ShadeReggae

Our Story

Simone Michaud (born Simone Henry) was born June 10, 1977 in Kingston, Jamaica, to Kathleen Henry (born Kathleen Hendricks), a dedicated homemaker, and Dudley Henry, a building contractor who was also a singer, song writer in the well known Reggae band “Creation Stepper" known for their hit song, "Stormy night” and their unique style of Reggae in the early 1970s and 80s. Simone had aspirations of being in show business since she was a child. A bright kid growing up with mom and dad and two of her sibling in a stable household, in the city of Kingston, Jamaica, Michaud spent a great deal of time learning to become a model and actress and singing rather than playing outside with other kids her age. Her sense of humor and unique look and wit made her a stand out amongst her classmates at Edith Dalton James High School. By the time she was seventeen, Simone worked as a model around the island, wooing audiences with her unique look and stature and her unchanging resemblance to Grace Jones. Simone had eight sisters and two brothers. In her younger years, three of her sisters died, one of her brother, and later her mother. After her mother died, Simone migrated to the US and began pursuing a career in modeling and acting.

In the early 2000s, at the age of 20, Simone was offered a contract for her role as "Digitaa", where Simone exercised her acting abilities in playing the role of a young girl who came from the future to bring new technology to the world, through music and dance, originating some of the company's most memorable TV commercials, and acting awards in the Caribbean. Simone "Digita" Henry became a household name & icon. She quickly became known as one of the Caribbean’s top models, appearing in local & international TV shows, fashion Shows, news papers, magazines, billboards, and performing at live events throughout the Caribbean and the US. The "Digita" campaign spear headed by Patrick Waldemar of WaterWorks advertising agency in Kingston Jamaica was nominated and won ten (10) PEER Awards for Best TV and Radio Advertising of the year. Also in 2001 Shade took the Miss Jamaica Fashion Model competition by storm, moving on to land modeling assignments in New York and Japan.

Simone's acting career officially started in the US as a supporting background actress in the well-known movie "Bad Boys 2" in 2002. After experiencing being on major productions such as Columbia Pictures, with Don Simpson/Jerry Bruckheimer Films, FOX TV, Lee Daniels Productions, competing in the modeling circuit throughout Florida, and most recently, as supporting cast on Eddie Murphy Productions, it was then that she realized she had a real love for acting. Simone continues to write music and record songs with producers in the Reggae industry and is well respected for her natural ability to write and her soul-try voice. It was then that she took on the name Shade, or ShadeReggae. ShadeReggae is now one of Simone's signature characters. On top of her game as an independent artist, actress and commercial model, Simone was unfazed by her notoriety in the music industry. She had a love for family that was cultivated by her mother, so when she got married and had her two children, she decided to focus on family for a while until getting back into the game.

Songs like "Hot Boys" featuring Delroy "Junior" Reid––Jamaican reggae and dancehall musician, best known for his featuring on the songs "It's Okay (One Blood)" and "This Is Why I'm Hot", as well as being the lead vocalist for Black Uhuru, brought Simone's notoriety power back into fruition. From there, Simone, rebounded with occasional hits and misses but has long proven herself as a skilled musician and actor with laudable range pertaining to characterizations and vocal ability. Though she has grown up a lot since her first debut in the 2000s, Simone has lived the lifestyle with controversy, criticism, and the admiration of people worldwide for her talents. As Simone matured throughout the years, learning many lessons about the music and acting game in the process, she continues to be humble and to strive for her dream. She's settled down in her character as a multi-talented singer, songwriter, and aspiring actress.

 ...