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The most shocking moment in the season premiere of RuPaulโs Drag Race occurred when season two contestant Shangela (a/k/a Shangela Laquifa Wadley, the Debutantess of the Deep South) returned to compete for the title of โAmericaโs Next Drag Superstarโ. Although she may not have as much experience as her fellow competitors, sheโs surely got just as much heart and passion for performing. You canโt not be in a good mood when you talk to Shangela! We chatted with Shangela about her return to Drag Race, how she got her start as a drag entertainer and her future plans. With her infectious personality and homegrown charm, itโs easy to see how this queen got a second chance to compete for the title!
Shangela: Halleloo, somebody!
Socialite Life: Halleloo! Hi Shangela! How are you?
Shangela: I am fabulous! How are you today?
SL: Iโm great because Iโm talking to you!
Shangela: Aww, yay! Thank you for that, I appreciate that.
SL: I was so happy to see you come back on RuPaulโs Drag Race
Shangela: Well, honey, only half as happy as I was to be back!
SL: On the premiere, they made sure to let the viewers (and the other queens) know that you had to audition again to get on Drag Race 3.
Shangela: Thatโs right, just like everyone else! You know, there were tons and tons of applicants โ even more than the first two years โ this year, so the competition was stiffer. But, you know, I felt like I worked so hard over the last year and why not? I really wanted to come back and show that I am Americaโs Next Drag Superstar โ not because Iโm specialized in one specific area, just because I work hard in all of the different areas. I feel like Iโve been in โdrag boot campโ over the last year! So, I was excited to put in an audition tape and hopefully come back and I was just lucky that RuPaul felt the same way.
SL: What was it like to get that second chance?
Shangela: Girl! Iโll tell you this, the day I got the call, I really, really almost didnโt believe it because, going on the show, doing the second season, Iโd only been doing drag for five months โ and to get a huge honor like that to compete with 12 other of the best divas out there, I already had such a great opportunity. And I was only on one episode, you know this, but I worked it as hard as I could over the next year, just to get better and take what I learned from that one episode and go farther. So, I was like, โIโm going to try thisโ and to get that call saying โWeโre going to bring you backโ and you get another shot at this โ itโs a second chance at life really. And you play it in your head like, โOkay, what am I going to do better? How am I going to turn this time?โ, but itโs so much more pressure too because when you get a second chance, I feel people judge you more critically.
SL: Was the reaction of the other girls when they first saw you this season creative editing or did they really have those expressions on their faces when they laid eyes on you?
Shangela: Girl, if it was creative editing, I need to hire that person to get the reactions for everything I say in life! Those were the most real expressions on their faces โ you know, I jump out of a Christmas box โ first of all, I look like โjack-in-the-box Shangelaโ โ and I come popping out of this box and to see all of those faces, their jaws were just on the ground. And I thought that โ you know me, Iโm Shangela, I hug everybody โ so Iโm like โHey, Iโm back! How is everybody?โ and everyoneโs looking at me like, โWho? Oh, really?โ
SL: Do you feel like the competition is stiffer this season?
Shangela: Well, you know, I was only there for one episode last season and this yearโs girls are a completely different batch from last yearโs girls. I canโt really comparatively judge them โ but I can tell you that this yearโs girls were sickening! Because as more people are competing, Ru and the judges โ and everyone who chooses the contestants on the show โ theyโre having to see everyone pulling out the best of the best. So, definitely, it was a tough competition and these girls are stiff competition, period.
SL: So, letโs talk about you. How did you get your start in drag?
