RuPaul (born Rupaul Andre Charles) was hustling work in Atlanta as an actor, model, and dancer before the “Supermodel (You Better Work)” song made him the most famous drag queen of his time. RuPaul auditioned for a stage show, The Shaggy Dog Animation, carrying a sign that stated, “Rupaul is Starrbooty,” which attracted the attention of composer Jimmy Harry. RuPaul landed a part in the production and began collaborating with Harry.
After arriving in New York and becoming a drag queen, RuPaul landed a record deal with the Tommy Boy label. RuPaul and Harry collaborated with producer Larry Tee to develop “Supermodel,” a song about “working it” on the runway, for his first single on the label. The song was a smash hit in dance clubs, reaching number one on the dance charts. Despite earning very little airplay, it charted at #45 in the United States and #39 in the United Kingdom on the Pop charts.
The song seized the public’s obsession with supermodels, a new breed of models whose influence reached far beyond the pages of fashion magazines. RuPaul’s career took off with a radio show, a MAC cosmetics endorsement contract, and TV and film roles. In 2009, RuPaul’s reality competition show, RuPaul’s Drag Race, launched on the Logo network.
Twelve years later, on February 25, came the announcement from ViacomCBS and Paramount+ of the international drag-singing competition, Queen of the Universe. After nearly ten months of anticipation, it has finally arrived. With drag culture fully established in mainstream media, the enthusiasm and hype around another new drag show on the rise come as no surprise.
Queen of the Universe is the latest addition to RuPaul’s drag pageant series, providing fans with more glamor, talent, and sequins than we could ever deserve. While RuPaul’s Drag Race has an unrivaled winning formula, this new series brings some fresh features to the drag competition genre. Here are a few reasons to watch Queen of the Universe, which is currently streaming exclusively on Paramount+.
Fans of drag shows and the Drag Race franchise live for the performers “lip-syncing for their lives,” but the stakes in Queen of the Universe are higher. The contenders will be singing and demonstrating their vocal abilities. It adds another layer of factors for the judges to consider when evaluating their performances. Then, it’ll be up to the queens to show what they’ve got! Trixie Mattel, Vanessa Williams, Michelle Visage, and The X Factor U.K. winner Leona Lewis judge the competition. The show seeks to discover, well, the next RuPaul.
The Queen of the Universe contestants are exceptionally diverse and add a unique flavor to the show, as they hail from all corners of the globe. The 14 drag queens represent the following countries: the United States, Denmark, Australia, Brazil, England, France, Canada, India, Mexico, and China. Whoever wows the judges by singing their hearts out will be the first to rule the planet, followed by the universe!
It isn’t a drag competition in the larger scheme of things. It is a singing contest, all about the vocals and the performance. Drag is essential, but it isn’t the most vital factor. The voice is still at the top of the list. This show also has great significance in terms of representation. When you watch it and see where all the queens come from, the international stories, some queens who can’t even perform in their own countries get to do so on this stage and be praised and celebrated. Drag music will now be seen in an entirely new light worldwide.
