Mariah Paris Balenciaga Explained

Mariah Paris Balenciaga
Birth Name:Elijah A. Kelly[1]
Birth Date:13 February 1981
Birth Place:Gainesville, Georgia, U.S.
Occupation:Drag queen
Years Active:1999–present

Mariah Paris Balenciaga, also simply known as Mariah or Mariah Balenciaga, is the stage name of Elijah A. Kelly (born February 13, 1981),[2] an American drag queen, ball performer, and television personality, best known for competing on the third season of RuPaul's Drag Race (2011) and the fifth season of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars (2020).[3] Since appearing on the show, she has been featured in a number of web series produced by World of Wonder, such as Wait, What?, Transformations, and Fashion Photo RuView. Balenciaga released her first single, "Mug 4 Dayz", on November 19, 2013.

Early life

Kelly was born on February 13, 1982, in Gainesville, Georgia. She later moved to Atlanta when she was 19, and started doing drag in the ballroom scene, becoming a founding member of the House of Balenciaga.[4] She is biracial.[5]

Career

Balenciaga was announced as one of thirteen contestants for the third season of RuPaul's Drag Race in 2011.[6] She was eliminated in the sixth episode after losing a lip sync to "Looking for a New Love" by Jody Watley against Delta Work.[7] In 2018, she appeared with other Drag Race alumni for the first mini challenge of season ten.[8] She asked a viewer question to Eureka O'Hara during the season ten finale episode.[9] She appeared as a guest for the first challenge in the premiere of season eleven of Drag Race.[10] Balenciaga was also a drag professor for the second and third season of RuPaul's Drag U in 2011 and 2012.[11]

Outside of Drag Race, she makes guest appearances for the WOWPresents Internet series "Fashion Photo RuView" filling in for either Raja or Raven, reviewing looks from Drag Race alumni. Her first appearance was on June 9, 2016. She also makes recurring appearances on another WOW series, "Wait, What?" as the co-host to Kimora Blac, where they answer trivia questions. Her first appearance was in the debut episode.[12]

Balenciaga was with other Drag Race alumni for an episode of Skin Wars in 2015.[13] She was one of the performers for Phi Phi O'Hara's benefit show for the hurricane in Puerto Rico.[14] [15]

She was one of the background dancers for Miley Cyrus's 2015 VMA performance.[16] She was a background dancer again, playing as one of the Spice Girls for Rita Ora on an episode of Lip Sync Battle in March 2018. She was a backup dancer for Lip Sync Battle again in 2019 for Nico Tortorella.[17]

In August 2019, she was featured in Women's Wear Daily magazine, alongside Kimora Blac, Mayhem Miller, and Kameron Michaels.[18]

In 2020, Balenciaga returned for the fifth season of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars, placing 8th overall. Her performance in the first episode was praised for raising awareness of systemic racism and prejudice, made particularly timely in wake of the Black Lives Matter movement, and Balenciaga was even given a shoutout by current guest judge Ricky Martin for her performance.[19] [20]

In September 2020, Balenciaga was featured alongside many other black RuPaul's Drag Race alum in a "Stop The Racism" PSA, speaking out against toxic, racist fans within the Drag Race community.[21]

She was a featured performer during Jennifer Lopez's performance at the 2022 iHeartRadio Music Awards.[22]

Music

Balenciaga released her first single, "Mug 4 Dayz", on November 19, 2013. A remix EP of the song was released on April 11, 2014. Balenciaga appeared in the music video for Pandora Boxx's "Oops I Think I Pooped" on September 24, 2018. She appeared in a music video for Lizzo's song "Juice" on April 17, 2019.[23] She appeared in a music video for pop duo Aly & AJ's song "Star Maps" on June 12, 2019.[24]

Discography

EPs

Singles

!Year!Song
2013"Mug 4 Dayz"
2020"Stains on the Wall"

As Featured Artist

Filmography

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
2011RuPaul's Drag Race (season 3)HerselfContestant (9th place)
2011
2011-12RuPaul's Drag U[26]
2015Skin WarsSeason 2 - episode 4[27]
2018RuPaul's Drag Race (season 10)Guest - Episode 1[28]
2018Lip Sync BattleBackup dancer
2018Drag QueenCameo role - episode 2
2019RuPaul's Drag Race (season 11)HerselfGuest - Episode 1[29]
2019Lip Sync BattleHerselfBackground dancer
2020AJ and the QueenHerselfGuest appearance[30]
2020RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars (season 5)HerselfContestant (8th place)
RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars: Untucked (season 2)[31]
2021The BrownsHerselfGuest appearance[32]