Shangela: Well, you know, this is pretty much my anniversary month. Iโve been doing drag now for exactly two years but going on the show, Iโd only been doing it for 4 months. I kind of fell into it, to be honest with you. I was choreographing a number, Beyonceโs โSingle Ladiesโ, for these three guys who were doing a charity event here in West Hollywood and, the night before the guys were to go on, one of them got sick. So they called me and said (of course, I wasnโt Shangela yet), โDJ, is there any way you can help us out? You know all of the steps and we really want to do this as a trioโ and Iโm thinking, โI donโt have any wigs, I donโt have any makeup.โ Butโฆwell, you know, Iโm gay, honey! So, just a man around the corner has a wig, a dress, something in your size, a bra, some padsโฆand the next thing you know, I was filling in for him. And the guy who runs the show said, โI would love for you to come back and I would love to book you for our showโ and I said โOh, this isnโt my thing. Iโm not a drag performer, I was just filling inโ and he said, โYou can win moneyโ And girl, you know weโre in a recession! (Laughs) But, to be honest with you, Iโve always been a performer. Iโve been a backup dancer for some of the best drag queens in the business back in Texas and I always watched them and I learned by watching but I just love to entertain. So I say it chose me and I fell into it and now Iโm just loving it.
SL: How did the character of Shangela come to life โ and how would you describe her?
Shangela: Well, sheโs evolved, okay? (Laughs) Iโll tell you this โ Shangela is a little bit bougy, but sheโs also your homegirl. Iโve always stuck to that and I also have affectionately titled myself โThe Debutantess of the Deep Southโ โ and that speaks a lot about Shangela. Shangela is sweet, sheโs somewhat refined but sheโs also your girl from the block. Anybody you want to call or go out with โ the party girl whoโs going to tell it like it is โ thatโs Shangela.
SL: I saw you do stand up on Logo and I thought you were hilarious! Is that something you had done before you started doing drag?
Shangela: Well, you know, the really cool thing is โ and I donโt know if you know this โ but before I went on Drag Race, Iโd been working a 9-to-5 office life in PR for the last couple of years and, you know, sometimes you just feel โ I donโt know if you ever feel like this โ but I felt like this just isnโt everything that I want out of my life. Itโs great, it works for a lot of people but, for me, I felt almost trapped. I was getting up at seven to be on the road by eight, be at the office by nine and then leave at six, get home at seven, go to bed at ten to get back up at seven โ you know? And that was every day of the week and I just felt like when I got the opportunity to go on Drag Race, this was my shot. And my job told me, โIf you go there, weโre not going to be able to keep your job for youโ, so I quit โ in the middle of a recession โ and thatโs not an easy thing to do but when you have a passion, sometimes youโve got to step out on a little bit of faith โ halleloo! So thatโs what I did, and luckily, it worked out really well for me. It opened the door for me. I didnโt go back to workโฆhereโs the thing, when I left to go on Drag Race, I was like, โBaby, yes, Iโm going to win this. Iโm going to take care of my family and Iโm going to be the next drag superstarโ โ and I went home after the first episode. And I kind of had a little moment of shock like, โOh my God, what have I done? I quit my job. I donโt have any checks coming in. Whatโs going on?โ โ but that opened the door for me to really do what Iโm supposed to do with my life โ and thatโs being an entertainer. I started doing stand up comedy at a couple of clubs here in Los Angeles and they picked me up at The Comedy Store. They said, โWe think youโre funny. We want you to come every two weeks.โ and from there, they cast me to do stand up comedy and host the Logo comedy special. So all of thatโs kind of come as a result of me following my dreams โ and starting it with Drag Race.
SL: Do you think being able to do stand up is a benefit to your drag career?
Shangela: Oh my God, yes! Any time I can be on a stage and perform is a benefit to my career. Any time that I can make someone else laugh or touch someoneโs life โ because you really donโt know how much laughter impacts our world, it really does. And thatโs what I think I bring to my everyday lifeโฆyou ask my friends, honey, their stomachs are hurting all of the time because we just sit around and laugh! But I love to bring that to the stage so I think that, yeah, being in drag definitely helps me have more experiences that are crazy and funny โ and I can take them right to the stage.
SL: When youโre on stage, what do you enjoy the most about performing?
