Hundreds of contestants vied for a spot in Diddy's girl group on MTV's smash reality series "Making the Band 3," and now the show's five victors - Dawn, Aubrey, D. Woods, Shannon and Aundrea - under the name Danity Kane, are preparing to take their musical partnership to the next level.The group's eponymous debut album for Diddy's label, Bad Boy Records, is an intoxicating mix of sexy R&B, hip-hop and pop that showcases the quintet's flawless vocal talent and passion. It also boasts contributions from such top producers as Timbaland (Missy Elliott, Nelly Furtado, Aaliyah), Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins (Mary J. Blige, Mariah Carey), Mario Winans (P. Diddy, Destiny's Child, The Notorious B.I.G.), Jim Jonsin (Twista, Jamie Foxx, Trina), Bryan-Michael Cox (Usher, Mariah Carey, Toni Braxton), Rami (*NSYNC, the Veronicas) and Ryan Leslie (Britney Spears, Tha Dogg Pound).
Diddy is the album's Executive Producer, with Bad Boy Executive VP Harve Pierre serving as Co-Executive Producer. The group's sleek, Jonsin-produced lead single, "Show Stopper," featuring Yung Joc, received tens of thousands of plays on MySpace.com (where Danity Kane has cultivated throngs of admirers) long before being delivered to radio. Other standout tracks on the disc include the upbeat "One Shot," produced by Cox, and the smoldering, Timbaland-helmed R&B cut "Right Now."
Collectively, the quintet possesses a notable breadth of talent and experience in vocal performance, dance, songwriting, acting, visual art and more. And though viewers of MTV's "Making the Band" are well aware of the differences in their personalities, it's clear that they've emerged as a unit - playing to their strengths and encouraging one another to grow. Danity Kane takes its name from a female anime superhero conceived by Dawn, whose skills as an illustrator caught Diddy's eye. The impresario was so taken with the character's beguiling handle that he selected it for the group, deciding it captured their vibrant appeal - and would represent them not merely as superstars but as a band of heroines.
