Shea Couleé
Shea Couleé | |
|---|---|
 Shea Couleé at RuPaul's DragCon in 2017 | |
| Born | Jaren Kyei Merrell February 8, 1989[1] Warsaw, Indiana, U.S. |
| Education | Columbia College Chicago (BFA) |
| Occupation |
|
| Years active | 2012–present |
| Known for | |
| Predecessor | Monét X Change & Trinity the Tuck |
| Successor | Kylie Sonique Love |
| Musical career | |
| Genres | |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Labels | Shea Couleé LLC |
| Associated acts | |
| Website | sheacoulee |
Jaren Kyei Merrell (born February 8, 1989),[1][2][3] known professionally as Shea Couleé, is an American drag queen, musician, podcaster, and fixture of the Chicago nightlife scene. Merrell is known for competing on season 9 of RuPaul's Drag Race[4][5] and as the winner of season 5 of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars.[6][7] Born in Warsaw, Indiana, she began her drag career in 2012.
In 2016, they co-produced, directed, wrote, and starred in Lipstick City. In 2017, they released their debut EP, Couleé-D, along with accompanying music videos. Since then, they continued their musical career, starred in their own web series, podcast, and embarked on domestic and international tours, including Werq the World, Haters Roast, and A Drag Queen Christmas.
Early life and education[]
Merrell was born in Warsaw, Indiana and raised in Plainfield, Illinois.[8][9] The youngest of five children, their mother was a minister.[9][10][11] They graduated with a degree in costume design from Columbia College Chicago in 2011.[9][12] In their sophomore year, they were cast in Ten Square.[9][13] During their senior year at Columbia, they were the lead designer on Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale.[14] Couleé has performed in theater since the age of nine.[9][15]
Career[]
RuPaul's Drag Race and All Stars 5[]
After auditioning five times, every year since they started doing drag[9][16] Couleé became one of 14 queens to compete on the ninth season of RuPaul's Drag Race.[5][17] After portraying Naomi Campbell in the Snatch Game challenge, Campbell tweeted Couleé in approval.[18] Couleé won their first challenge in the fourth episode, alongside Sasha Velour.[19] They again won the following episode, portraying Blac Chyna for "Kardashians: The Musical".[20] Couleé won another challenge in the ninth episode, "Your Pilot's On Fire", again alongside Sasha Velour.[21] In the following episode, "Makeover: Crew Better Work", Coulee lip synced for their life against Nina Bo'nina Brown, sending her home to Demi Lovato's "Cool for the Summer".[22] Couleé won once again during the season's "Gayest Ball Ever", after creating a look inspired by the Village People's "construction worker".[23]
In the season's penultimate episode, the final four queens wrote, recorded, danced, and performed a verse in RuPaul's "Category Is", choreographed by Todrick Hall. In a series first, all four queens ended up advancing to the finale.[24] In the season finale, Couleé received a personalized video from Blac Chyna, whom Couleé had portrayed earlier in the "Reality Stars: The Rusical" challenge.[25] In this finale, for the first time in Drag Race history, the final four queens all participated in a "lip sync for the crown". Coulee was selected to lipsync against Sasha Velour, to Whitney Houston's "So Emotional", but lost. They ultimately placed in joint third/fourth place.[26][27] Couleé's loss was met with controversy, with many people claiming that Shea Couleé should have won the crown.[28] Coulee themself responded to the controversy, defending Velour's win, and saying "Ultimately Sasha was more successful than myself and the other girls."[29] While on tour, Merrell and fellow Drag Race contestant Farrah Moan were harassed by a woman at a kebab shop in Newcastle in April 2018 who first yelled at and then tried to hit the off-duty queens.[30] Since losing Season 9, Couleé has been requested by fans to compete on an All Star season.[31][32][33][34]
On May 8, 2020, Coulée was announced as a contestant on the fifth series of RuPaul's Drag Race: All Stars.[6] She won the second episode, lipsyncing for her legacy against Lipsync Assassin Alyssa Edwards to The Pointer Sisters' Neutron Dance and winning, earning a $20,000 cash prize.[35] Couleé won again during the Snatch Game of Love challenge on episode five, portraying Flavor Flav. She lipsynced against Vanessa Vanjie Mateo to Madonna's "Open Your Heart" and won.[36] On the grand finale episode, Couleé, along with fellow finalists Jujubee and Miz Cracker, recorded, danced, and performed a verse in RuPaul's "Clapback", choreographed by Todrick Hall. After lipsyncing to Janelle Monae's "Make Me Feel", Couleé was announced as the winner of All Stars 5.[7]
Music and continued career[]
