AzMarie Livingston Biography

Ashley Marie "AzMarie" Livingston (born December 28, 1986) is an American fashion model, actress and singer who rose to fame after appearing on America's Next Top Model: British Invasion in 2012. Livingston was cast to play the role of Chicken on the Fox show Empire.

Early life

Livingston was born Ashley Marie Livingston in California's San Fernando Valley and raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. According to Livingston, the name "AzMarie" is an amalgam of her first and middle names, and she took the "Az". Livingston was raised primarily by her single mother; and her father was a very proud, extremely flamboyant, homosexual and Livingston describes the relationship between her parents as them being "best friends", more specifically BFFs.

As a young child, she moved to the Milwaukee, Wisconsin area, where she later attended Nicolet High School. At age nine, Livingston began an interest in modeling after traveling with her father on vacation to Los Angeles, California, but according to Livingston, "I took a break when I was younger because it didn't pick up as much. I wanted to have a childhood." After graduating high school, Livingston attended the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater before dropping out after three semesters and moving to Los Angeles to further her career.

Career

Modeling

Livingston began her career as a runway model in Los Angeles and New York City. From 2009 to 2011, she appeared in many different magazines and participated in several fashion shows, including London Fashion Week and BET's Rip the Runway.

America's Next Top Model

In 2012, Livingston first came into the public eye as a participant in The CW program America's Next Top Model: British Invasion. She was noted for her tattoos and androgynous look. Despite her initial strength in the competition, including two first callouts, Livingston was eliminated in the sixth episode after her refusal to partake in the week's challenge. She placed ninth overall.

Acting

Livingston is currently a recurring character on Fox Network's new hit show Empire as Chicken, Hakeem's best friend and DJ. In 2009, Livingston appeared in the award-winning film Precious. In 2010, she went on to appear on the television shows The Real Housewives of New York City and The Jacksons: A Family Dynasty. After her stint on Top Model, Livingston acquired a role on the gay television series, DTLA, which airs on OUTtv and Logo. Working alongside actresses Melanie Griffith and Sandra Bernhard, Livingston plays the role of Ricki, who is Griffith's girlfriend on the show. Of her breakthrough role, Livingston says, "Being a rookie with all-stars made me a little nervous, but I don't think I showed it."

Music

Before embarking on her own solo career, Livingston started out as an extra in several music videos, including Kelly Rowland's "Motivation" and Nicki Minaj's "Moment 4 Life". As of 2012, she is reportedly working on an album; her debut single "Morning Guarantee" was released in December 2012. On August 31, 2014 Livingston released her debut EP on SoundCloud titled HipPopMelodicPoetry. She is presently recording a new EP to be released in 2015 . Her new single "We Hot" was released in 2015.

Filmography

Film

• Precious (2009)

Television

• The Real Housewives of New York City (2010)
• The Jacksons: A Family Dynasty (2010)
• America's Next Top Model: British Invasion (2012)
• DTLA (2012)
• Empire (2015)

Discography

Extended plays

Year	Title	Chart Positions			Certifications
		U.S.	U.K.	U.S. R&B
2014	HipPopMelodicPoetry Released: August 31, 2014 Label: Independent	-	-	-

Singles

• 2012: Morning Guarantee
• 2015: We Hot

Music videos

List of music videos

Title	Year	Director(s)
"Motivation"	2011	Sarah Chatfield
"Moment 4 Life"		Chris Robinson
"Morning Guarantee"	2012	Hey Lady