Lawrence Chaney | |
---|---|
Born | Lawrence Maidment 16 October 1996 |
Citizenship | Scottish |
Occupation | Drag queen |
Years active | 2014–present |
Television | RuPaul's Drag Race UK (series 2) |
Website | lawrencechaney |
Lawrence Chaney (born Lawrence Maidment; 16 October 1996) is a Scottish Glasgow-based drag queen. They are best known for winning the second series of RuPaul's Drag Race UK , becoming the first Scottish drag queen and the second Plus Size contestant to win across the franchise. Their role on the series later earned them the 2021 BAFTA Scotland Audience Award. [1] [2] As part of their Drag Race victory, Chaney was awarded their own online television series, later titled Tartan Around, which premiered in 2022. [3]
Chaney has professionally fulfilled their career as a drag performer since 2014 in Glasgow. In an interview with Metro, Chaney said their drag surname "Chaney" was inspired by 1920s prolific silent movie star Lon Chaney and explained that, "He was known as the man of a thousand faces and I'm known as the queen of a thousand faces, because I'm good at impersonation, stupid voices and general buffoonery." [4]
In December 2020, Chaney was announced as one of twelve contestants competing on the second series of RuPaul's Drag Race UK . [1] [5] On 18 March 2021, Chaney was announced as the winner of the series, becoming the first Scottish and first plus-size winner of a Drag Race season hosted by RuPaul (the first ever being Drag Race Thailand season 1 winner Natalia Pliacam). [6] As part of their Drag Race victory, Chaney was awarded their own online television series, later titled Tartan Around, which premiered in 2022. [3]
In March 2021, Chaney, alongside their fellow RuPaul's Drag Race UK finalists Tayce, Bimini Bon Boulash and Ellie Diamond, was photographed and interviewed for The Guardian [7] and later British Vogue . [8] Lawrence also embarked on a UK Tour alongside A'Whora, Bimini Bon-Boulash, and Tayce for the United Kingdolls Tour with promoter Klub Kids in July 2021, [9] and in February 2022, Chaney embarked on RuPaul's Drag Race UK: The Official Tour alongside the entire cast of the second series of RuPaul's Drag Race UK, in association with World of Wonder and promoter Voss Events. [10]
In April 2021, Chaney was interviewed for and featured on the cover of Attitude's "Tea Time Digital Special", in association with Taimi. [11] Chaney was also a featured guest and panelist at the digital National Student Pride 2021 event. [12]
In May 2021, Transworld announced they had acquired the rights to Chaney's forthcoming memoir, Lawrence (Drag) Queen of Scots: The Dos and Don'ts of a Drag Superstar. [13]
Preceding RuPaul's Drag Race UK, Chaney has been a frequent collaborator with the BBC (especially BBC Sounds). On 21 August 2021, they presented the Saturday mid-morning slot on BBC Radio 1 from 10:30am, alongside Arielle Free and other drag queens, as part of "Drag Day". [14]
Chaney grew up in both Helensburgh in Scotland and Newbury in England. [15] Chaney currently resides within the Gorbals area of Glasgow, Scotland. [16] They have expressed their support for Scottish independence. [17]
Regarding their gender identity, Chaney stated in an article for the i : "I still don't know if I am male, female, or somewhere in between. I think the best way to describe my gender is fluid, but this isn't finite. I see myself as ever evolving and always discovering more about myself." [18]
Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|
2019 | Mother Tuckers | Themself | Television documentary | [19] |
2021 | RuPaul's Drag Race UK | Contestant | Winner; Series 2 | [1] |
Lorraine | Themself | Guest | [20] | |
Celebrity Juice | Themself | Guest | [21] | |
The Hit List | Themself | Guest | [22] | |
The Great British Sewing Bee | Themself | Guest | [23] | |
2022 | Cherry Valentine: Gypsy Queen and Proud | Themself | BBC Documentary | [24] |
Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway | Themself | Performed as part of the End of the Show Show | [25] | |
Celebrity Gogglebox | Themself | Guest | [26] | |
