Ashley Marie "AzMarie" Livingston is an American fashion model, actress, singer and DJ who rose to fame after appearing on 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. Livington is a lesbian.
In 2012, Livingston first came into the public eye as a participant in The CW program . 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. 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 '. In 2010, she went on to appear on the television shows The Real Housewives of New York City and '. 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." Livingston will co-star in the romantic comedyAlmost Amazing by director Justin Price, set for release in August 2017.
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.
