do you think McElroy and Foster were conscious of that when auditioning for the group?

A: They (most definitely) were looking to see how we got along. It’s interesting because they interviewed us individually. I didn’t know when they auditioned me if it was for a duo or a quartet or a (solo) thing. But we all got along right away. I remember we sat in a car and talked, and taught each other how to sing the song we auditioned with. It was really cool. It wasn’t competitive, as I expected it would be.

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Q: How do you handle dissension--something that’s disrupted so many other groups?

A: At the audition, I figured if I didn’t make the group, I would at least have new friends. That’s how it’s been all along. We have a lot of respect for each other. I’m the youngest, and I’ve had to learn to not be so feisty and to pray about a lot of things. Maxine is very down to earth, and Cindy and Terry too.

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Q: Is there ever any tension over individual roles in the group . . . over who gets the most attention?

A: Everyone has her space. Singing background in this group is as hard and as intricate as singing lead. You’re not out of the limelight just because you’re singing background. Of course, we have ups and downs, but we can always talk and work it out. Nothing is so important that you want to break up the group. God is really blessing us, so we don’t want to jeopardize this. We keep each other in check.

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Q: The sexy image and teasing lyrics seem to be part of your appeal. Is it natural or calculated?

A: Every woman has a part of her that wants to dress up and do the makeup thing and have her photo taken. It’s a wonderful feeling to have everyone paying attention to you. So it’s natural in that sense, but it’s actually hard sometimes. I came off the tour bus maybe 20 minutes ago and I was thinking, “Oh, God! I’ve got to put on a hat. I can’t get off with my hair blowing all over my head and no makeup on.”

So it’s kind of become a burden as well as a blessing. But I can’t complain, because I know it’s part of the business. We saw Chaka Khan in the mall and she had her whole gig on--not extreme, but she looked presentable, and that’s what you have to do.

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Q: Do you think you’re reinforcing sexist attitudes?

A: I figure men are attracted to women and vice versa, so we’re just (showing) men what we have. Thank God we have the bodies. . . . We work on that. But the sex appeal and the attraction are natural. I just believe in boy meets girl, and I don’t think there’s anything wrong with it.

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Q: But don’t you get criticized for being too suggestive?

A: My mother read an article to me over the phone saying that the Muslims are upset because those dresses in our “Giving Him Something He Can Feel” video were barely on us. My (reaction is) . . . if you have it, fine, show it. There’s so many different ways to look at life, and they just have theirs.

Why didn’t they say we’re four black women who are doing so well with our lives and, yes, we look good? The only point I did agree with had to do with the gentleman (in the video) who takes off his wedding ring and puts it in his pocket. If it was up to us, I think we would have thought more about that. But we didn’t really look at that, because we were so excited to get the video done. People look at all those things, though, and we have to really be careful and respect that. We can’t always just be ourselves. We have to think things out.

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Q: Your latest single, “Free Your Mind,” contains a powerful social message and is much more rock-oriented than the R&B; style that you’re associated with. How did that come about?

A: The point is it’s not just up to white people to do rock or black people to do R&B; and soul. We’re supposed to be about soul and glamour. That’s us, but I (also) grew up listening to rock. I wasn’t sure how people would accept the record, but they grabbed that song when it first hit. I’m amazed, because we’re black, we’re women, but we’re doing a rock song and people are accepting it.

To us, being able to do songs like this--songs that are supposedly out of our territory--is one of the good things about this business. There really are a lot of good things about this business, despite the schmoozing and rubbing elbows with people you really don’t want to be with.

In interviews, we get a lot of room to say whatever we want and get our points across. It’s not just being in a group and singing a part and wearing tight dresses. It’s being independent, strong, and self-reliant. It’s not letting people walk all over you.