Exclusive Interview with Margeaux Jordan – formally signed by Island Def Jam
Exposed Vocals: How did you hear about Exposed Vocals? What made you decide to sign up?
Margeaux Jordan: I was browsing Twitter and noticed that one of my friends in the music industry followed you guys. It’s nice to know your site exists with the sole mission of providing real-world exposure for unsigned artists! I used to be signed to Mercury/Island Def Jam with a girl group… and now that I’m ready to launch my career as a solo artist. I thought Exposed Vocals would be an awesome platform to connect with! 🙂
Exposed Vocals: So tell us your story. Where did you grow up? What made you decide to become an artist?
Margeaux Jordan: I’m from the Sunshine State, in the melting pot we call South Florida. It’s filled with such diversity, and so many creative outlets. I’ve always been a performer. I started dancing when I was three years old, and would always put on plays for my relatives when they came over for dinner.
It wasn’t until fifth grade that I discovered my love for singing and hip hop! I’d competed in regional and national dance competitions in all subjects from ballet to contemporary… but pop music always had me moving. Then, my music teacher heard me singing a few scales and encouraged me to try out for ‘The Sound of Music.’ Petrified, I auditioned… and landed the part of Maria!
From there it was kind of a domino effect. I went on to join this amazing travel performance company based out of Miami, in which I was discovered two times, and asked to be part of girl groups for a small label out of Atlantic Records, then eventually landing a contract with Mercury/Island Def Jam with second girl group Velvet Angels.
Three incredible years later, and having worked with L.A. Reid, David Massey, and some of the best producers including Rodney Jerkins, J.R. Rotem, Lindy Robbins, Cutfather and J.J., Brian Kennedy and more, the group unfortunately lost momentum and various reasons caused it to come to an end. But that didn’t stop me! I went on to finish my education at the University of Florida and continued perfecting my craft and sound. And now, I’m ready to launch :)!
Exposed Vocals: How did you come up with that name? What was your inspiration behind it?
Margeaux Jordan: I go by Margeaux Jordan… 🙂 That is my birth name after all! It’s also the same initials as one of my biggest inspirations, Michael Jackson!
Exposed Vocals: What do you think about online music sharing? Do you ever give your music away for free? Why?
Margeaux Jordan: Share the love… LEGALLY! Music is so beautiful and universal, it SHOULD be shared. There are so many fabulous platforms including radio, Spotify, YouTube, 8Tracks, Pandora, SoundCloud, iTunes Radio, Exposed Vocals, you name it, where you can share your music… or ‘stream’ it, really.
At this point, my music is up for download on iTunes, CDBaby, and Amazon. But, I often do promotions where I’ll give away my tracks for free for excited fans! What’s important to me is getting my music to people who want to feel something… be moved, or inspired, and DANCE.
Exposed Vocals: Since everyone was a start-up once, can you give any smaller or local bands or artists looking to get gigs and airplay some tips?
Margeaux Jordan: Be EVERYWHERE! I’m on Instagram, Twitter, SoundCloud, YouTube, ReverbNation, LinkedIn, Google+, Pinterest…literally all over the place. It’s a LOT of maintenance, but it’s fun! Don’t be bashful about promoting yourself at first. I was weirded out at first posting so many things about myself. But ultimately, the fans and those who follow you WANT to see what you’re doing. They WANT to support you and help you GROW and make your dreams come to life!
Margeaux Jordan: It’s also important to network, put yourself out there. Make those phone calls, and practice every day. I work on my live performance every day. Because I’m a dancer, it takes a lot of work to sing and dance simultaneously. Holy cardio! But prepare yourself and constantly improve. Someone will notice 🙂
Exposed Vocals: Do you ever make mistakes during performances? How do you handle that?
Margeaux Jordan: Heck yeah! I remember one time I was performing at BB Kings in Los Angeles at the Universal City Walk. It’s located indoors… and I went out to perform at noon. Want to know the first thing I said? “Hey!!!! How’s everybody doing TONIGHT!” …. and people didn’t even have lunch yet.
It happens. I’m also a perfectionist and can’t stand when I’m off pitch. But it’s tough to move a lot and stay on ALL the time! Can’t worry about it though… I’m all about putting on a GREAT show, and a visually appealing live performance. People can sense a lack of confidence. So roll with the punches, have fun, and they’ll have fun with you. Anyone who complains… let them! You’re still doing what you love!
Exposed Vocals: Do you tour? Anything interesting happen on tour that you think our readers would enjoy hearing about?
Margeaux Jordan: Not yet! I’m still working on my EP! I’ve got three original songs mixed and mastered… then I plan to do a road trip/radio tour across the U.S. in March. I’m pumped! It’s going to be outrageously fun, exhausting and inspiring. I’ve got to get my original music out.
Exposed Vocals: Where do you usually gather songwriting inspiration? What is your usual songwriting process?
Margeaux Jordan: I pull from all of my life experiences. From relationships, to successes and failures, to just fun experiences. Every single song I write ALWAYS has an uplifting, ‘I can’ type of chorus. I’m always writing poetry, and jotting down concepts. I often wake up in the middle of the night from a dream and I’ll roll on my side, plug the idea into my phone and go back to bed. Songwriting is one of my favorite things to do… there are so many elements.
This is the typical order… I’m constantly writing poetry, which is the foundation of my lyrics. Then, producers often send me tracks to work with. As soon as I hear the track, melodies start flying out of my mouth. I’ll put on my iPhone recorder and play the beat, recording myself humming all kinds of melodies over and over.