Shangela: Itโs the connection that you get with the audience. You know, a lot of people can put a great look together and get on stage and they look gorgeous and they do their song โ if itโs a lip sync โ or they do their form of entertainment; but if you donโt connect with the audience, then the people in the audience donโt get the full experience of being at the show. And thatโs what I bring every time I hit the stage โ thatโs what I really want to bring is an experience. Itโs not just, โIโm going to see Shangelaโ. Itโs โIโm going to experience Shangelaโ and thatโs what you get! Thatโs what I love about being on stage, the way you can really connect with people in the audience and have a good time!
SL: As far as inspirations for your drag performances โ do you have any?
Shangela: Oh, definitely! I have so many because Iโm new โ so everything is so wide-eyed to me. I get so much from so many different people. I look at peopleโs fashion or I look at the way people bring fire to the stage, thereโs always me in the performance but a lot of times โ especially makeup, honey! I have a drag mother who I got after I started doing drag โ but I used to dance back-up for her. Her name is Alyssa Edwards out of Dallas, Texas. Now she is the most winningestโฆcan I say, bitch? She is the most winningest bitch in captivity, okay? She has won every pageant because sheโs refined and what I have in entertainment Iโve had to really try and gather fast to meet that or match it with refinement, with makeup and the ability to sew and create costumes and just to be organized with your drag โ because it can be a lot. So, I learned a lot from her. Iโve learned a little from afar by watching Ru as a businessperson โ making drag, not just a past time or a hobby โ but, as I said, I left my job and this is what I do full-time now. Itโs now a business. Itโs about marketing, itโs about branding, itโs about connecting to your fans, itโs about being fresh, new and re-inventing yourself โ and thatโs what I hope to continue to bring.
SL: Do you think your background in PR has helped you in your drag career?
Shangela: You know, my background in life helps it out! And, Iโm just fortunate โ definitely the PR piece, because you can go into a meeting and people are talking about, โWeโre going to do these t-shirts with youโ and you can know that there needs to be a strategy behind just putting some t-shirts together. There needs to be a business model that works with doing everything in drag โ you know, a big misconception about drag queens is that this is what theyโve done all of their lives. And there are some drag queens who have โ and thatโs great for them โ but I know drag queens who are attorneys, I know drag queens who, you know, have full, married lives and have children and I know drag queens who are creative in the arts โ artists, stylists, everything โ we come from all walks of life. So I think a lot of us โ including myself โ bring what we have from our background and put it into our drag to make us successful.
SL: Were you able to learn anything or take anything away from this seasonโs experience?
Shangela: A check! (Laughs) Iโm telling you, what I always take away from last yearโs experience on Drag Race and this yearโs experience on Drag Race is not only the connection, the family with the other girls โ because you know there are some catty bitches in that room, okay? There are! And they will fight tooth and nail to get to the top, as when youโre in a competition you sometimes have to. But what the viewers at home donโt get to see is that after the show and even during in the show, we develop such great relationships between a couple of us โ and thatโs what I love โ the sisterhood of drag โ because you canโt get far without helping someone else and someone else has to bump you and thatโs what I really believe in. I get so many emails and so many calls from new drag queens on the scene โ because I think thatโs part of the genre of the group that I represent as well because Iโm so new โ and fierce! I really have to be a role model for them and I think itโs important that we help each other โ and, on the show, you donโt get to see it, but weโve built a great sisterhood there โ a family.
SL: What kind of advice are you giving to these aspiring drag queens?
Shangela: Well, Iโd say watch, listen, learn and always do you! Thatโs it! You can watch a lot of people โ but you donโt want to become anyone else โ the whole thing about drag is that its self-expression. Itโs unleashed, okay? Anything that you think that canโt be done in dragโฆyes, it can! If youโre a nasty, stank ho and you want to get on the stageโฆthatโs youโre drag โ you do you! Thatโs not Shangela! But you do you! And thatโs my advice to all of them. Makeupโฆthatโs the โwatch, listen, learnโ part โ the makeup, the putting yourself together, the hoe to be organized, the how to make it workโฆbut when you get on stage, ainโt nobody there but you and the lights! So you have to do you!
