See a Young Erika Jayne Performing Years Before RHOBH or Her Las Vegas Residency
The woman behind Bet It All on Blonde knows that once you're a star, you're always a star.
There's this thing called "star power" and, when you see it, you know it. Fans have seen it in Erika Jayne since she first burst onto The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills scene in 2015.
But Erika was a star long before she first landed on RHOBH. Her first single, "Roller Coaster," was released in January 2007, placing at Number 1 on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart. Two and a half years later, she released her debut album, Pretty Mess.
Before that, she was a go-go dancer in New Jersey. During Season 10, she brought her fellow cast members to the club, Shakers, where she had worked as a young woman and curated her stage presence
"Well, it’s 30 years later, so it’s many lifetimes. I think it’s interesting when you find out things about people," she told The Daily Dish in April 2020. "But taking them there, and actually smelling and seeing and feeling the place is a whole ‘nother experience and, you know? I’m happy to have done it and I’m happy it’s over and you know, it’s a story. You know? It’s one of those stories that you can tell about your life."
Ready to dig a little deeper into the performances that led Erika to her Las Vegas residency at the House of Blues inside Mandalay Bay, featured on Bravo's Bet It All on Blonde documentary. Keep scrolling to see photos of Erika performing over the years.
Young Erika Jayne strikes a pose
Erika was born on July 10, 1971 in Atlanta, Georgia to single mom Renee, a classically trained pianist and piano teacher.
“You know, one of my special childhood memories is waking up on the weekend and listening to my mother playing [piano] downstairs,” Erika told AceShowbiz in 2009. During Season 13, Episode 5, Renee came to visit Erika.
"My mother and I are very close — in age. And a lot of times growing up, she felt like a sibling instead of a parent," Erika recalled in the episode while detailing their complex relationship. "We had a good f-cking time, she and I. I would sneak around and go clubbing with her and her friends. I would have a drink. I was living like I was 20 and I was 14, 15."
Young Erika Jayne in Costume
Here, an elementary school-aged Erika is showing off a dance recital costume. She did not reveal what song the routine was set to, however the "PAINKILLR" singer previously told Billboard that her early musical influences included Michael Jackson, Madonna, and Prince.
Young Erika Jayne Dancing
Though she participated in more age-appropriate dance recitals as a teenager, as seen here, Erika's signature dance move today is "pat the puss." During BravoCon 2023, she and her creative director Mikey Minden taught fans how to perfect the dance move during a "Pat the Puss with Erika Jayne" panel.
"When we're in rehearsals, you're hyping each other up, you're getting that best performance out ... I had never heard that before in my life. I was like, what are you talking about? And here we are 10 years later" explained Erika about the move's origins.
Young Erika Jayne in a Kimono
Next to her dancing and vocal chops, Erika's major fashion choices have always added to the allure of her performances. During Season 7, she took Bravo backstage to show off some of her work-in-progress costumes.
Erika Jayne in a Pixie Cut
Like so many pop stars, Erika Jayne wasn't always this blonde — and her name wasn't always Erika Jayne, either. She was actually born Erika Chahoy and wrote in her memoir, Pretty Mess, that she changed her moniker after music producer Peter Rafelson suggested she swap to "Jayne."
As for the blonde, its been a lifelong process to keep the platinum color up.
“Blonde is hard because it’s all about who does your color,” Erika told the Lookbook in August 2017. “One person does my color. And when you find that person that works for you, stay there. It’s when you start moving around, and you have too many people on your head that your hair starts to break, and your color starts to look crazy.”
