Editing En Vogue (section)

===1994–1998: The departure of Robinson and ''EV3''===
In 1995, En Vogue was among numerous African American female vocalists featured on the song "[[Freedom (Theme from Panther)|Freedom]]" for the soundtrack to [[Mario Van Peebles]]'s film ''[[Panther (film)|Panther]]'' (1995).<ref name="Vibe">{{cite journal|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YCwEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA132|title=Single File|journal=[[Vibe (magazine)|Vibe]]|date=August 1995|page=132|access-date=March 12, 2018}}</ref> Also in 1995, while band members [[Cindy Herron]] and [[Maxine Jones]] went on maternity leave, Ellis recorded and released a solo album titled ''[[Southern Gal]]'', which spun off the top 10 R&B single "Where Ever You Are". The same year, the band made a cameo appearance in [[Joel Schumacher]]'s superhero film ''[[Batman Forever]]''.<ref name="Vibe"/> In 1996, En Vogue recorded "[[Don't Let Go (Love)]]" for the soundtrack to the motion picture ''[[Set It Off (film)|Set It Off]]''. Released as the soundtrack's lead single in the fall 1996, it became the group's biggest hit yet, selling over 1.8 million copies worldwide and becoming certified platinum by the [[RIAA]].<ref name="vibe1997">{{cite web|title=Holding On|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSPF0VG-zng| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211117/XSPF0VG-zng| archive-date=2021-11-17 | url-status=live|work=[[Vibe (magazine)|Vibe]]|date=1997-10-01|access-date=March 12, 2018}}{{cbignore}}</ref> In response to the large commercial success of "Don't Let Go (Love)", the group worked on their third studio album.<ref name="vibe1997"/> As the album was nearing completion, Robinson chose to leave the group in March 1997 after contractual negotiations reached a stalemate.<ref name="vibe1997"/> Despite Robinson's abrupt departure, Ellis, Herron, and Jones continued on as a trio.<ref name="vibe1997"/>

Following Robinson's departure from the group, the remaining trio re-recorded several of her original lead vocals for their forthcoming album ''[[EV3]]'', released in June 1997. A breakaway from previous projects, it marked En Vogue's first project to include a diverse roster of collaborators including credits from [[Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds|Babyface]], [[David Foster]], [[Diane Warren]], [[Andrea Martin (musician)|Andrea Martin]], and [[Ivan Matias]] along with regular contributors Foster and McElroy. Upon its release, ''EV3'' received mixed reviews from critics, many of whom praised the band's vocal performances but were critical with overall production of the album. In the U.S., it debuted at number eight on both ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]''{{'}}s [[Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums]] chart and the [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]] with sales of 76,500 units, the band's highest first-week numbers.<ref name="bb1">{{cite web|first=Datu|last=Faison|title=Rhythm Section|publisher=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iQ4EAAAAMBAJ&q=%22EV3%22+%22EN+VOGUE%22&pg=PA20|date=1997-07-05|access-date=March 12, 2018}}</ref> Two further singles released from the album, "[[Whatever (En Vogue song)|Whatever]]" and "[[Too Gone, Too Long]]", entered the top 20 and top 40 the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, respectively.<ref name="bb1"/>

In 1998, En Vogue recorded the song "[[No Fool No More]]" for the soundtrack to the film ''[[Why Do Fools Fall in Love (film)|Why Do Fools Fall in Love]]'' (1998). A top 40 entry on the [[New Zealand Singles Chart]], it was later included on the band's first compilation album ''[[Best of En Vogue]]'', released in June 1999. A moderate success, the album reached the top 40 in Austria and the United Kingdom.