Blankety Blank | Themself | Guest | [27] | |
Martin Compston's Scottish Fling | Themself | BBC Scotland miniseries; Episode: "The West Coast" | [28] | |
Celebrity Lingo | Themself | Guest | [29] | |
The Wheel | Themself | Guest | [30] | |
RuPaul's Drag Race UK | Themself | Guest; Series 4 | ||
Lawrence Chaney's Homecoming Queens | Themself | |||
TBA | Slaycation | Themself | [31] |
Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|
2021 | Radio 1 Drag Day with Lawrence Chaney & Arielle Free | Themself | BBC Radio 1 | [32] |
Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|
2021 | National Student Pride 2021 | Themself | National Student Pride | [12] |
2021 | Cosmo Queens UK | Themself | Cosmopolitan UK | [33] |
2021 | I Like to Watch UK | Themself | Netflix UK | [34] |
2022 | Tartan Around | Themself | WOWPresents+ Original | [35] |
2022 | God Shave the Queens | Themself | Featured queen | [36] |
2022 | Bring Back My Girls | Themself | Guest | [37] |
2023 | Give It to Me Straight | Themself | Guest | [38] |
2023 | Binge Queens | Themself | Guest | [39] |
2024 | The Pit Stop | Themself | Guest | [40] |
RuPaul's Drag Race Live Untucked | Themself | WOWPresents Plus original | [41] | |
House of Laughs | Themself | WOWPresents Plus original | ||
Touch-Ups with Raven | Themself | |||
Title | Year | Album |
---|---|---|
"We Werk Together" (with Ant & Dec, The Vivienne and Krystal Versace) | 2022 | Non-album single |
Title | Year | Peaks | Album | |
---|---|---|---|---|
UK [42] | UK Big Top 40 [43] | |||
"UK Hun?" [44] (among The Cast of RuPaul's Drag Race UK, Season 2 ) | 2021 | 27 | 3 | Non-album singles |
"A Little Bit of Love" [45] (among The Cast of RuPaul's Drag Race UK, Season 2 ) | — | — | ||
"UK Hun?" [46] (Frock Destroyers featuring Lawrence Chaney) | — | — |
Year | Title | Promoter | Location | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|
2021 | Squirrel Friends | Klub Kids | London, Manchester, Birmingham, Liverpool and Newcastle | [47] |
2021 | United Kingdolls The Tour | Klub Kids | Torquay, Southampton, Newcastle, Glasgow, Sheffield, Leeds, Cardiff, Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham and London | [9] |
2021 | The Lawrence Chaney Show | Klub Kids | Reading, Southampton, Torquay, Bath, Exeter, Plymouth, Nottingham, Hull, London, Sheffield, Birmingham, Cardiff, Leeds, Manchester, Liverpool, Middlesbrough, Newcastle, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee and Brighton | [48] |
2022 | RuPaul's Drag Race UK: The Official Tour | Voss Events / World of Wonder | Ipswich, Oxford, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Newcastle, Nottingham, Bournemouth, Southend, Manchester, Sheffield, Blackpool, Llandudno, Birmingham, Cardiff, Liverpool, Basingstoke, Portsmouth, Plymouth and London | [10] |
2022 | United Kingdolls Tour | ITD Events / Klub Kids | Sydney, Adelaide, Melbourne, Brisbane, Auckland and Wellington | [49] |
Year | Award ceremony | Category | Work | Results | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2021 | 31st British Academy Scotland Awards | Audience Award | Themself | Won | [50] |
2022 | The WOWIE Awards | Best Book Award (The Reading is Fundamental Award) | (Drag) Queen of Scots: The Dos and Don’ts of a Drag Superstar | Won | [51] |
I Like to Watch is a 2019 American web series hosted by drag queens Trixie Mattel and Katya Zamolodchikova. The series was created by Netflix, and streams on the company's YouTube channel. I Like to Watch films its hosts as they view and react to various Netflix Original Programming and licensed films streaming on Netflix. The first season aired from November 21, 2019, to March 21, 2020. A second season, recorded in the duo's homes during the COVID-19 pandemic, premiered on May 23, 2020. The third season, still recorded from home but with the hosts together in person before moving to a new set, premiered on February 20, 2021. The series won a People's Voice Webby Award in 2022. In 2023 the series won a Bronze Anthem Award in the Awareness & Media categories for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion.
