American drag performer and television personality
Mariah Paris Balenciaga
Born (1981-02-13 ) February 13, 1981 (age 43) Occupation
Drag queen Years active 1999–present Known for
Mariah Paris Balenciaga , or simply known as Mariah , 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]
[6]
Career
Balenciaga was announced as one of thirteen contestants for the third season of RuPaul's Drag Race in 2011.
[7] She was eliminated in the sixth episode after losing a
lip sync to "
Looking for a New Love " by
Jody Watley against
Delta Work .
[8] In 2018, she appeared with other Drag Race alumni for the first mini challenge of
season ten .
[9] She asked a viewer question to
Eureka O'Hara during the season ten finale episode.
[10] She appeared as a guest for the first challenge in the premiere of
season eleven of Drag Race.
[11] Balenciaga was also a drag professor for the second and third season of
RuPaul's Drag U in 2011 and 2012.
[12]
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.
[13] 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.
[14]
Balenciaga was with other Drag Race alumni for an episode of
Skin Wars in 2015.
[15] She was one of the performers for
Phi Phi O'Hara 's benefit show for
the hurricane in
Puerto Rico .
[16]
[17]
She was one of the background dancers for
Miley Cyrus 's 2015
VMA performance.
[18] 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.
[19] She was a backup dancer for Lip Sync Battle again in 2019 for
Nico Tortorella .
[20]
In August 2019, she was featured in
Women's Wear Daily magazine, alongside
Kimora Blac ,
Mayhem Miller , and
Kameron Michaels .
[21]
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.
[22]
[23]
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.
[24]
She was a featured performer during
Jennifer Lopez 's performance at the
2022 iHeartRadio Music Awards .
[25]
Music
Balenciaga released her first single, "Mug 4 Dayz", on November 19, 2013.
[26] A remix EP of the song was released on April 11, 2014.
[27] Balenciaga appeared in the music video for
Pandora Boxx 's "Oops I Think I Pooped" on September 24, 2018.
[28] She appeared in a music video for
Lizzo 's song "
Juice " on April 17, 2019.
[29] She appeared in a music video for pop duo
Aly & AJ 's song "Star Maps" on June 12, 2019.
[30]
Discography
EPs
Singles
Year
Song
2013
"Mug 4 Dayz"
2020
"Stains on the Wall"
As Featured Artist
Filmography
Television
Web series
Year
Title
Role
Ref.
2014
Transformations
Herself
[39]
2015
Rooftop Lipsync
[40]
2015-2019
Drag Queens React
[41]
2016–19
Fashion Photo RuView
2016–19
Wait, What?
2017
M.U.G.
[42]
2017
Spilling the Tea
[43]
2018
Cosmo Queens
[44]
2019
Wigs in a Blanket
[45]
2019
Bootleg Opinions
[46]
2019-23
The Pit Stop
[47]
[48]
2019
Follow Me
[5]
2019
Iconic
[49]
2019
Reading Queens
[50]
2020
Whatcha Packin'
[51]
2021
Hey Qween!
[52]
2023
Binge Queens: Drag Race Mexico
[53]
Music videos
References
^
"Elijah A Kelly" . Ancestry Institute . Ancestry. Retrieved November 12, 2022 .
^
"Mariah Paris Balenciaga "It Gets Better!" " . Abby Normal . 2014-08-07. Retrieved 2018-09-09 .
^
a
b Adam B. Vary (May 8, 2020).
" 'RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars' Moves Back to VH1 From Showtime, Reveals Cast" .
Variety .
Archived from the original on May 8, 2020. Retrieved May 8, 2020 .
^
"Mariah Balenciaga" . Grizzly Kiki . Retrieved 2018-09-09 .
^
a
b WOWPresents (2019-05-06),
FOLLOW ME: Mariah Balenciaga ,
archived from the original on February 11, 2021, retrieved 2019-05-10
^ Cook, Michael (June 24, 2020).
"The Queen of The Ballroom – Mariah Balenciaga Talks Returning For "All-Stars" & What We May Not Know About The Ballroom Scene" .
Instinct . Retrieved March 24, 2021 .
^
"Alexis Mateo: RuPaul's Drag Race Season 3 Contestant - RuPaul's Drag Race (Video Clip) | LOGOtv" . Logo TV . Archived from
the original on 2021-01-27. Retrieved 2018-09-09 .
^
" 'RuPaul's Drag Race': How 'Precious' was Stacy Layne Matthews last night?" . EW.com . Retrieved 2018-09-09 .
^
"RuPaul Brings Back Katya, Porkchop, Kim Chi, Jujubee, Detox, and More to Help Judge the First Mini-Challenge of Season 10" . VH1 News .
