Midlands performers join Drag Race UK cast

RuPaul’s Drag Race UK is set to return to BBC iPlayer and BBC Three this autumn, and among the fresh new cast of drag queens are three performers hailing from the West Midlands. Staffordshire’s KY Kelly, Dudley’s Naya Thorn, and Birmingham’s Anita Piss will hit TV screens in series 8 of Drag Race UK, competing for the title of the UK’s next drag superstar.

KY Kelly (42) is from Rugeley in Staffordshire but now performs up and down the country. A “live singing comedy diva of the cabaret scene”, she has been doing drag for almost 16 years, and is “fully booked and blessed.” She has performerd on cruises, and joined the cast of musical theatre productions including Everybody's Talking About Jamie.

“I've always described myself as an old school drag queen with a modern twist,” Ky Kelly explains. “I like the glitz, and the glam, and I like to diamante everything within an inch of its life.

“I might be 42, but I can't wait to live out my pop star fantasy. I'm really excited and a little bit nervous because once you put twelve drag queens in a room with their huge hair and huge egos it could be explosive!

“I’m bold, I'm brash and I'm sassy and I do not suffer fools gladly. I am not backward in coming forward. If I've got something to say, then I'm going to say it. Buckle up!

“I am the full package. I want to win this competition as a win for the older, more mature divas, and showcase the cabaret scene. I'm going to slide into this competition and make you want a little bit more KY.”

Hailing from Dudley, Naya Thorn (24) started drag in Liverpool and now resides in Manchester.

“If you come to a Naya Thorn show, you’re going to get a theatre performance that is going to make you feel every emotion. Are you going to feel happy or are you going to feel sad? That depends on the song, but I will always choose a song that means something to me. I just really enjoy connecting with an audience,” says Naya.

“I am a very competitive person. So that may get in the way of any potential werkroom friendships. I have my eyes on the prize.

“I think I should be the UK's next Drag Race Superstar because I strive to be perfection. I'm giving you everything.”

Finally, Birmingham’s Anita Piss (37) says ‘Alright bab’ to the competition. Originally from the second city, her father is Jamaican and her mother is British, “so I have a mixed heritage with plenty of cultural reference points to pull from,” Anita explains. Her drag though she says born in “the dark, subversive East London drag scene…”

“Entering Drag Race has been a lifelong ambition and I am feeling cool, calm, and collected because that is the Anita Piss way. I have applied for Drag Race UK five times, and so it’s fifth time lucky for me!”

These three Midlands queens will be joined by nine other competitors: Alik, Coral-Hole Mandi, The Delta Quadrant, Flesh, Luck Roy Singh, ma_danni_x, Mocha, Paris Baby, and Tequila Thirst. RuPaul’s Drag Race UK series 8 will air from 3^rd September across 10 weeks, as twelve drag queens compete for the crown.