RuPaul's Drag Race is an American reality competition television series, the first in the Drag Race franchise, produced by World of Wonder for Logo TV, WOW Presents Plus, VH1 and, beginning with the fifteenth season, MTV. The show documents RuPaul in the search for "America's next drag superstar". RuPaul plays the role of host, mentor, and head judge for this series, as contestants are given different challenges each week. Contestants are judged by a panel that includes RuPaul, Michelle Visage, one of three rotating judges, as well as one or more guest judges, who critique their progress throughout the competition. The title of the show is a play on drag queen and drag racing, and the title sequence and song "Drag Race" both have a drag-racing theme.
RuPaul's Drag Race UK is a British reality competition television series based on the American television series of the same name. The television series, a collaboration between the BBC and World of Wonder, premiered on 3 October 2019. The show is the fourth installment of the Drag Race franchise, and the second fronted by RuPaul. The show documents RuPaul and a panel of judges' search for "the United Kingdom's next drag superstar", the first series title dubbed "UK's First Drag Superstar". RuPaul plays several roles on the show including host, mentor and head judge for the series, as the contestants are given different challenges to participate in each week. The show also employs a panel of judges: RuPaul, Michelle Visage, Alan Carr, and Graham Norton.
Canada's Drag Race is a Canadian reality competition television series based on the American series RuPaul's Drag Race and is the Canadian edition of the Drag Race franchise, produced by Blue Ant Studios. In a similar format to the American version, the show features a crop of Canadian drag queens as they compete for a grand prize of $100,000 and the title of "Canada's Next Drag Superstar". The series airs on Crave in Canada, the United Kingdom's BBC Three, and worldwide on WOW Presents Plus.
"Break Up (Bye Bye)" is a song recorded by British drag girl group the Frock Destroyers for the Girl Group Battle Royale challenge during their stint on the first series of the reality television competition, RuPaul's Drag Race UK. During the episode the contestants had to create girl groups to participate in the challenge; there were two versions of the song released, the first being by Divina de Campo, Baga Chipz and Blu Hydrangea. The alternate version was released by Filth Harmony, consisting of Drag Race UK winner The Vivienne, Cheryl Hole and Crystal, however the latter did not chart. The song was released on 31 October 2019. The song was also included in the band's debut album, Frock4Life, which was released 11 December 2020. The song was primarily written by Leland and Freddy Scott with De Campo, Chipzs and Hydrangea writing the lyrics for their individual verses.
Drag Race is a drag queen reality competition television franchise, created by American drag entertainer RuPaul with production company World of Wonder. The franchise originated with RuPaul's Drag Race, which premiered in the United States in 2009. The objective of that series is to crown "America's Next Drag Superstar" who possesses the traits of "charisma, uniqueness, nerve, and talent". The original series is often credited for bringing drag into the "mainstream". The popularity of the original series led to the creation of a media franchise including spin-offs and international adaptations.
God Shave the Queens is a documentary television series about the tours following the first two series of RuPaul's Drag Race UK. The show originally premiered internationally on 10 September 2020 on WOW Presents Plus internationally, and BBC iPlayer on 15 November 2020 in the United Kingdom.
Reginald "Reggie" Gavin, known by the stage name Symone, is an American drag queen and model. She is best known as the winner of season 13 of RuPaul's Drag Race (2021). She is a member of the queer art collective House of Avalon.
