We were lucky to catch up with Margaux Morales recently and have shared our conversation below.
Margaux, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Do you feel you or your work has ever been misunderstood or mischaracterized? If so, tell us the story and how/why it happened and if there are any interesting learnings or insights you took from the experience?
I lost nearly all of my clientele when I came out but in the end I achieved my greatest goal.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
“Where I was born in New Mexico, musicians are expected to play Rock, Country, R&B and Ranchera music – we don’t have the kinds of musical boundaries you find in other places” says musician, producer, and engineer Margaux Morales. In a career that spans four decades Mx. Morales has earned credits on eleven Grammy awards, a pair of Emmy credits, and credit on an Oscar for her work in the studio as a producer, musician and sound engineer.
As a live event producer, performer, DJ and sound mixer, she’s worked with dozens of EGOT-level artists, including two decades as Linda Ronstadt’s chief engineer, in addition to residencies with the LA County Arts Commission, The Center Theater Group, Grand Performances, and the Aratani Theater / Noguchi Plaza, and is currently enjoying a position with the Los Angeles Philharmonic.
After spending her entire career supporting other artists, in 2019 Mx. Morales began developing her solo career, as a means to express her experiences being a Mexican-American person of Transgender experience. Fusing elements of ‘70s Funk, Djent Metal, Electric Blues and Mexican ‘Son’ styles, her sound is at once fresh and unique while paying homage to the great singer/songwriters of the past.
In addition to creating music, Mx. Morales is a designer of audio hardware and software. Her first custom hand-wired microphones went into service in 2019. In 2023, her software designs came to frution, and she became a certified developer for Apple, Steinberg VST and Avid plugins.
When she’s not in session or onstage, Mx. Morales works with other leaders to improve working conditions for LGBTQ+ people working in the Entertainment industry. She is well known in Los Angeles County as a representative for Transgender artists and stage technicians and was featured by the IATSE International Pride committee for their 2022 PRIDE campaign.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
At the ripe old age of 59, I was at the top of my game as a sound engineer and music producer. I had two handfuls of Grammy credits, a pair of Emmy credits and even credit on an Oscar winning film. Having spent a couple of decades as Linda Ronstadt’s crew lead, I was known as an expert both in American Rock-n-Roll and Mexican folk music; At the time I was the busiest mixer of Mexican/Chicano music north of the border. That all changed when I came out to the world as an ‘Intersex woman of Transgender experience’. The day after I came out, the entirety of my Spanish-speaking clientele had spurned me, I literally lost two-thirds of my work overnight! Fortunately, I found work as a stage had for the LA Philharmonic, so I had an income and health benefits. Left with few options to rebuild my career, I went back to the beginning, tuned up my guitars, and started playing and writing.
Three years later, I signed my first solo record deal with Alcamay/Sony and released my first single, ‘Colorblind’ in August of 2023. Despite all the doubts and fears and people telling me I’m ‘too old’, I achieved that which I’d always wanted more than anything: I was finally a recording artist!
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
To show the CIS gender world that people like me aren’t any different, and are valid and important members of society…
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/margauxmorales
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/margaux_morales_official
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/margauxmoralesofficial/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4fj2p9WRQ2mUSYiXD0Gb_w
- Other: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2qhI013OEy9B0WiF0znTPK?si=5f334cc9cb57451f MixCloud: https://www.mixcloud.com/Margaux_Morales/
Image Credits
All images copyright 2023 Margaux Gilberto Morales