RichGirl makes perfect sense as an opener for Beyoncé’s “I Am ... ” tour.

The all-female pop/R&B vocal quartet was put together by writer-producer Rich Harrison, who wrote Beyoncé’s “Crazy in Love” and acknowledges that the singer’s former group, Destiny’s Child, was one of RichGirl’s primary models. And some of the other producers and writers working on material for the group’s September debut album also have Beyoncé credits on their résumés.

But Harrison says he had nothing to do with getting RichGirl on the tour.

“B just reached out to them,” he notes. “She loved the girls and loved the songs and got in touch with management and was totally on them. It’s something I’m grateful for, but it’s totally on B. She didn’t have to do that.”

The four RichGirls, who have had success with the singles “24s” and “He Ain’t With Me Now (Tho),” are finding the whole experience — including opening the tour at New York’s famed Madison Square Garden — “surreal” according to the group’s Audra Simmons. But they also view it as an invaluable opportunity.

“We stay and watch the shows afterwards,” Simmons, 23, explains, “and we just take notes ’cause she’s Queen B, y’know? We study and we watch, and hopefully, we pick something up to make our show better the next day.

“(Beyoncé) came and said hi to us, and all her background singers and dancers have been so sweet and the crowd seems to be receiving us. If we can just win some of her fans over, that’s all we can ask for.”



RichGirl performs with Beyoncé at 7:30 p.m. Saturday (July 18) at the Palace, Lapeer Road at I-75, Auburn Hills. Tickets are $20.75-$110.75. Call (248) 377-0100 or visit www.palacenet.com.