ZHANE : Hey, Mr. Deejay, Don’t Pigeonhole Them

If you want to see Renee Neufville and Jean Norris--the vocal duo Zhane--do a slow burn, call them terrific dance-music artists and predict they’ll have more dance-oriented hits like the Top 5 “Hey Mr. D.J.”

“We’re not dance-music artists,” Neufville insists.

As evidence, she offers their debut album, “Pronounced Jah-Nay.” “There’s a variety of material on it--R&B;, jazz and some hip-hop,” she says. “Also, we write our own material, we can really sing and we’re schooled in music--Jean even majored in music in college. For us, dance music is a steppingstone to something bigger.”

So how do they explain their current single, “Groove Thang”--another danceable tune?

“There had to be a transition song,” Norris says. “It was written for the fans who expect the same kind of song as ‘Mr. D.J.’ ”

Norris, who’s from Moorestown, N.J., and Brooklyn native Neufville--both 23--met as freshmen at Philadelphia’s Temple University. While working on their degrees (both graduated last year) they moonlighted as performers and looked for a record deal. By 1991, their biggest credit was singing background on the DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince single “Ring My Bell.” Says Neufville: “It was fun but it didn’t really lead to anything.”

What did lead to something was landing “Hey Mr. D.J.” on last year’s compilation album “Roll Wit’ Tha Flava.” The song was eventually released as a single, and its success generated a bidding war for Zhane (a blend of the pair’s first names), which Motown won. Explaining why the label signed the duo, label President and CEO Jheryl Busby says: “They’re excellent songwriters and singers, and they’re in the tradition of the great Motown acts.”

“Everybody wants to be taken seriously,” Neufville says. “Everybody wants respect and nobody wants to be pigeonholed or regarded as limited--certainly not with your first hit. We’re well-rounded artists. Some of the dance artists are here today and gone tomorrow. That’s not us.”