Photo: George Pimentel/WireImage
Schitt’s Creekfans have bothAnnie Murphyand her husband Menno Versteeg to thank for her character’s iconic song, “A Little Bit Alexis.”
The couple, who have been married since 2011, wrote the funny pop number together and called the opportunity a “once-in-a-lifetime experience.”
A Canadian musician and record label executive, Versteeg is well-known in music circles for spotting up-and-coming indie acts. He owns his own music label and is involved in launching the careers of many new artists. Versteeg is also a major proponent of creating more mental health resources for musicians.
Here’s everything to know about Menno Versteeg and his relationship with Annie Murphy.
He’s a successful Canadian musician
Rick Madonik/Toronto Star via Getty
Before Murphy shot to fame portraying Alexis onSchitt’s Creek, Versteeg was the more famous of the two — his successful career as the frontman of Canadian indie band Hollerado garnered national praise.
In 2019, Hollerado announced their final album and Versteeg switched gears to focus on his role in the Canadian supergroupAnyway Gang, featuring Sam Roberts, another well-known Canadian musician.
“We all respect each other’s writing so much,” Versteeg told PEOPLE. “It’s nice to go into smaller rooms and kind of be starting from zero.”
He co-writes songs with Annie Murphy
While Murphy has writing credits on several Hollerado songs, the couple is best known for co-writing"A Little Bit Alexis," the runaway hit fromSchitt’s Creekthat reached No. 21 onBillboard’s dance music sales chart in March 2019.
“It was one of the most fun things to work on,” said Versteeg. “It was one of those once-in-a-lifetime experiences.”
Per Versteeg, Murphy originally askedSchitt’s CreekcreatorDan Levyif they could write the song after seeing the script. “He was like, ‘You know, be my guest. But let’s get a professional or whatever,’ " recounted Versteeg. “We were like, ‘We are professionals. Excuse me.’ "
He admitted he laughs “all the time” at the irony that “A Little Bit Alexis” is his biggest hit considering his lengthy music career.
His and Murphy’s apartment once burned down
The couple had a close brush with catastrophe in 2013 when theToronto apartmentthey shared went up in flames.
Both were safe after the blaze and Murphy opened up about the experience years later onThe Kelly Clarkson Show. “Just beforeSchitt’s Creek, things were quite bleak,” Murphy said. “My house had just burnt down, I had like, $3 in my bank account, I hadn’t worked in close to two years. And I had just blown my very first screen test — like blown it, blown it, blown it.”
Two days later Murphy auditioned forSchitt’s Creek.
He’s passionate about supporting local charities
Both Murphy and Versteeg are creative about finding ways to raise support for charities they care about.
“I was going through a drawer and I found the original, handwritten lyrics to ‘A Little Bit Alexis’ on a paper plate. So Annie auctioned that off,” Versteeg revealed. The funds went to local shelters during the pandemic in their hometown of Toronto.
Versteeg then decided to auction some of his own memorabilia. “I had these original cassette recordings on actual tapes that I only made one of that I thought were kind of cool,” he said. “They were just some cover songs.” He auctioned them to benefit theArt for Aid Project, which supports art education.
“It’s nice to spread [awareness] around in any way you can,” he added.
He owns a record label
Menno Versteeg Instagram
The record label owner began working with Jakob when the upcoming rocker was 20 years old. “The kid is just a sponge,” he said. “He’s found his own voice and far surpassed anything we could add to it.”
After 20 years of touring, Versteeg said he found the switch to developing new artists “very satisfying,” saying, “Mentoring sounds a little bit heavy-handed, but I tell about stories and experiences, so hopefully some of that rubs off on these bands so they don’t have to make the same mistakes as many times as I did.”
He married Murphy in 2011
Annie Murphy Instagram
While the two are purposefully quiet about their relationship, Murphyposted a sweet tributeto her husband on their anniversary, calling him her “boyfriend for life.”
He’s a major proponent of mental health initiatives
Murphy and Versteeg have both experienced their own struggles with depression — which led Versteeg to develop a fund for artists signed to his label to help them access mental health care.
After Murphy was cast inSchitt’s Creek, Versteeg was in a position to seek professional mental health help for the first time in his career. “I couldn’t afford it until Annie got her job,” Versteeg said. “Living off musician salaries, you can’t afford it.”
After seeking mental health support for himself, Versteeg decided he wanted to pay it forward to the artists he works with.
“The mental health fund comes out of our own pocket,” he said. “It’s not recoupable to the bands. It’s confidential. I don’t know who uses it,” he said.
He enjoys gardening
“I’ve always joked that if plans A, B, C, or D don’t work out, my plan E is to open a flower shop,” he said, noting his parents are “big gardeners” and it’s something he’s trying to get into.
“I’m working on an herb garden and flowers,” he added, explaining he was in the process of planting a memorial flower for his parents' dog Reggie. “I have to do it as a tribute,” he said.
source: people.com