Web series

YearTitleRole
2014TransformationsHerself
2015Rooftop Lipsync
2015-2019Drag Queens React
2016–19Fashion Photo RuView
Wait, What?
2017M.U.G.
Spilling the Tea
2018Cosmo Queens
2019Wigs in a Blanket
Bootleg Opinions
Follow Me
Iconic
Reading Queens
2019-23The Pit Stop[33]
2020Whatcha Packin'
2021Hey Qween!
2023Binge Queens: Drag Race Mexico[34]

Music videos

YearTitleArtist
2016Expensive[35] Todrick Hall
2017Expensive (Deluxe Version)Todrick Hall
Stun[36] Alaska ft. Gia Gunn
2018Oops I Think I Pooped[37] Pandora Boxx
Excuse The BeautyLatrice Royale
Girly[38] John Duff
2019JuiceLizzo
Star MapsAly & AJ

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Elijah A Kelly . Ancestry Institute . Ancestry . November 12, 2022.
  2. News: Mariah Paris Balenciaga "It Gets Better!". 2014-08-07. Abby Normal. 2018-09-09. en-US.
  3. News: 'RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars' Moves Back to VH1 From Showtime, Reveals Cast . Adam B. Vary . May 8, 2020 . May 8, 2020 . . May 8, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200508164145/https://variety.com/2020/tv/news/rupauls-drag-race-all-stars-vh1-cast-reveal-1234601593/ . live.
  4. News: Mariah Balenciaga. Grizzly Kiki. 2018-09-09. en-US.
  5. News: The Queen of The Ballroom – Mariah Balenciaga Talks Returning For "All-Stars" & What We May Not Know About The Ballroom Scene. June 24, 2020. Michael. Cook. Instinct. March 24, 2021.
  6. Web site: Alexis Mateo: RuPaul's Drag Race Season 3 Contestant - RuPaul's Drag Race (Video Clip) LOGOtv. Logo TV. 2018-09-09. 2021-01-27. https://web.archive.org/web/20210127133915/http://www.logotv.com/video-clips/rdgg2j/rupauls-drag-race-alexis-mateo-rupaul-s-drag-race-season-3-contestant. dead.
  7. News: 'RuPaul's Drag Race': How 'Precious' was Stacy Layne Matthews last night?. EW.com. 2018-09-09. en.
  8. News: RuPaul Brings Back Katya, Porkchop, Kim Chi, Jujubee, Detox, and More to Help Judge the First Mini-Challenge of Season 10. https://web.archive.org/web/20230515101634/https://www.vh1.com/news/fdkyj4/rupaul-brings-back-queens-to-judge-mini-challenge. live. May 15, 2023. VH1 News. 2018-09-09.
  9. News: The A.V. Club convenes its own judges' panel for the RuPaul's Drag Race season-10 finale. Club. The A.V.. The A.V. Club. 2018-09-09. en-US.
  10. Web site: 'RuPaul's Drag Race' 11 episode 1 recap: Which queen was sent packing on 'Whatcha Unpackin'? [UPDATING LIVE BLOG]]. 2019-02-28. Goldderby. en. 2019-03-01.
  11. Web site: RuPaul's Drag U: Professor Mariah. Gascot. John. 2011-07-27. Huffington Post. en-US. 2018-09-09.
  12. Web site: Wait, What?. WOW Presents Plus. en. 2018-09-09.
  13. News: Skin Wars season 2 episode 4 recap: Drag Queens are here!. 2015-07-08. Channel Guide Magazine. 2018-09-09. en-US.
  14. News: The "Drag Race" Queens Are Going All Out To Raise Money For Puerto Rico. LOGO News. 2018-09-09.
  15. Web site: Queens United/Reinas Unitas-The Ladies of "RuPaul's Drag Race" Hit The Stage For The People Of Puerto Rico!. Cook. Michael. 2017-10-28. Huffington Post. en-US. 2018-09-09.
  16. News: Meet All 30 Of Miley's Day-Glo Dancers From Her Insane VMA Performance. https://web.archive.org/web/20150831110139/http://www.mtv.com/news/2256541/meet-miley-vma-dancers-drag-queens/. dead. August 31, 2015. MTV News. 2018-09-09. en.
