Oh Shangela—where do we begin with this notorious RuPaul’s Drag Race drag queen everyone loves to hate?
We first came to know her back in Season 2, when the hit reality TV show was just beginning to find its legs, and the only people watching were diehard worshippers of drag culture. An unseasoned queen just a few months old to the scene, Shangela Laquifa Wadley (whose real name is D.J. Pierce) was quickly eliminated in the first episode, and told to work on her craft. Then came the shocker of Season 3. After all the new contestants had had their fabulous introductions in the workroom, who else but Shangela popped up, literally, out of a box as a surprise contestant; it would become one of the most loved running gags of the entire series.
She eventually placed sixth in the season, and went on to make guest appearances in various seasons, towing along her infamous self-coined catchphrase “Halelloo”. But Shangela returned to the show once again to compete, in RuPaul’s Drag Race: All Stars 3—making her the only contestant in Drag Race history to compete in three separate seasons of the show. And now, she’s making her way to Singapore.
On Dec 12, Shangela will be bringing her brand new show “Shangela is Shook” to Shine Auditorium, in her debut performance in Singapore. Since her time on RuPaul’s, she’s also guest-starred in various television shows like 2 Broke Girls and Glee, as well as films like Hurricane Bianca (starring fellow RuPaul’s alumni Bianca Del Rio) and Lady Gaga biopic A Star Is Born. Will she arrive in a cardboard box? We hope so.
The announcement comes just a month after the spectacular fail that was Season 9 winner Sasha Velour’s Singapore performance, which sparked outrage among drag enthusiasts islandwide. In a nutshell, the show was criticized for falsely advertising that Velour would be the main event, when in actuality the lipsync fiend only performed for a grand total of 20 minutes.
We’ve seen Shangela come a long way since her shaky beginnings in the series; and we’d like to think RuPaul kept calling her back as a figure parallel to the show’s incredible growth. Fingers crossed then that the organizers have learnt their lesson, and will put together a monumental show for her this December—something she and every other touring drag queen deserves. Halleloo.
Shangela is Shook is happening Dec 12 at Shine Auditorium, 100 Beach Rd. Tickets go on sale at 10am on Aug 21 here.