In 2016, Shea was photographed for Glossed and Found magazine.[37] In May 2017, Couleé performed as part of the Werq the World 2017 tour. The tour, hosted by Bianca Del Rio and Michelle Visage, also featured drag queens Alaska Thunderfuck, Alyssa Edwards, Detox, Latrice Royale, and Violet Chachki.[38] Shea Couleé co-produced, directed, and starred in their own film Lipstick City in July 2017.[39] In June 2017, Couleé released three music videos to promote their debut EP, Couleé-D.[40] They co-directed the music videos, and co-produced the EP.[41][42] Azealia Banks and Shea Couleé announced plans to release a studio collaboration.[43] The collaboration never came intro fruition after Banks ghosted Couleé.[44]
At one point, they were asked to perform as a dancer in a burlesque show "Jeezy's Juke Joint". After an email mishap, they ended up performing a solo act for the show, their first time in Drag.[45] They have performed at various venues in Chicago, including Roscoe's, Berlin, Double Door, and Hydrate.[46][47] In Chicago she also worked as a resident host at Smart Bar,[48] and was a Co-Host for the Tony Soto Show.[13][49] At one point, Couleé competed in Miss Roscoe's Pageant.[48] Before doing Drag full-time, Couleé also worked part-time as a sales associate and customer service representative for an adult store "Tulip".[50] In April, Couleé was featured in Peppermint's Too Funky music video.[51] In April 2018, Couleé premiered Call Me Couleé, a web series documenting Couleé's life post Drag Race.[52] The series lasted six episodes, and concluded on October 18, 2018.[53] In September 2018, Shea Couleé performed as a background dancer for Christina Aguilera for Opening Ceremony's Spring 2019 collection, alongside other Drag Race alumni.[54] They were photographed with Farrah Moan for Manny MUA's Lunar Beauty palette.[55] In June 2018, Couleé and other RuPaul's Drag Race alum Asia O'Hara and Monét X Change performed in The Vixen's widely popular Black Girl Magic, a drag show created to showcase the talent of black drag queens.[56] In November, Coulee was featured as a part of Lush's "Merry DRAGMas" Campaign, alongside Detox and Kim Chi.[57][58] In March 2019, they appeared in the music video for Iggy Azalea's "Sally Walker".[59] The same month, they joined the Drag World UK lineup, which began touring in June.[60][61] In May, they were photographed with Farrah Moan and Violet Chachki for Huda Beauty's new Setting Spray.[62]
On May 18, Couleé re-released their song "Creme Brulee" as well as an accompanying music video. The song is inspired by other female rappers such as Lil' Kim, Nicki Minaj, and Azaelia Banks. The song was originally written in 2013 and was the first song Couleé ever wrote.[63] Billboard named "Creme Brulee" as the best Drag Music Video of 2018.[64] In September, Couleé released "Gasoline" a collaboration with Gess, who produced, co-wrote, and featured credit on the track.[65] A month later in June, National Selfie Day, Shea Couleé was featured in Shawn Hollenbach's track "Double Filter Face", along with an accompanying music video.[66] On July 15, Shea Couleé released "Rewind", a collaborative song with them and Gess. The following month, they released a music video for the song, directed by Sam Bailey. The song is about Shea Couleé's former boyfriend who suffered from bipolar disorder and committed suicide.[67][68]
Couleé was one of the Inspirations for Sina Grace's character of Shade, Marvel's first Drag Queen superhero.[69][70] Couleé has embarked on several world tours following their success on Drag Race including headlining the "War on the Catwalk"[71] and "A Drag Queen Christmas",[72] among others. Coulee was added to the Drag Race "Haters Roast: The Shady Tour" comedy tour with other Drag Race alumnae in 2019.[73] They also headlined a one-woman show in 2019, entitled "Coulee With A 'C'". An autobiographical show, it combined song, story, and comedy, revolving around their upbringing and how they got into drag.[74] Couleé's makeup and look transformations have been featured in publications such as Cosmopolitan.[75] In October, Coulee published their first article for Metro.[76] In January 2020, Couleé attended the first ever RuPaul's DragCon UK.[77] In March 2020, Couleé will be performing alongside fellow drag race alum Bebe Zahara Benet, Bob The Drag Queen, Monique Heart, Peppermint, and The Vixen in Nubia tour. The tour began its run with sold-out shows in New York City, and has plans to visit Los Angeles, as well as other major cities across the United States.[78][79]
In May 2020, Couleé announced the release of Shea Coul-Alé, a beer in collaboration with DoStuff Media and Goose Island Brewery as a part of their Drag a Beer campaign. A portion of all the profits went to an organization that supports individuals within the LGBTQ community.[80][81] The following year, she launched another limited-edition beer with Goose Island, Shea Coul-Alé: Royal Edition, with an updated flavor palette,[82][83] as well as her own exclusive burger.[84]
In October 2020, Couleé was featured on the cover of Out magazine, recreating Cindy Crawford and k.d. Lang's iconic Vanity Fair cover.[85] Later that month, they were a featured performer in Rihanna's Savage X Fenty Fashion Show Vol. 2.[86]
In November 2020, Couleé was recognised with the GAY TIMES Honour for Drag Hero at the fourth annual GAY TIMES Honours.[87] They also featured as one of the cover stars for the Honours edition of GAY TIMES Magazine.