Archived from the original on May 15, 2023. Retrieved 2018-09-09 .
^ Club, The A.V.
"The A.V. Club convenes its own judges' panel for the RuPaul's Drag Race season-10 finale" . The A.V. Club . Retrieved 2018-09-09 .
^
" 'RuPaul's Drag Race' 11 episode 1 recap: Which queen was sent packing on 'Whatcha Unpackin'? [UPDATING LIVE BLOG]" . Goldderby . 2019-02-28. Retrieved 2019-03-01 .
^ Gascot, John (2011-07-27).
"RuPaul's Drag U: Professor Mariah" . Huffington Post . Retrieved 2018-09-09 .
^ WOWPresents (2016-06-09),
RuPaul's Drag Race Fashion Photo RuView with Raja and Mariah Balenciaga: Social Media Ep 39 , retrieved 2018-09-09
^
"Wait, What?" . WOW Presents Plus . Retrieved 2018-09-09 .
^
"Skin Wars season 2 episode 4 recap: Drag Queens are here!" . Channel Guide Magazine . 2015-07-08. Retrieved 2018-09-09 .
^
"The "Drag Race" Queens Are Going All Out To Raise Money For Puerto Rico" . LOGO News . Retrieved 2018-09-09 .
^ Cook, Michael (2017-10-28).
"Queens United/Reinas Unitas-The Ladies of "RuPaul's Drag Race" Hit The Stage For The People Of Puerto Rico!" . Huffington Post . Retrieved 2018-09-09 .
^
"Meet All 30 Of Miley's Day-Glo Dancers From Her Insane VMA Performance" . MTV News . Archived from
the original on August 31, 2015. Retrieved 2018-09-09 .
^
a
b Lip Sync Battle (2018-03-29),
Charli XCX's "Shape of You" vs. Rita Ora's "Wannabe" | Lip Sync Battle , retrieved 2018-09-09
^
a
b
"WATCH: 'Younger' Star Nico Tortorella Stunned as Ariana Grande on 'Lip Sync Battle' • Instinct Magazine" . Instinct Magazine . 2019-06-07. Retrieved 2019-06-07 .
^
"How Drag Queens Broke Through the Beauty Barrier" .
Women's Wear Daily . Retrieved 2019-09-21 .
^ Blanton, Kayla (June 5, 2020).
"The 'All Stars' 5 Premiere Included A Powerful Performance About Systemic Racism" . Bustle . Retrieved March 24, 2021 .
^ Smith, Reiss (June 24, 2020).
"Drag Race legend Mariah Paris Balenciaga reveals she was 'cringing' over All Stars lip sync" .
PinkNews . Retrieved March 24, 2021 .
^ Reynolds, Daniel (September 22, 2020).
"Black Drag Race Stars Urge Fans to 'Stop the Racism' in PSA" .
The Advocate . Retrieved March 24, 2021 .
^ Ermac, Raffy (March 23, 2022).
"Drag Race Queens Paid Tribute To Jennifer Lopez At Her iHeartRadio Music Awards Performance" . Out.com . Retrieved March 23, 2022 .
^
Mug 4 Dayz - Single by Mariah Balenciaga , 2013-11-19, retrieved 2018-09-09
^
Mug 4 Dayz Stone Cold Remixes by Mariah Balenciaga , 2014-04-11, retrieved 2018-09-09
^ Pandora Boxx (2018-09-24),
Pandora Boxx - Oops I Think I Pooped (Official Video) , retrieved 2018-09-24
^
"Lizzo - JUICE Music Video feat. RuPaul's Drag Race Queens" .
YouTube . 2019-04-17. Retrieved 2019-04-17 .
^ Huff, Lauren (June 12, 2019).
"Watch Aly & AJ's 'Star Maps' music video featuring stars from Shameless, Drag Race, Silicon Valley, The Goldbergs, and more" .
Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved June 12, 2019 .
^
"I'm In Love - Single" . iTunes .
^ Gascot, John (July 27, 2011).
"RuPaul's Drag U: Professor Mariah" . Huff Post . Retrieved September 17, 2021 .
^ Boulet, Ruth (2015-07-08).
"Skin Wars season 2 episode 4 recap: The Drag Queens are here!" . Channel Guide Magazine . Retrieved 2020-04-10 .
^ Damshenas, Sam (22 March 2018).
"Watch Drag Race fan favourites return for the season 10 premiere" . Gay Times . Retrieved June 5, 2021 .
^ O’Keeffe, Kevin (28 February 2019).