Then, once I feel I’ve exhausted that, I’ll listen back and take note of which melodies were catchy or appealing. Next, I’ll either write poetry from scratch (depending on the mood of the song), or go into my lyrics/poetry books/files and see what sticks. Slowly, I build the song, and sometimes will ask the producer to adjust the track to match the vocal performance. I’ll also sometimes hear different instruments or effects on vocals and ask the producer to make those adjustments as well. It’s so fun. Ah, I love it!
Margeaux Jordan: Exposed Vocals: Do you have a band website? What online platforms do you use to share your music?
I do! I actually built my own website. Whatcha think? It’s www.margeauxjordan.com . I’ve got links to ALL of my social networks on there. I’m on Instagram, Twitter, SoundCloud, YouTube, ReverbNation, LinkedIn, Google+, Pinterest, etc. Just Google ‘Margeaux Jordan’ and you’ll find me. 🙂 Thanks Mom and Dad for the interesting first name.
Exposed Vocals: What are some really embarrassing songs that we might find on your mp3 player?
Margeaux Jordan: Oh good one! I’m actually kind of proud of this, but I have the “Grease” medley… with every “Grease” song mashed together. It’s my favorite movie. Honestly, it’s also my dream to be in a film like that where I can utilize my singing, acting and dancing skills.
I also have Scatman John’s “I’m a Scat Man,” haha! My iTunes library has music from Beethoven, to the 60s and 70s, to today. I’m all over the place… all genres. Music is amazing.
Exposed Vocals: If you were given half a million dollars and a year off, what would you do? How would you spend it?
Margeaux Jordan: I’d take my family on a vacation. My parents, especially, work so darn hard, and they need a break. They need to see the world. After allocating a fair amount to memories and travel experiences, I would put some away into savings and stocks & bonds.
I’d also like to help resurrect a school for the arts… a place where young people can come together to create music and learn how to perform. Perhaps an online platform (virtual school) would be more financially viable. 🙂
Finally, I’d spend money on my music career. I’d love to make more music videos, tour, and grow my fan base. It takes a lot of resources to make it happen! But I’m SO ready for this.
Exposed Vocals: How do you find ways to promote your music? What works best for you?
Margeaux Jordan: Marketing and promotions is my thing! I actually graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of Florida in Public Relations. I really put a lot of time and energy into the communications/marketing field. It just takes TIME! I’m on all of the social media channels, and try to produce as much content as possible.
I’m now sending out my Electronic Press Kit to A&R’s and other professionals in the industry. Biggest thing is making share-worthy content and putting it out there. It’s a gradual process, but I’m enjoying the journey!
Exposed Vocals: If you could perform anywhere and with any artists (Dead or Alive) where and who would it be with? Why?
Margeaux Jordan: My ultimate dream would be to perform with Michael Jackson at Red Rock Amphitheater in Morrison, CO. The stage is situated around these incredible red rock formations, nestled under the stars. I love nature, so to have a fairly intimate show of 9,000 under the stars sounds absolutely incredible.
Exposed Vocals: So, what’s next? Any new upcoming projects that you want to talk about?
Margeaux Jordan: Releasing the EP! I’m so eager to publish my music and start touring. I’ve come up with music video concepts for my next three songs, and production is the works. Look out for some awesome, uplifting dance music and powerhouse performances. It’s all going to snowball, I can feel it!
Exposed Vocals: If you weren’t making music, what would you be doing?
Margeaux Jordan: This will never happen. 🙂 I’m always going be doing SOMETHING in arts and entertainment. Acting in film, dancing on stage, directing, screenwriting, I just love this stuff too much.
Exposed Vocals: Do you remember buying your first album? Who was it? What was going through your head?
Margeaux Jordan: I remember making my mom take me to Walmart to get the Backstreet Boys Millennium CD. It was the first CD I purchased with my own money. Ugh, they were my favorite. I kissed Nick’s face on my poster every morning. LOL. In my head I was thinking, “Oh my God, I can’t wait to discover what songs AREN’T on the radio,” and also being really excited to flip through the booklet on the inside of the CD. I loved reading all the lyrics and seeing the individual photos of the guys. B-S-B!
Exposed Vocals: How do you juggle the rest of your responsibilities while trying to stay ahead in your music life?
Margeaux Jordan: Gosh, I can’t wait for the day that I can put ALL of my energy into entertainment. To make it work in this business though, you need time, flexibility and an income.
A year ago, I founded Geaux Getter – a public relations and social media marketing company. I do everything from build websites and social media pages, to site maintenance, video editing, advertising, press releases, e-blasts, etc. I excelled in this during and after I graduated and it’s pretty flexible.
The problem is that I am my own boss, and need to learn when to close the computer and stop working. It’s a lot of work maintaining all of these clients from various industries, as well as managing my own entertainment career. Hence, I’m seeking a manager! What’s awesome is, I love what I do, so it only inspires me to keep going!
Exposed Vocals: What should fans look forward to in 2015?
Margeaux Jordan: Three things: AMAZING, FUN MUSIC VIDEOS TO MAKE YOU WANT TO DANCE, POWERHOUSE PERFORMANCES, and FRESH NEW POP DANCE MUSIC. Also, my performance on the MTV VMA’s 🙂 It’s gonna happen! I’d like to bring back those awesome Pepsi ads… although I don’t drink much Pepsi. Still. They were amazing. 🙂