In May 2021, Couleé launched Wanna Be On Top? through Moguls of Media and Forever Dog productions, a biweekly podcast themed around America's Next Top Model and discussing its impact on the art of drag.[88][89]
In an interview with The Advocate, Couleé announced that for the past three years, they have been working on an album.[90]
Shea currently has over 1.4 million Instagram followers and is one of the few black Drag Race queens to reach the milestone.[9][91]
In May 2021, Couleé was signed to United Talent Agency.[92]
In June 2021, Coulee will make a guest appearance in Dragging the Classics: The Brady Bunch, a RuPaul's Drag Race and The Brady Bunch crossover, where they will play the role of Marcia Brady.[93][94]
In August 2021, Couleé will release "$100,000 bar", their own brand of bar soap in collaboration with The Quiet Girl Shoppe, a female, Black-owned business.[95] Later that month, she will be a featured performer and host in Klub Kids London Presents: NOIR: The Tour, where 25% of the proceeds from the production will be donated to the Black Lives Matter movement.[96] In October, she will perform with Heels of Hell through their eight-city Halloween tour.[96]
Activism[]
Queens of color are less celebrated than our white counterparts. But that's life, we have to work twice as hard to get half the recognition.
Couleé has said it is important to them to use their career in drag to inspire people. In an interview with Seattle Gay Scene, they said, "I would say the influence I would like to have on the queer community would be to inspire people—specifically queer POC—to feel comfortable in themselves and their identities, to understand that they're special, they're amazing, and that anything you want or dream about, you deserve it."[98] They have been particularly outspoken about racial equality, especially within the RuPaul's Drag Race fandom and drag community. In October 2018, Couleé interviewed The Vixen about racism in America for the UK's Black History Month edition of Gay Times.[99] In another interview with Gay Times UK, Couleé discusses the importance of supporting and uplifting trans women of color.[100]
Couleé has spoken against President Donald Trump.[101] Specifically, in reaction to Trump's potential policy eliminating transgender recognition, they wrote:
"Dear Trump: You don't tell women what to do with their bodies. You don't get to define gender. You don't have the qualifications to do so. You don't have a spine. You don't have a clue. We won't take this lying down. November is coming. Look how orange you fucking look girl."[102]
Continuing their political activism, Couleé has publicly endorsed Presidential Candidate Elizabeth Warren,[103] and spoke at Warren's DragCon NYC booth, encouraging people to vote for her in the 2020 United States presidential election.[104] They also marched alongside Warren at the Las Vegas Pride Parade.[105] In 2020, Couleé participated and spoke at the Drag March for Change in support for the Black Lives Matter movement.[106][81]
Personal life[]
Merrell identifies as gay and non-binary,[107][108] preferring singular they pronouns when out of drag[109] and goes by she and her while in drag.[110]
At one point, they suffered from bulimia.[111] In 2018, Couleé received corrective dental surgery, something they had wanted since they were a teenager.[112]
She has three drag daughters, Kenzie Couleé,[113] Bambi-Banks Couleé, whom she adopted into her family in 2018,[114] and Khloe Couleé, whom she publicly announced as her newest drag daughter on June 12, 2020.[115] Shea, Kenzie, Bambi, and Khloe represent the current members of Shea's drag house, Maison Couleé.[116][81] She has named Naomi Campbell, Grace Jones, Beyoncé, Michael Jackson, Josephine Baker, Diana Ross, and Stevie Wonder as personal icons and influences.[9][3]
Discography[]
EPs[]
| Title | Details | Ref |
|---|---|---|
| Couleé-D |
|
[40] |
Singles[]
As lead artist[]
