Margo Elaine Simms, known professionally as Margeaux (), is a Canadian singer, songwriter, fashion designer and television personality. She appeared on the
VH1
VH1 (originally an initialism of Video Hits One) is an American basic cable television network based in New York City and owned by Paramount Global. It was created by Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment, at the time a division of Warner Commun ...
reality television series ''
Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta''. Born in
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most pop ...
, Canada, she first pursued her music career in 2004. While attending
Ryerson University
Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU or Toronto Met) is a public university, public research university located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The university's core campus is situated within the Garden District, Toronto, Garden District, although i ...
, where she studied
fashion design
Fashion design is the art of applying design, aesthetics, clothing construction and natural beauty to clothing and its accessories. It is influenced by culture and different trends, and has varied over time and place. "A fashion designer creates c ...
, Margeaux first started singing mostly on hip hop tracks. In 2005, she moved to
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...
to become a fashion designer, but soon decided to start a career as a professional musician. She formed the group Test Drive with Nikko London and together they worked with producers such as
Timbaland
Timothy Zachery Mosley (born March 10, 1972), known professionally as Timbaland, is an American record producer, rapper, singer, songwriter, and record executive. He has received widespread acclaim for his innovative production work and distinc ...
,
Danja and
The Runners along with
DJ Khaled
Khaled Mohammed Khaled (born November 26, 1975), known professionally as DJ Khaled, is an American DJ, record executive, record producer and rapper.
Khaled first gained recognition as a radio host in the 1990s on the radio station 99 Jamz, a ...
.
After an unsuccessful record deal with
Universal, Margeaux moved to
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wor ...
and began working on her solo material. She released her debut EP, ''Animal House'', in 2010 under the name Margo. She went on to work on various music projects including the
dubstep
Dubstep is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in South London in the early 2000s. The style emerged as a UK garage offshoot that blended 2-step rhythms and sparse dub production, as well as incorporating elements of broken be ...
duo Invaderz, with Nikko London and joining the band Roma!, after her return to New York City. In 2015, Margeaux joined the cast of ''Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta''.
Early life
Margeaux was born Margo Elaine Simms in
Toronto, Ontario
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
, Canada. She is of
Jamaican descent. Her father was a
chemist
A chemist (from Greek ''chēm(ía)'' alchemy; replacing ''chymist'' from Medieval Latin ''alchemist'') is a scientist trained in the study of chemistry. Chemists study the composition of matter and its properties. Chemists carefully describe ...
and he died when Margeaux was 24 years old.
She has two sisters, Carla and Roxy.
Career
2005–09: Career beginnings and Test Drive
Margeaux first started writing songs at the age of 14. She later enrolled at the
Ryerson University
Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU or Toronto Met) is a public university, public research university located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The university's core campus is situated within the Garden District, Toronto, Garden District, although i ...
in Toronto where she studied
fashion design
Fashion design is the art of applying design, aesthetics, clothing construction and natural beauty to clothing and its accessories. It is influenced by culture and different trends, and has varied over time and place. "A fashion designer creates c ...
. After finishing college, she moved to
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...
,
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
to pursue her career as a
fashion designer
Fashion is a form of self-expression and autonomy at a particular period and place and in a specific context, of clothing, footwear, lifestyle, accessories, makeup, hairstyle, and body posture. The term implies a look defined by the fashi ...
. She
interned
Internment is the imprisonment of people, commonly in large groups, without charges or intent to file charges. The term is especially used for the confinement "of enemy citizens in wartime or of terrorism suspects". Thus, while it can simpl ...
with the designer
Betsey Johnson but soon decided she wanted to become a professional musician and put together the group Test Drive.
[ They worked with producers such as ]Timbaland
Timothy Zachery Mosley (born March 10, 1972), known professionally as Timbaland, is an American record producer, rapper, singer, songwriter, and record executive. He has received widespread acclaim for his innovative production work and distinc ...
, Danja and The Runners along with DJ Khaled
Khaled Mohammed Khaled (born November 26, 1975), known professionally as DJ Khaled, is an American DJ, record executive, record producer and rapper.
Khaled first gained recognition as a radio host in the 1990s on the radio station 99 Jamz, a ...
.
2010–13: ''Animal House'', Invaderz and Roma!
Margeaux released her debut EP, Animal House, in September 2010 and announced that she was working on a full-length album called ''Gunpowder''. On November 2, she released the song " Walking In L.A." – a cover version
In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song relea ...
of Missing Persons' song of the same name, accompanied by a music video. In 2011, Margeaux started working on a new project with Nikko London, called Invaderz. The duo released their dubstep
Dubstep is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in South London in the early 2000s. The style emerged as a UK garage offshoot that blended 2-step rhythms and sparse dub production, as well as incorporating elements of broken be ...
mixtape ''Just Landed'' on September 19.