  17. Web site: WATCH: 'Younger' Star Nico Tortorella Stunned as Ariana Grande on 'Lip Sync Battle' • Instinct Magazine. 2019-06-07. Instinct Magazine. en-US. 2019-06-07.
  18. News: How Drag Queens Broke Through the Beauty Barrier. Women's Wear Daily. 2019-09-21.
  19. News: The 'All Stars' 5 Premiere Included A Powerful Performance About Systemic Racism. June 5, 2020. Kayla. Blanton. Bustle. March 24, 2021.
  20. News: Drag Race legend Mariah Paris Balenciaga reveals she was 'cringing' over All Stars lip sync. June 24, 2020. Reiss. Smith. PinkNews. March 24, 2021.
  21. News: Black Drag Race Stars Urge Fans to 'Stop the Racism' in PSA. September 22, 2020. Daniel. Reynolds. The Advocate. March 24, 2021.
  22. Web site: March 23, 2022 . Drag Race Queens Paid Tribute To Jennifer Lopez At Her iHeartRadio Music Awards Performance . March 23, 2022 . Raffy. Ermac. Out.com . en.
  23. Web site: Lizzo - JUICE Music Video feat. RuPaul's Drag Race Queens. . 2019-04-17. 2019-04-17.
  24. Watch Aly & AJ's 'Star Maps' music video featuring stars from Shameless, Drag Race, Silicon Valley, The Goldbergs, and more . Huff . Lauren . June 12, 2019 . . June 12, 2019.
  25. Web site: I'm In Love - Single. iTunes.
  26. News: RuPaul's Drag U: Professor Mariah. Gascot. John. July 27, 2011. Huff Post. September 17, 2021.
  27. News: Skin Wars season 2 episode 4 recap: The Drag Queens are here!. Boulet. Ruth. 2015-07-08. Channel Guide Magazine. 2020-04-10.
  28. Web site: Watch Drag Race fan favourites return for the season 10 premiere. Gay Times. Damshenas. Sam. 22 March 2018. June 5, 2021.
  29. News: O’Keeffe . Kevin . 'RuPaul's Drag Race' Season 11 premiere recap: Queens here, queens there, queens everywhere . Xtra . 28 February 2019.
  30. News: RuPaul brings 22 Drag Race queens to costar on AJ and the Queen. Nolfi. Joey. 2019-12-03. EW.com. 2019-12-03.
  31. News: 'RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars' Brings Back 'Untucked' Aftershow For Season 5 . Dino-Ray Ramos. June 8, 2020 . June 5, 2020 . . June 5, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200605143129/https://deadline.com/2020/06/rupauls-drag-race-all-stars-untucked-season-5-vh1-lgtbq-1202951656/. live.
  32. News: 'The Browns' Are Back in Town with a Second Season. Patterson. Denny. November 11, 2021. Out Front Magazine. January 10, 2022.
  33. News: Voss . Brandon . 2019-04-13 . Mariah Balenciaga and Manila Luzon Have Thoughts About This Week's "RuPaul's Drag Race" . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20200220225520/http://www.newnownext.com/mariah-balenciaga-manila-luzon-pit-stop-rupauls-drag-race-season-11-episode-7-recap/04/2019/ . February 20, 2020 . 2020-04-10 . NewNowNext.com.
  34. SNEAK PEEK - Binge Queens: Drag Race Mexico, airing Tuesdays only on WOW Presents Plus!. WOW Presents. June 23, 2023. June 23, 2023.
  35. News: Kim Chi, Willam, Mariah, Alaska And Laganja Get "Expensive" With Todrick Hall. Tharrett. Matthew. 2016-07-21. NewNowNext.com. 2020-04-10.
  36. News: Alaska and Gia Gunn feel their oats in new music video Stun. Hill. Leigh. February 28, 2017. OutInPerth. October 7, 2020.
  37. News: Pandora Boxx Lets it Rip With Alaska, Jasmine Masters and More in Epic Katy Perry Parody: Watch. Bote. Joshua. 2018-09-24. Billboard.com. 2020-04-10.
  38. News: This 'Girly' Pop Singer Just Re-Created Some of Your Favorite Female-Fronted Music Videos. Horbelt. Stephan. 2018-08-24. Hornet. 2020-03-03.