Yvie Oddly | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Yvie Oddly atRuPaul's DragCon LA, 2023 | |
| Born | Jovan Jordan Bridges[1] (1993-08-22)August 22, 1993 (age 31) Denver, Colorado, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 2012–present |
| Television | |
| Spouse | Doug Illsley (m. 2023)[2] |
| Website | www.OddlyYvie.com |
Jovan Jordan Bridges (born August 22, 1993), known by thestage nameYvie Oddly,[3] is an Americandrag queen, performer,fashion designer, rapper, and recording artist fromDenver, Colorado who came to international attention in 2019 when she won theeleventh season ofRuPaul's Drag Race. She later returned to compete on theseventh season ofRuPaul's Drag Race All Stars, an all-winners season, in 2022. Yvie Oddly has been on the worldwideWerq the World drag concert tour since 2019. In addition to music videos and performances, she explores what she sees as a transformative power of drag by makingthrift store finds into wearable art inYvie Oddly's Oddities series onWOW Presents Plus. She released her debut album,Drag Trap, in 2020.
On June 19, 2024, Yvie Oddly released their biography,[4]All About Yvie: Into The Oddity, which became aUSA Today Best Seller.[5] The book is co-written by Michael Bach.
Jovan Bridges was born on August 22, 1993, inDenver, Colorado.[6] As a child, she played with her mother's makeup and dressed in her sister's clothes, "When I was a six-year-old boy playing dress-up in my sister's tutus and makeup, my parents were like, 'Take that off.' And I was like, 'Why?' I felt pretty and I'd sleep in a skirt every night."[7][8] She participated ingymnastics and other strenuousextracurricular activities until she was diagnosed withEhlers-Danlos syndrome at age fifteen.[9] She beganmusical theatre as an alternative.[9]
Bridges describes her first exposure to drag as taking place in middle school, when a classmate dressed up as ahooker forHalloween and attracted significant attention. The following Halloween, Bridges dressed as a hooker and enjoyed both her peers' shock and admiration.[10] Bridges attendedEast High School, and went to college at theAuraria Campus, both in Denver.[11][12]
Yvie Oddly started her career as Avon Eve, performing for her first time at the Center in Denver, CO. before moving on to performing at Broadways Bar in a show hosted by Mile High Pinky Pie.
Yvie Oddly committed to drag after seeingSharon Needles on the fourth season ofRuPaul's Drag Race which aired in 2012, stating that "[Sharon Needles] was spooky. Her makeup was terrible. She was more dedicated to art andwit than being a glamorousfemale impersonator."[8] Prior to this, Yvie Oddly did not embrace all the opportunities that being a drag artist offered, as she considered herself just a "skinny, black,gay guy."[8]
Yvie Oddly started doing drag during college in 2012 whenVenus D'lite fromRuPaul's Drag Race hosted a workshop on the college campus forValentine's Day,[13] stating that she "attempted some drag (or ghost) makeup, put on a super-cheap red wig and dress, and backflipped my way through "Scheiße" byLady Gaga".[13] Her first performances were at Denver'sgay bar Tracks.[14] The name 'Yvie Oddly' came from her pun to express "being even odder than anybody else";[13] Yvie Oddly soon developed a reputation for having "outrageous and unconventional looks on stage".[15] Heringenuity came from financial necessity as making the "most glamorous or the most expensive" looks was not an option, saying that "I've just always liked to work with the materials that I have around me."[16] In 2014, Yvie Oddly was an extra in the music video forSharon Needles's "Dressed to Kill."[17]
Yvie Oddly was the winner of the Ultimate Queen of Denver pageant in 2015.[18][19] Later that summer, Yvie Oddly became a cast member ofDrag Nation; opened for pop starMya on the Main Stage for PrideFest; and performed inBohemia's The Prohibition of Lust.[13] She was also in the music video forAdore Delano's "Negative Nancy" in 2017.[20]
In 2017, Yvie Oddly stated that she used drag to confrontgender roles.[21] In 2018, when asked about her dragaesthetics, Yvie Oddly said that she liked to shock and surprise with something the audience had not seen before, including dramatic looks, even employingunconventional andfound materials.[12] In 2019, she described herself as a drag queen who blends "artistry, fashion, performance and concept".[21] She draws inspiration from French fashion designerThierry Mugler, British designer andhaute couturierAlexander McQueen, and 'terrorist' drag queenChristeene.[22][23]
In 2018, Yvie Oddly was both the manager at her Denver home drag bar as well as a drag queen, and was looking to transform her drag into a full-time job.[24] She felt the time to make a drastic life change was imminent even if her audition tape did not get her ontoRuPaul's Drag Race.[25]
Yvie Oddly was announced as a cast member inseason eleven ofRuPaul's Drag Race in January 2019; it was her third time to apply as a contestant.[26][27] She is the second queen fromDenver to compete onDrag Race, afterNina Flowers.[a][28] During the competition Yvie Oddly was noted for her eccentric and conceptual looks, her performance ability and her quirky and outspoken personality, she quickly became a fan and judges favorite. Yvie Oddly said the time of the competition was somewhat lonely as she was unable to talk to friends or family.[29] She spoke about her motives for competing on the show:
"It starts to be seen through this two-dimensional perspective of what we expect from drag ... because I've seen a formula building up, where if you have a lot of money and you wear something really sparkly ... the general public is going to fall in love with you. I wanted to shake that up and remind people that this art form is aqueer art form."[30]