In 2012, Margeaux moved back to New York City and in August, she joined the rock band Roma! under the stage name "Bomba!". However, she departed from the band by the end of the year. Around the same time, she started working at the nightclub and concert venue Webster Hall
Webster Hall is a nightclub and concert venue located at 125 East 11th Street, between Third and Fourth Avenues, near Astor Place, in the East Village of Manhattan, New York City. It is one of New York City's most historically significan ...
as a bartender
A bartender (also known as a barkeep, barman, barmaid, or a mixologist) is a person who formulates and serves alcoholic or soft drink beverages behind the bar, usually in a licensed establishment as well as in restaurants and nightclubs, but ...
.
2014–present: ''Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta'' and ''Black Cocaine''
In January 2014, she appeared in an episode of an online docu-series ''Second Skin'' for the website StyleLikeU. In April 2015, it was announced that Margeaux would appear on the fourth season of the VH1
VH1 (originally an initialism of Video Hits One) is an American basic cable television network based in New York City and owned by Paramount Global. It was created by Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment, at the time a division of Warner Commun ...
reality television series '' Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta'' alongside her husband Nikko London. His sex tape
Amateur pornography is a category of pornography that features models, actors or non-professionals performing without pay, or actors for whom this material is not their only paid modeling work. Reality pornography is made porn that seeks to em ...
with Mimi Faust was the main subject of the season. That same year, she released her single "Start a War", which she also performed on the show. In September, Margeaux announced that her EP, ''Yellow Dirty Rose
Margo Elaine Simms, known professionally as Margeaux (), is a Canadian singer, songwriter, fashion designer and television personality. She appeared on the VH1 reality television series '' Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta''. Born in Toronto, Canada, she ...
'', would be released later that month.
On June 15, 2017, Margeaux released a music video for "Bad Chick" as the lead single from her upcoming EP '' Black Cocaine'' (2017) scheduled to be released on June 23.
Other ventures
Fashion
Besides her music career, Margeaux has her own creative brand ''House of Margeaux'' which consists of a clothing line and hand painted skateboard
A skateboard is a type of sports equipment used for skateboarding. They are usually made of a specially designed 7-8 ply maple plywood deck and polyurethane wheels attached to the underside by a pair of skateboarding trucks.
The skateboar ...
line called Tokiebow. "House of Margeaux, HOFM, actually started out as merchandising
Merchandising is any practice which contributes to the sale of products to a retail consumer. At a retail in-store level, merchandising refers to displaying products that are for sale in a creative way that entices customers to purchase more ...
for the music. I really wanted it to be just cool stuff for girls and guys, unisex
Unisex is an adjective indicating something is not sex-specific, i.e. is suitable for any type of sex. The term can also mean gender-blindness or gender neutrality.
The term 'unisex' was coined as a neologism in the 1960s and was used fairly info ...
, that people really wanted to wear; not just come to my show and then it's like my face and my name is there. I wanted it to be something separate from me but part of everything artistic that I do. I studied design so I really wanted to do really cool merchandise stuff that people wanted to rock all the time. And House of Margeaux is this creative place that has all these different rooms of things that I create. Like House of Margeaux HOFM is like the gear in one room and then the other room is Tokiebow, this character that I created. He rides a skateboard so I started hand painting skateboards and he's a vinyl robot toy, he's a comic book, T-shirts and hats. And then the other room is music. So House of Margeaux is just this creative hub where everything that I do lives and exists and collides together."
Personal life
Margeaux married her boyfriend and long-time music collaborator, Nikko London, in 2007. In August 2014, it was announced that she had been secretly married to London.
Discography
* ''Animal House'' (2010)
* '' Black Cocaine'' (2017)
Filmography
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Margeaux
Living people
1984 births
21st-century Canadian women singers
Alternative hip hop musicians
Canadian electronic musicians
Canadian fashion designers
Canadian women guitarists
Canadian women singer-songwriters
Canadian singer-songwriters
Canadian hip hop singers
Canadian people of Jamaican descent
Canadian pop guitarists
Canadian rock guitarists
Canadian women songwriters
Feminist musicians
Canadian LGBT rights activists
Musicians from Toronto
Toronto Metropolitan University alumni
Singers from New York City
Songwriters from New York (state)
Synth-pop singers
Canadian women in electronic music
Canadian women pop singers
Participants in American reality television series
Guitarists from New York City
21st-century American women singers
21st-century American women guitarists
21st-century American guitarists
21st-century American singers
Canadian women fashion designers