The female vocal quartet
En Vogue was conceived and put together by the production team of
Denzil Foster and
Thomas Mcelroy, both former members of
Club Nouveau.
Foster and
Mcelroy wanted a vocal group who could exude sultriness and intelligence in addition to vocal proficiency, and as producers, they wanted material that would fuse R&B and girl group traditions with hip-hop and new jack swing rhythms. The two held auditions and settled on a membership of former Miss Black California
Cindy Herron,
Maxine Jones,
Dawn Robinson, and
Terry Ellis. The new group performed two songs on
Foster and
Mcelroy's
Fm2 album, and the producers crafted an image of them as stylish, sophisticated, and sexy. Originally called For You, the women switched to the more elegant Vogue, and then
En Vogue after learning of another group with a very similar name.