Words: Missy Fit
The world may be ending, but fear not, a brand new season of ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race UK’ is here to save the day. The cast was revealed in a fully socially-distanced, Pride-themed photoshoot, which saw the queen each represent a colour of the updated Pride flag. But who are these new girls, I hear you ask?
TAYCE
A well-known name on the London scene, Tayce is already a frontrunner in the competition. Her beauty is striking: “I’m like a sexy owl!” Extremely on-trend, very Instagrammable, Tayce is the embodiment of drag in the social media age.
JOE BLACK
Joe Black is as close to being a vampire a human can get, although I cannot confirm whether she actually is human or not. Coming from a background of burlesque and cabaret, Joe is one of the most experienced queens on the cast. She is a live singer and multi-instrumentalist. “Nans love me,” she says.
www.instagram.com/misterjoeblack
A’WHORA
A’Whora proudly designs most of her own looks – think severe, rhinestones, rich bitch. But she is more than just a look– “Am I selling myself like Babestation?” she says. I’m excited to see what she brings to the challenges, as her runways will be a guaranteed serve.
TIA KOFI
What a name! “She’s camp, she’s glamour, she’s also a mess.”Tia Kofi wants to be a voice for queens of colour, as they remain underrepresented on the show and in the scene as a whole.
ELLIE DIAMOND
At just 21 years of age, Ellie Diamond is representing the baby queens. She describes herself as “a cartoon character come to life.” Her makeup style is very illustrative, dainty, yet very graphic and bold at the same time. www.instagram.com/elliediamondofficial
SISTER SISTER
Quoting inspirations such as French & Saunders, and Victoria Wood, comedy comes natural to Sister Sister. But she is not a one-trick pony. Her look is more alternative but her face is beat, and her hair is coiffed to perfection. She might have a trick or two up her sleeve.
www.instagram.com/officialsistersister
VERONICA GREEN
Veronica Green is the perfect embodiment of the British drag scene. She is a professional singer and musical theatre star. Her look is classically beautiful. But is she innovative enough to take the crown?
www.instagram.com/veronicaqween
BIMINI BON BOULASH
A fun fact about Bimini is that she invented veganism about seven years ago. This is of course a fact. She looks like she might be part of the Cock Destroyers and therefore, I am obsessed. As “East London’s bendiest queen” we should expect stand-out performances.
GINNY LEMON
“Fancy a sliiiiiiiice?” We love a catchphrase and Ginny Lemon is full of them. Ginny is an early fan favourite because of their eclectic style: they describe themself as “an early 90s daytime TV presenter on acid”. They wore Crocs in the promo shoot. Iconic.
www.instagram.com/ginnylemon69
ASTTINA MANDELLA
We’ve got ourselves a Dancing Diva. You might recognise her from Channel 4’s ‘Drag SOS’, but Asttina is the main attraction now. Her style is very streetwear chique, the lovechild of Serena Williams, Naoimi Campbell, and Azealia Banks. Her goofy personality will win the hearts of the audience immediately, but will her runway fashions be enough to convince the judges?
www.instagram.com/asttinamandella
CHERRY VALENTINE
Cherry’s look is spooky, club kid, and glamorous. Her qualifications as a mental health nurse allow a special connection between her and her fans.
www.instagram.com/thecherryvalentine
LAWRENCE CHANEY
“I’m almost the fat bastard of drag.” Lawrence brings the comedy and the curves. She’s here to show off the inner- and outer beauty of chubby queens, preferably without singing or dancing, and never in a fringe leotard.
www.instagram.com/lawrencechaney
Filming this season wasn’t without hiccups. Michelle Visage accidentally leaked some of the cast on her Instagram during the early days of filming. Then, filming had to be paused for several months due to Covid-19. Regardless, the timing couldn’t be more perfect given the current state of the UK, we can all do with a little drag queen fairy dust on our TV screens.
Some of the guests joining RuPaul, Michelle Visage, Alan Carr, and Graham Norton on the judges panel this season include season 1 favourites MNEK and Lorraine Kelly, and Elizabeth Hurley, Sheridan Smith, and Jourdan Dunn.
RuPaul’s Drag Race UK season 2 premieres January 16th on iPlayer and the WOWPresents Plus network. And, of course, you will find weekly episode round ups here.
Follow Missy Fit at www.instagram.com/missyfit.bitch.
LDN Music Magazine 