SL: Is there a lot of DJ in Shangela?
Shangela: Yes, but Shangela takes it to the next level โ a different level. In my day-to-day life, Iโm entertaining, Iโm funny, I love my friends, we have a good time, that kind of thingโฆyes! Shangelaโs more of an all out-there partier. Youโre going to see me on the stage at the club, having a good time, toasting it up with the girls. Iโm a little bit louder โ if you can even imagine that because Iโm mighty loud today! But, I just take it up a notch and when youโre a girl โ or when youโre putting on an illusion โ itโs a full-on illusion to me. When you meet Shangela, you get the Shangela voice, the Shangela essence, the Shangela smell โ I mean, I am Juicy Couture fish! I love just putting all of that together as Shangela. Now, in my day-to-day life, Iโm not so glamorous all of the time. Right now, Iโm just sitting here โ I just helped my friend with a photo shoot this morning at the LA river, and Iโm very โcall me up, Iโll help anyoneโ and I was holding a reflector, Iโve got my hair snatched back in a bun with a baseball cap on with sunglasses โ thatโs the farthest thing from glamour that you can get! But youโll never see Shangela in a pair of sweats โ I donโt even show up at the club in a pair of tennis shoes, no maโam!
SL: What do you think separates you from the other queens this season?
Shangela: Weโre all very, very different. Youโve seen the first episode, you can already see a lot of the really sharp differences. I think what sets me apart is thatโฆwell, two things. One, Iโve been in this setting before, so I feel like I have something to prove this time around. So, the fire in me, I feel is burning a little bit brighter โ itโs a little bit hotter because I feel like I have so much to proveโฆI have a huge weight on my shoulders, being brought back to represent those who havenโt been doing it for a long time, to say it doesnโt matter how long youโve been doing something, you can still rock it and you can be the fiercest bitch in the room! Itโs not years of experience, itโs how hard youโre willing to work, and I think thatโs what really sets me apart in this room is that Iโm here to work โ and that is W-E-R-Q! โ with the exclamation point! Iโm going to work, so I think thatโs what sets me apart. I donโt want to be the baby of the group this time around even though I have the least amount of experience in drag. Iโm nobodyโs baby. My years of experience are less than the other girls, but then again, the fire is burning hot and somebody better step back or youโre going to get burned!
SL: What would people be surprised to know about you?
Shangela: Iโm a very open book, a lot of people donโt know that Iโm from Paris, Texas. I tell everyone that as soon as I meet them, but they look at me and say, โYou donโt have a Texas twang.โ Well, you know, give me a bucket of chicken and a Coca-Cola and the next thing you know, Iโm just as country as can be! But, I am from Paris, Texas. Itโs a very small town and I grew up with my grandparents and my Mom came back from the military and I grew up with her in a single-family home and I really worked a lot to have the experiences in my life that Iโve had. But you wouldnโt know that Iโve worked on the hill for a year or that I studied abroad in Madrid in art historyโฆnobody wants to know all of that, they just want to see what you have on the stage. But there are so many layers to me, and I love just sharing a lot and everything about me, so thereโs not a lot people donโt know about me โ if you choose to get to know me.
SL: How would you describe your look?
Shangela: Sickening โ thatโs pretty much the way you would describe my look! To be honest with you, I think that my look justโฆthereโs so many looks because itโs dragโฆthe everyday Shangela is glamour and homegirl โ all together. Itโs glamour girl from the streets โ because, with me, I always keep it real. I can have on the Alexander McQueen, straight off the runway, and look fish sickening boots โ and we can still roll in that to the Taco Bell. Thatโs who I am and that essence of me keeping it real just comes with everything โ and I think thatโs the best way that you can connect with people โ there are no walls, there is no diva attitude โ I am a diva, make no mistake, when I come into a room, I feel like itโs important to say, โIโm hereโ, but you donโt have to say that out loud to do that, you just have to walk in and be โ and thatโs Shangela.
