Get ready for the next big drama. “R&B Divas” has packed up and headed to L.A. with Chante Moore, Kelly Price, Claudette Ortiz, Dawn Robinson, Lil’ Mo and Michel’le on board. If you thought the divas in Atlanta were a messy bunch, well this crew should set a higher bar. Price is the only one with a long-term marriage, Moore, Ortiz, Li’l Mo have been married and divorced and in some cases, married again. Ortiz, part of the 90′s trio City High, dated both male members of the group and one of then showed up on “Intervention.” Michel’le has children by both Dr. Dre AND Suge Knight. Dawn Robinson left EnVogue after a financial dispute. Li’l Moe has 500 tattoos (OK, we kid, but maybe 50 is accurate) and several children. Price was once morbidly obese. Moore has a baby with Kadeem Hardison and her ex-husband Kenny Lattimore who is suing her for custody as the season begins. Is that enough drama for you?
Moore says that despite all that, the show was primarily based around the singer’s shared love of music.
“It’s about music. I love that we all have an opportunity to really recreate ourselves on the show,” Moore told the Tom Joyner Morning Show. I like it that we all have history that it makes sense that we do something together since we all have music in common. That’s what it was about. They didn’t say ‘Can we follow you around your kitchen for nine weeks.’ They said ‘Come and let’s talk about music and who you are as an artist and what you can do as a group to make something else, something new. That’s what I was excited about.”
Okay, but what about the usual diva dustups that characterize these kinds of shows? The supertrailer has already identified Price as the “Nicci Gilbert” of this incarnation of “Divas” something that anyone in the industry who’s worked with her can likely attest to. Ortiz, the youngest of the group, looking to be falling into Keke Wyatt’s footsteps.
“We have six Type A personalities in one room,” Moore says. ”We had to learn how to have a conversation without interrupting. I didn’t hit a single person.” But did she want to?
“I can honestly say that I kinda did, yes.”
Moore who releases her latest recording “Moore is More,” this month says the show afforded an opportunity to fans to get to know the artists they only know superficially.
“What’s good about it is that you get to know us a little bit more than you would in 45 minutes singing a song onstage. You can’t stop and talk about your life. You can’t get under the surface. Everyone will get to know us more personally. That’s the best part for me that it will be more of a personal relationship with the people that don’t get a chance to see us.”
After two high-profile relationships, Moore, whose big hit “Chante’s Got a Man” talked about the joys of having a good man in your life, is currently single. After two high profile relationships with actor Kadeem Hardison and singer Kenny Latimore, she says she’s available. For dating but not much else.
“I enjoy dating. I’ve been on a couple of dates. It’s nice. But I want to keep on dating. Date me to death, but don’t even think about asking me anything.”
“R&B Divas” premieres tonight at 9 p.m. on TV One.
