I don't have a sugar daddy, I've never had a sugar daddy.
Shangela
Life is about putting forth your best effort and showing up. When you show up to the gig fearlessly and put forth your best, who knows what could come of it?
In life, you can't control what other people are going to do; you can't control how they're going to behave. All you can control is how you're going to react.
For someone with darker hair in the beard area that likes to sometimes sprout during a 14-hour drag day, I must have a thick, yet smooth foundation.
She's quite the professional, but I think the true Gaga - the magic of Gaga - is she knows how to dive into any element and really just be comfortable in her own skin.
When it comes to a lip sync, Kennedy Davenport is someone that, when I first turned 18, I was going to the clubs in Dallas, because I went to college there, seeing, and tipping, and would live. She's the dancing diva of Texas.
RuPaul's Drag Race' is the holy grail of drag.
It's a real honor and dream come true for me to be part of something as awesome as NBC's 'Community,' working with such comic legends as John Goodman and Chevy Chase.
For me specifically, after travelling around the world I noticed that performers who had web shows had huge international popularity and that segued into a lot of events reaching out to book them.
Seeing RuPaul go out there and not only create music, but TV and film roles, and continue to go down so many creative avenues - that is inspirational. For a person of color like myself, I see RuPaul and I say, 'Oh, honey, I can do it too.'
Honey, you know no matter how much time I spend, I'll never look spot on like Marilyn Monroe.
Any queen who's ever worked in a drag bar, or even been in a drag dressing room, knows that underlying all of that is a sense of family.
We're in the world right now where self-promotion is very accessible with the Internet and with YouTube and what I've learned is that you've got to utilize all those resources and the relationships that you have in order to make your business a success.
One thing that Gaga taught me was less about makeup and more about how to be just natural through the makeup - really allow your talent to shine through, no matter what you're doing.
As African American, gay drag queens, we live with more adversity and challenges.
I started watching, growing, learning, and putting in extra effort to become the best queen I could.
I think that's what happens when drag starts to go mainstream: All of a sudden, you're watching 'The View' and there are three drag queens on there and it's not a joke. Yes, we're here, we're queer and you better deal with it. 'Cause we ain't going nowhere.
You have to know what you're worth and you have to stick with that because you're only going to hurt yourself in the end if you bring your price point way down, as well as impact others in the market.
Live your passion, and live it to the fullest.
Honey, I beat down an alien with my purse in the 'X Files.'
A big thing in the LGBTQ community is finding family because some of us have loving families and some of us really don't, so we have to go out there and make our own families.
I mean, who cannot name at least three of her songs that you've broken a sweat to in the club? She's also been such an ally and an advocate to the LGBTQ+ community for so many years when it wasn't popular, and for that reason alone I say hats off, or should I say wigs off, to Madonna!
It was a privilege and an honor to work alongside Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper. Working with people at the top of their game was like a master class.
You never know where I'll pop up, I'm Shangela, OK?
Baby, everything I have I've worked for and gotten myself.
My first show was at Here Lounge in West Hollywood.
Michelle Obama, one of my inspirations, said 'when they go low, we go high,' and it was a thing that I really carried with me.
I'd love to do a project that falls between drama and comedy - a dramedy with hilarious moments.
I made it from Paris, Texas, to Paris on the Strip. Who else can say that?
Even though she may not be a physical presence, for me RuPaul is an aspirational presence. Ru is out there doing her job - being RuPaul. That takes a lot of time and a lot of commitment. Besides, I don't need RuPaul standing over my shoulder telling me 'Good Job.'
And I think I might be one of the first, if not the first, drag queens, in drag, to ever walk down the red carpet at the Oscars. And I hope that means something to somebody out there, because it means something to me.
You know, when you start thinking about residencies in Las Vegas, you have J.Lo, Britney, Mariah, those types of stars. So to be performing next door or across the street from them, I'm just thrilled beyond my wildest dreams.
The MAC Skin Primer keeps my makeup nice and smooth during application and throughout the night. I can't be having no creases up in this mug!
On-stage I like to give people something that they will remember, something different but something electric.
I've always wanted to continue work as an actor in Hollywood. So being in a film with Lady Gaga is something I'm trying to get my head around. It's a fabulous dream honey, don't wake me.
It's great that we have so many people from so many diverse background in the 'Drag Race' family.
I not only went back to the 'All Stars' gig for myself but also for my fans. I wanted them to see the story of even if you get knocked down, you get back up, you keep going and you can win.
Keep working hard and you will have your day in the sun.
I have a lot of talent and sometimes, you know, when people see you're a drag queen they go, 'Oh, he's a drag queen. That's what he does.' But I'm always excited to... stretch the boundaries on how they see me.
I grew up as a little gay boy in Paris, Texas, which was a very conservative community and I had a strong religious background as well.
As a drag diva auditioning in Hollywood, I've run the gamut.
I would say my biggest piece of advice that I would offer LGBT business owners and people looking to segue their talent into a business would be to utilize all the resources that are available to you.
Listen, I'm a fan, no, I'm a stan of Ariana Grande.
It's amazing how far that we've come and the strides we've made in the LGBTQIA community with regard to acceptance and equality and really honoring ourselves and who we are.
I think everybody should have the right to do drag if they want to. Even if they look busted!
I grew into who I always wanted to be as a drag entertainer and performer.
My grandmother will watch any episode of a show I'm on, but she watches her soap operas every day. When I was on 'The Bold and the Beautiful,' you would have thought I had won an Oscar. She told everybody at church that I was on her favorite soap.
I'm from a small country town and to now be moving around with some of the largest names in Hollywood is a dream come true.
As a 'RuPaul's Drag Race' queen, I meet so many fans from so many walks of life.
Even last minute, you can find a great makeup artist at your local MAC store or department store makeup counter, and a lot of times they'll hook you up for free.