| Song | Year | Album | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Crème Brûlée" | 2018 | Non-album singles | [117] |
| "Gasoline" (with GESS) |
[65] | ||
| "Brand New" | 2019 | [118] | |
| "Rewind" (with GESS) |
[119] | ||
| "Collide" (with GESS featuring Mykki Blanco) |
2020 | TBA | [120] |
As featured artist[]
| Title | Year | Album | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Category Is" (RuPaul feauring The Cast of RuPaul's Drag Race, Season 9) |
2018 | Non-album single | [121] |
| "R U Mad (John "J-C" Carr & Bill Colemax Mix)" (Michael Blume featuring Shea Coulee and Peppermint) |
Cynicism & Sincerity | [122] | |
| "Symphony" (GESS featuring Shea Coulee) |
Plastic City | [123] | |
| "Snooze" (Big Dipper featuring Shea Coulee) |
Late Bloomer | [124] | |
| "Room, Pt. 2" (The Vixen featuring Shea Coulee) |
Non-album single | [125] | |
| "Breakfast at Tiffany's" (Aja featuring Shea Coulee) |
2019 | Box Office | [126] |
| "Double Filter Face" (Shawn Hollenbach featuring Shea Coulee) |
Non-album single | [66] | |
| "I'm in Love" (with the Cast of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars, Season 5) |
2020 | [127] | |
| "Clap Back" (RuPaul featuring the Cast of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars, Season 5) |
[7] | ||
| "Winner Winner (Chicken Dinner Remix)
(Yvie Oddly and Brad Kemp featuring Bebe Zahara Benet & Shea Coulee) |
2021 | [128] |
Filmography[]
Movies[]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Lipstick City | Mrs. Coulee / Shea | Writer / Producer | [39] |
| 2020 | Savage X Fenty Show Vol. 2 | Herself | Fashion special | [86] |
| 2020 | Nubia Amplified | Herself | One-hour special | [129] |
Television[]
| Year | Title | Role | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-16 | You're So Talented | Shea | [130] |
| 2017 | RuPaul's Drag Race (season 9) | Contestant (3rd/4th Place) | [17] |
| Breakfast Television Toronto | Guest | [131] | |
| WGN-TV | Guest | [132] | |
| 2018 | Hey Qween | Guest | [10] |
| Windy City Live | Guest | [133] | |
| 2020 | RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars (season 5) | Contestant (Winner) | [6] |
| RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars: Untucked (season 2) | [134] | ||
| 2021 | Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen | Guest | [135] |
| Dragging the Classics: The Brady Bunch | Marcia Brady | [93][94] | |
| Finesse | Kizer | [136] | |
| The Bachelorette (season 17) | Guest | [137] | |
| RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars (season 6) | Guest |
Music videos[]
As lead artist[]
| Year | Title | Notes | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | "Cocky" (feat. The Vixen and Lila Star) |
[40] | |
| "Feeling So" | |||
| "Ride" | |||
| 2018 | "Crème Brûlée" | [138] | |
| 2019 | "Double Filter Face" | Co-credited with Shawn Hollenbach | [139] |
| "Rewind" | [140] | ||
| 2020 | "Room" | Co-credited with The Vixen | [141] |
| "Collide" | OnlyFans exclusive | [142] |
Featured and cameo roles[]
| Year | Title | Artist | Role | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | "Too Funky" | Peppermint | Cameo | [51] |
| 2019 | "Sally Walker" | Iggy Azalea | Feature | [59] |
| 2020 | "Always" | Waze & Odyssey | Cameo | [143] |
| "Cum" | Brooke Candy ft. Iggy Azalea | Cameo | [144] | |
| 2021 | "Bubblegum Brain" | Ellise | Feature | [145] |
Internet series[]
| Year | Title | Role | Producer | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | James St. James' Transformations | Guest | World of Wonder | [146] |
| Cooking with Drag Queens | Guest | Feast of Fun | [147] | |
| 2017 | PMB | Guest | Willam Belli | [148] |
| Drag Queen Carpool | Guest, hosted by RuPaul | Logo | [149] | |
| Untucked | Guest | World of Wonder | [150] | |
| Countdown to the Crown | Guest | World of Wonder | [151] | |
| Shot with Soju | Guest | DS Shin | [152] | |
| Whatcha Packin' | Guest | Logo | [153] | |
| Queen to Queen | Guest | Logo | [154] | |