SL: What does the future hold for Shangela?
Shangela: Well, specifically, on the show, I want to win โ so, my aspiration is to go home as Americaโs Next Drag Superstar. In addition to that, I really just want to be able to show that thereโs so many different talents to drag queens to me, as Shangela, that I hope Iโm able to express to the full extent on the show. Iโm a comedian, Iโm an entertainer, Iโm a host โ I would love after the show to go on and represent โ whether it be brands or a show host, having someone sitting on my couch every week and keeping it real and talking. Be the Andy Cohen, have a Life on the D List โ I live here in Los Angeles and I am a diva on the rise. So, with all of those experiences, people should be able to see those and experience those as well and hopefully, one day, Iโll have a platform to share that with them.
SL: Do you have any interest in a singing career?
Shangela: You know, I think that a lot of girls have done great with their careers, from season two especially โ and season one. I know that my sister Sahara Davenport just put out a new single โPump with Meโ which is kick-ass, itโs a dance track. And I love to sing, Iโm a Tina Turner fanatic. But I think where Iโm going to start is by doing a one-woman show and my calling is entertaining people, making people laugh. Whether itโs singing, putting out a hot dance track โ you know, I can disco dance โ and I love the Pussycat Dolls โ bringing that kind of fire to the stage. But Iโm really going to focus on entertaining any way I can right now. If it comes later in a song, it comes later in a song โ but Iโve got to write it, itโs got to come from me because I feel that only I can really have my voice and weโre just going to work it out.
SL: Are you going to continue doing stand up?
Shangela: Yes! Most definitely. Iโm bringing a show to New York, I think itโs going to be at Carolineโs on Broadway later this spring so Iโm really about that. I work here at The Comedy Store and we just started a new night at Hamburger Maryโs in West Hollywood, and Iโm hosting that show as well. You know, I do those shows in drag and out of drag and itโs always a good time!
SL: Are you planning on touring after the show?
Shangela: Oh, honey, Iโm touring! I just launched a new website, Shangela.com โ please send everybody and their grandmother to it! It has my entire touring schedule there. Iโm on the move, honey!
SL: Besides your website, is there any other way fans can keep in touch with you?
Shangela: Most definitely! You know, Iโm a Tweet from the street, girl! You can follow me on Twitter @itsShangela and on my Facebook fan page! Oh, my God, I have to tell you about the new film! Iโm in this new film, as Shangela, called Body of a Barbie, okay? Itโs a short film we produced in Los Angeles and it got picked up by BET, it aired last fall, and itโs actually now in the top seven finalists of the BET Lens on Talent program. So, they had this huge competition for short films and our film was in the top seven in the US. Itโs called Body of a Barbie and itโll be back on BET this spring and Iโm really excited about that.
SL: Oh, I almost forgot to mention that I thought you were awesome on Terriers!
Shangela: Oh, thank you! That was my first guest starring role and the writers were so awesome. You know, when I auditioned, I was only on three pages of script, and when I got to San Diego to film it, they thought that the character needed more involvement in the show and it went from three pages to 28 pages of a 42 page script and I wanted to bring the fire, because that episode was directed by Adam Arkin and he was fabulous to work with and they were so great and so respectful and I got to be in drag and out of drag and itโs done a lot of great things for me. Actually, Iโm going to be on an episode of this show on ABC called Detroit 1-8-7. We just shot that โ me, Coco Peru and Jai Rodriguez โ and it airs February 15th on ABC.
SL: Thank you so much for your time and good luck with everything!
Shangela: Aww, thank you! I wish I could give you a big hug! Halleloo!
This article was originally published on January 25, 2011.
RuPaulโs Drag Race Holi-Slay Spectacular featuring Shangela airs Friday, Dec. 7 at 8:00 p.m. ET on VH1.