" 'RuPaul's Drag Race' Season 11 premiere recap: Queens here, queens there, queens everywhere" . Xtra .
^ Nolfi, Joey (2019-12-03).
"RuPaul brings 22 Drag Race queens to costar on AJ and the Queen" . EW.com . Retrieved 2019-12-03 .
^ Dino-Ray Ramos (June 8, 2020).
" 'RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars' Brings Back 'Untucked' Aftershow For Season 5" .
Deadline .
Archived from the original on June 5, 2020. Retrieved June 5, 2020 .
^ Patterson, Denny (November 11, 2021).
" 'The Browns' Are Back in Town with a Second Season" . Out Front Magazine . Retrieved January 10, 2022 .
^ WOWPresents (2014-09-16),
James St. James and Mariah Balenciaga: Transformations ,
archived from the original on January 12, 2021, retrieved 2019-09-21
^ WOWPresents (2015-07-09),
Mariah Balenciaga & Jaidynn Diore Fierce in Morgan McMichaels' Rooftop Lipsync ,
archived from the original on November 19, 2020, retrieved 2019-09-21
^ WOWPresents (2015-06-24),
Part 2 | Drag Queens Reading Mean Comments w/ Alaska, Raja, Raven, Milk, Morgan, and More! , retrieved 2019-10-23
^ WOWPresents (2017-02-09),
M.U.G. with Kim Chi & Mariah Balenciaga - First Timer Mistakes ,
archived from the original on November 20, 2020, retrieved 2019-05-10
^ WOWPresents (2017-06-27),
Spilling The Tea: The Queens Kiki on Gay Dating Apps & Lady Gaga's 'Born This Way: Billboard ,
archived from the original on November 25, 2021, retrieved 2019-08-02
^ Cosmopolitan (2018-10-11),
Mariah Balenciaga | Cosmo Drag Queens | Cosmopolitan ,
archived from the original on July 3, 2020, retrieved 2019-05-10
^ Producer Entertainment Group/PEG (February 26, 2019),
Chicken Adobo You Betta Don't | Wigs In A Blanket - Episode 4 ,
archived from the original on June 30, 2021, retrieved June 26, 2021
^
Yuhua Hamasaki (April 1, 2019),
MARIAH BALENCIAGA joins BOOTLEG FASHION PHOTO RUVIEW: Season 11 Episode 5! ,
archived from the original on November 21, 2020, retrieved April 11, 2020
^ Voss, Brandon (2019-04-13).
"Mariah Balenciaga and Manila Luzon Have Thoughts About This Week's "RuPaul's Drag Race" " . NewNowNext.com .
Archived from the original on February 20, 2020. Retrieved 2020-04-10 .
^ Youtube (2023-02-04),
The Pit Stop S15 E06 🏁 | Bianca Del Rio & Mariah Are Golden! | RuPaul's Drag Race S15 ,
archived from the original on February 11, 2021, retrieved 2023-02-07
^ WOWPresents (2019-06-25),
ICONIC with Brad Goreski: Mariah Balenciaga , retrieved 2019-08-02
^ WOWPresents (2019-06-06),
Mariah Balenciaga: Reading Queens with Psychic Char Margolis ,
archived from the original on July 1, 2020, retrieved 2019-09-14
^ WOWPresents (June 19, 2020),
Whatcha Packin': SPOILER ALERT! | S5 E3 | RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars , retrieved June 20, 2020
^ Hey Qween (January 25, 2021),
MARIAH BALENCIAGA on Hey Qween! with Jonny McGovern- Part 1 ,
archived from the original on February 16, 2021, retrieved January 25, 2021
^
SNEAK PEEK - Binge Queens: Drag Race Mexico, airing Tuesdays only on WOW Presents Plus! . WOW Presents. June 23, 2023. Retrieved June 23, 2023 .
^ Tharrett, Matthew (2016-07-21).
"Kim Chi, Willam, Mariah, Alaska And Laganja Get "Expensive" With Todrick Hall" . NewNowNext.com . Retrieved 2020-04-10 .
^ Hill, Leigh (February 28, 2017).
"Alaska and Gia Gunn feel their oats in new music video Stun" . OutInPerth . Retrieved October 7, 2020 .
^ Bote, Joshua (2018-09-24).
"Pandora Boxx Lets it Rip With Alaska, Jasmine Masters and More in Epic Katy Perry Parody: Watch" . Billboard.com . Retrieved 2020-04-10 .
^ Horbelt, Stephan (2018-08-24).
"This 'Girly' Pop Singer Just Re-Created Some of Your Favorite Female-Fronted Music Videos" . Hornet . Retrieved 2020-03-03 .
External links