| Drag Makeup Tutorial | Guest | Logo | [155] | |
| Talking with the Tuck | Guest | Trinity the Tuck | [156] | |
| 2018 | Call Me Couleé | Star | Jordan Phelps, Vincent Martell | [52] |
| Chaotic Creative | Guest | Zain Meghji | [157] | |
| Jasmine Master' Class | Guest | World of Wonder | [158] | |
| Fashion Photo Ruview | Special Guest | World of Wonder | [159] | |
| Spillin' the Tea | Guest | Billboard | [160] | |
| Cosmo Queens | Guest star | Cosmopolitan | [75] | |
| 2019 | Huda Boss | Guest | Mari Haitkin | [161] |
| 2020 | Bobbin' Around | Guest | Caldwell Tidicue | [162] |
| Served! | Guest | MTV | [163] | |
| The X Change Rate | Guest | Monét X Change | [164] | |
| Loleezbo | Guest | Loleezbo Productions | [165] | |
| Love for the Arts | Guest judge | Trinity The Tuck | [166] | |
| Pepp Talks | Guest | Peppermint | [167] | |
| 2021 | The Pit Stop | Guest | VH1 | [168] |
| Homophilia | Guest | WOW Podcast Network | .[169] | |
| Bambi Bakes | Guest | Moving Standard | [170] | |
| Drag Queens React | Guest | World of Wonder | [171] | |
| Binge | Guest | Entertainment Weekly | [172] |
Theatre[]
| Year | Production | Role | Venue | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Coulee with a "C" | Herself | Laurie Beechman Theatre | [74] |
| 2019 | The Naughty Tour | Herself | Abraham Chavez Theatre | [173] |
| 2020 | A Midsummer Slay: The Slequel! | Herself | Palace Theatre | [174] |
See also[]
References[]
Citations[]
- ^ a b SheaCoulee [@SheaCoulee] (February 8, 2019). "I'm officially 30" (Tweet). Archived from the original on February 8, 2019. Retrieved August 30, 2019 – via Twitter.
- ^ Greene, Morgan. "Chicago drag queen gets chance at being 'RuPaul' royalty". Chicago Tribune.
- ^ a b White, Eric (March 24, 2017). "Come Through Queens! Meet the Contestants Slaying Season 9 of 'RuPaul's Drag Race'". Papermag.com.
- ^ Greene, Morgan (June 23, 2017). "Shea Coulee does not slay 'RuPaul's Drag Race' finale". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on November 12, 2020. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
- ^ a b ""Drag Race" Wasn't The First Time Michelle Visage Judged Shea Couleé". NewNowNext.
- ^ a b c Adam B. Vary (May 8, 2020). "'RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars' Moves Back to VH1 From Showtime, Reveals Cast". Variety. Archived from the original on May 8, 2020. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
- ^ a b c Joey Nolfi (July 24, 2020). "RuPaul's Drag Race All-Stars 5 crowns a winner: See who won here". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on July 25, 2020. Retrieved July 25, 2020.
- ^ Shut Up Evan (2020), 42:23.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Greaves, Kayla (January 14, 2021). "Welcome to Shea Couleé's Wonderful World of Wigs". InStyle. Retrieved January 17, 2021.
- ^ a b Hey Qween (July 30, 2018). SHEA COULEE on Hey Qween! - Part 2 | Hey Qween (YouTube video). Archived from the original on October 28, 2019. Retrieved October 28, 2019.
- ^ The Finish Line Show (May 1, 2014). "The Finish Line: Episode 11; Ru Paul's Drag Race Ep. 611" (YouTube video). Archived from the original on October 15, 2019. Retrieved October 15, 2019.
- ^ Times, Windy City (June 21, 2017). "18th annual 30 Under 30 Awards on Wed., June 21 - Gay Lesbian Bi Trans News Archive - Windy City Times". Windy City Times.
- ^ a b Gao, Diandian. "spotlight on shea coulee". Wearo.tv.
- ^ Kirby, Wendy. "Shea Coulee, Slay Queen". blogs.colum.edu.
- ^ The Read: It Takes Two feat. Shea Couleé. YouTube. September 7, 2017. Retrieved August 20, 2019.
- ^ ""Drag Race" Wasn't The First Time Michelle Visage Judged Shea Couleé". NewNowNext.com.
- ^ a b Jung, E. Alex (February 2, 2017). "If It Smells Fishy in Here, It's Because RuPaul's Drag Race Announced Its Season 9 Cast". Vulture. Archived from the original on August 26, 2019. Retrieved October 29, 2019.
- ^ NaomiCampbell [@NaomiCampbell] (April 28, 2017). "Loving RuPaulsDragRace go SheaCoulee love