Brita Filter

Last updated
Brita Filter
Born
Jesse Carl Havea [1]

(1985-09-16) September 16, 1985 (age 38) [1]
NationalityAmerican
Occupation Drag queen
Television
Website thebritafilter.com

Brita Filter, the stage name of Jesse Carl Havea, is an American drag queen who has appeared on Shade: Queens of NYC and the twelfth season of RuPaul's Drag Race , ultimately placing 8th. [2]

Contents

Early life and career

Havea was born in Anthem, Arizona before moving to Dover-Foxcroft, Maine as a kid. She is of Tongan descent. [3] Havea was born and raised Mormon. [4] Havea grew up as a child performer, and later went on to book national tours with theater companies and eventually studied acting at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy. [5] He later became a stage actor and performed in various regional and national productions. He landed the role of a stepsister in the musical production of Cinderella . On the last night of his tenure with this production, Havea met a girl named "Brita" and decided to make "Brita Filter" his stage name that night. [6] He then returned to Manhattan and started his business performing as Brita Filter, a drag queen, [2] stating, "So after that finished, I came back to New York that day, and I decided I was going to take over New York!" [6]

In 2016, Havea won the 2016 Glam Awards for Best Duo alongside fellow drag artist Terra Hyman. [7] In 2018, she won the Best Host and the NYC Entertainer of the Year Award at the Annual Glam Awards. [8] In 2020, Havea co-hosted the 21st annual GLAM Awards, alongside Bob the Drag Queen. [9]

Havea performed alongside Katy Perry on Saturday Night Live , performing her song "Swish Swish". [10] [11] [12]

Havea starred in a segment called "How Drag Queens Are Getting Out the Vote" on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah , along with RuPaul's Drag Race Season 12 co-stars Jaida Essence Hall, Heidi N. Closet and Jackie Cox. [13]

Havea is a co-chair of Drag Out The Vote, a nonpartisan nonprofit that works with drag performers to promote participation in democracy.

Havea joined the cast of Shade: Queens of NYC at its inception in October 2017, as Brita Filter. The series documents the daily reality of lives as Manhattan drag queens. [14]

On January 23, 2020, Havea was announced as one of the thirteen contestants on the twelfth season of RuPaul's Drag Race , becoming the first Pasifika queen to appear on the show. [15] To protect copyright, his stage name on the show is shortened from "Brita Filter" to simply "Brita". [16] In the fourth episode, "The Ball Ball", Havea lipsynced for her life against Rock M Sakura, sending them home to "S&M" by Rihanna. [17] She later found herself again in the bottom two in episode six, where she lipsynced for her life against Aiden Zhane, to "Let It Go" by Caissie Levy, where Brita also sent Aiden home. [18] She was in the bottom two again on episode seven, where she lipsynced for her life against Heidi N. Closet, to "Burning Up" by Madonna, Havea lost the lipsync and went home. [19]

Brita placed 8th overall in the competition.

Personal life

Havea is pansexual, and their preferred pronouns are "anything respectful". [20]

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNotesRef.
2010 The Sorcerer's Apprentice Calcutta PeasantUncredited [21]

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
2012City of DreamsSVU ActorEpisode: "Pilot"
2017 Shade: Queens of NYC HerselfLead role
Saturday Night Live Background dancer
2019 Broad City Guest [22]
2020 RuPaul's Drag Race Contestant (8th Place)
RuPaul's Drag Race: Untucked
Kal Penn Approves This Message HerselfEpisode "Kal Penn Approves Education"
The Daily Show with Trevor Noah HerselfEpisode 3457, August 21, 2020 [13]

Web series

YearTitleRoleNotesRef
2017Daniel's DeskHimselfEpisode 1 [23]
2019Cosmo QueensHimselfCosmopolitan Series [24]
2020Drag NewsHimselfGuest [25]
2020The X Change RateHimselfSegment: Brita Unfiltered [26]
2020Whatcha PackinHimselfGuest [27]
2020Review with a JewHimselfGuest [28]
2020Da FuqHimselfGuest [29]
2020Out of the ClosetHimselfGuest [30]
2020 Bring Back My Ghouls HerselfGuest [31]
2022 Bring Back My Girls HerselfGuest

Theatre

YearProductionRoleVenueNotesRef(s)
2014 Forever Plaid SmudgeFine Arts Center Theatre CompanyCredited as Jesse Havea [32]
Cinderella: A New Telling of an Old TaleStepsisterPenobscot Theatre Company [33]
2017The Shards of an Honor Code JunkieStarr Lyte Metro Baptist Church Credited as Jesse Havea & Brita Filter [34]
2021Hard On LoveSteveThe Blank Theater (digital)Credited as Jesse Havea [35]

Discography

TitleYearAlbum
"I'm That Bitch" [36]
(with The Cast of RuPaul's Drag Race Season 12)
2020non-album single
"Madonna: The Unauthorized Rusical"
(with The Cast of RuPaul's Drag Race Season 12)
"The Shady Bunch" [37]
(with The Cast of RuPaul's Drag Race Season 12)
"You Brita Vote, Kay? [38]

(with Bryce Quartz and KayKay Lavelle)

non-album

single

Awards and nominations

YearAwardCategoryWorkResultRef.
2022 The WOWIE Awards Resistor of the Year (The Right Side of Herstory Award)HerselfWon [39] [40]

See also

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References

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