George Boyle, better known by the stage name A'Whora, is a British drag queen from Worksop, England. He is best known for competing on the second series of RuPaul's Drag Race UK.
Thomas George Graeme Hibbitts, better known by the stage name Bimini Bon-Boulash or Bimini, is an English drag queen, author, recording artist and model based in East London, and born in Great Yarmouth, England. They are best known for competing on the second series of RuPaul's Drag Race UK, where they placed as a runner-up.
George Ward, better known by the stage name Cherry Valentine, was an English drag queen and mental health nurse who competed in the second series of the television show RuPaul's Drag Race UK. Raised in a Romanichal community, Ward has been credited as the first contestant on the Drag Race franchise to acknowledge his Romani heritage. In 2022, he addressed his background in the BBC documentary film Cherry Valentine: Gypsy Queen and Proud, and in an episode of the documentary series God Shave the Queens. Following Ward's suicide in 2022, a memorial concert and fundraiser was held at London's Clapham Grand.
Elliot Glen, better known by the stage name Ellie Diamond, is a Scottish drag performer most known for competing on the second series of RuPaul's Drag Race UK.
Tayce Szura-Radix is a Welsh drag queen, rapper and model from Newport, Wales. She is best known for competing in the second series of RuPaul's Drag Race UK, in which she placed joint runner-up.
Lawrence John Bolton, better known by the stage name Tia Kofi, is a British drag queen and singer from Clapham, South London. They are best known for competing on the second series of RuPaul's Drag Race UK (2021), and winning the second series of RuPaul's Drag Race: UK vs. the World (2024).
"UK Hun?" is a song recorded by British drag girl group United Kingdolls for The RuRuvision Song Contest challenge during their stint on the second series of reality television competition, RuPaul's Drag Race UK. The episode has contestants participate in a Eurovision-style performance. The song was released on February 11, 2021. It was primarily written by Leland, with Lawrence Chaney, Bimini Bon-Boulash, A'Whora and Tayce writing the lyrics for their individual verses.
"The RuRuvision Song Contest" is the fifth episode of the second series of the UK version of the American reality competition television series RuPaul's Drag Race, which aired on BBC Three, on 11 February 2021. This is the first episode filmed after the production of RuPaul's Drag Race UK was halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic, seven months after the previous episode. Veronica Green was forced to withdraw from the competition due to testing positive for COVID-19. As a result, the first three contestants eliminated, Joe Black, Cherry Valentine and Asttina Mandella, were brought back and the remaining contestants voted on whom they wanted to return to the competition. Joe Black was voted to return to the competition. Ginny Lemon was not included due to having eliminated themself from the competition.
The second series of RuPaul's Drag Race UK began airing on 14 January 2021 on the BBC Three section of BBC iPlayer and WOW Presents Plus streaming service. The series was confirmed and casting was closed on 15 November 2019. Production was suspended mid 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic but resumed late 2020. The cast of 12 new queens was announced on 16 December 2020 and the series premiered on 14 January 2021. It was also announced a special episode RuPaul's Drag Race UK: Queens on Lockdown would air, following the queens during the first lockdown. This special episode was released on 12 February.
Canada's Drag Race: Canada vs. the World is an international all-stars series of Drag Race that premiered via Crave and WOW Presents Plus on November 18, 2022. The series, a spinoff of Canada's Drag Race, follows RuPaul's Drag Race: UK vs. the World, which brought together past competitors from the Drag Race franchise.
Girl groups have been featured across the Drag Race franchise. Many Drag Race series have hosted challenges requiring girl groups to compete against one another. The challenge started with the second season of the American spin-off series RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars. In 2022, Sam Brooks of The Spinoff said the girl group challenge has become a "classic" and a season highlight because "it tests the contestant's ability to write a verse, choreograph a dance routine, remember that choreography, and most crucially, work with others in a team".