The legendary group En Vogue will guest star on an episode of “Empire,” reports Variety. The episode will also be Taraji P. Henson’s directorial debut.
En Vogue, which is comprised of Cindy Herron-Braggs, Terry Ellis and Rhona Bennett, will play themselves on the show. Cookie (played by Henson) books the group to be musical guests on her talk show “Tea Talk.” The episode will be titled “Come Undone,” which is named after an En Vogue song.
“We’ve been fans of “Empire” from its inception,” Ellis tells Variety. “We love the infusion of performance and soundtracks — that’s been a great launching pad for upcoming artists. Being on set with Taraji brought back memories of how far we’ve come.”
Herron-Braggs compared Cookie to Sylvia Rhone, the Epic Records Chairman & CEO who was one of the leading female executives in the music business. Rhone helped En Vogue get to superstar status as she headed Elektra Records in the 90s.
“We were fortunate to have someone like Cookie — Sylvia Rhone — who personally was committed to every aspect of our career from A&R, artist development and imaging,” she said. “That’s been the cornerstone of our 30 years in the industry.”
En Vogue formed out of the Bay Area in 1989 and originally comprised of Herron, Ellis, Maxine Jones, and Dawn Robinson. Over the years, the all-female group released hits like “Hold On,” “Giving Him Something He Can Feel,” “Free Your Mind,” “Whatta Man,” and “Don’t Let Go (Love).”
The final 10 episodes of “Empire” will return starting Mar. 3, with Henson’s directorial debut airing on Mar. 17. The cast of “Empire” includes the aforementioned Henson, Terrence Howard, Trai Byers, Bryshere “Yazz” Gray, Serayah McNeill, Gabourey Sidibe, Ta’Rhonda Jones, Wood Harris, Meta Golding, Katlynn Simone, Rhyon Nicole Brown, Nicole Ari Parker, A.Z. Kelsey, Vivica A. Fox, and Mario.