Yvie Oddly was the winner of thesecond episode main challenge withScarlet Envy.[31][32] She spent six weeks in a row placing in the top of the competition which makes her the queen with the most times in a row placing in the top afterJinkx Monsoon with eight times. In the eighth episode, however, she andBrooke Lynn Hytes both "bombed" onSnatch Game, the show's parody of celebrity-ledMatch Game.[33] Brooke Lynn Hytes and Yvie Oddly were the bottom two queens and had tolip-sync battle toDemi Lovato's "Sorry Not Sorry" widely seen as one of the best battles in the show's history, causing RuPaul to keep both competitors.[34][35][36][37]
During the show, she was in a constant rivalry with fellow competitorSilky Nutmeg Ganache.[38][39] When asked by RuPaul who should go home Silky named Yvie Oddly because of her twisted ankle even though Yvie Oddly completed the choreography, Yvie Oddly named Silky as the one who should leave because she was resistant to critiques from RuPaul and the other judges.[40] Entertainment siteGold Derby held a poll with 94% siding with Yvie Oddly.[40] During the March 21 episode, while the queens were being taught some complex choreography for a live production of the political satireTrump: The Rusical, Yvie Oddly revealed she had to be careful about dropping to the ground as her joints oftenpopped out of place.[41] She has aconnective tissue disorder calledEhlers–Danlos syndrome type 3 which means she doesn't produce as muchcollagen.[41] Hers is a subtype that is known ashypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (hEDS).[42] Ehlers-Danlos syndromes are associated with faulty collagen production and collagen-modifying enzymes.[43]
In thepenultimate episode, the final five queens wrote, recorded, danced, and performed a verse in asingle-shot video hip-hop version of RuPaul's "Queens Everywhere".[44]Out said Yvie Oddly's performance was the best with her work on point and well performed.[44] They added, "Her risks, boldness, and weirdo ideas have often landed her harsh critiques and enemies on the show — but at least she's out here taking risks".[44] JudgeTodrick Hall later apologized for calling her choreography spastic, he was told by fans in the United Kingdom that it was ataboo thing to say in that country.[45] The judges praised her performance, her verse and her final runway look, and she received the best critiques of the night making her the first queen to be named byRuPaul to move to the finale.[46] Of the top four she was the only one without multiple challenge wins, but also had the fewest times landing in the bottom two, along with rivalSilky Nutmeg Ganache.
In the season finale, held in Los Angeles'Orpheum Theatre, Yvie Oddly was in the final three andlip-sync battled againstA'keria Davenport toRihanna's "SOS", which she won.[47] For that she wore a dress decorated withstuffed animals toys and neonfake fur.[48] Yvie Oddly then faced off in the final lip-sync againstBrooke Lynn Hytes toLady Gaga's "The Edge of Glory", which she also won.[47] She had already shown she could deliver impressive physical performances, so refrained from stunts or gags, and worked to "connect to the song, and deliver a strong artistic performance that would hopefully still get my voice out as an artist."[49]
For the final battle Yvie Oddly wore a distinctive headpiece with mirrors that from the front made her look like she had three faces, and on the back was a second mask,[50] the headpiece was made by Darrell Thorne, while Kristi Siedow-Thompson designed the dress.[51] Her parents, who had not spoken to one another in years, sat together in the audience in support.[52] Yvie Oddly was declared the winner of Season 11 ofDrag Race, and "America's Next Drag Superstar", on May 30, 2019.[53][54] She encouraged the audience to "Follow your oddities and fly your freak flag!"[55] Yvie Oddly also set a record with having the fewest challenge wins of any winner inRuPaul's Drag Race history, a record later tied by her drag sister and season 14 winnerWillow Pill.
Yvie Oddly's win is the latest in a series of title wins byblackqueer andtrans people indrag pageants andleather competitions, aturnaround for LGBTQ communities.[56] She feels that queerpeople of color have not been credited enough for their contributions toqueer culture.[51] Yvie Oddly is "part Black, partCaucasian, and some partNative American."[57] Additionally she says, "there's been so much debate on myrace: whether or not I'm Black, whether or notcolorism is at play."[51] Her anger at being disrespected by the gay community because of being Black prompted her to get into drag.[51]
In Episode 1 ofAll Stars 5, Yvie made a guest appearance as a "Lip Sync Assassin", where she lip-synced againstIndia Ferrah and won.
Yvie Oddly was criticized, especially on social media, for not elevating her looks to befit her title of Drag Queen Superstar, while also being awarded the $100,000 prize.[58] She pointed out that she was a poor Black drag queen with no connections in the larger drag world with humble roots who put everything into her art when she won.[58] By her firstDragCon the only thing that had changed were the connections.[58] She said, "so I spent the next nine months paying back the debt of being THE FIRST winner of my kind since the show's mainstream crossover."[58] She was repeatedly called 'garbage' so decided to reclaim the concept with her looks.[58] "If you refuse to see the ideals behind my choices then it's because you operate from a place of privilege where fashion and drag don't have to speak to your life circumstances, especially not socioeconomically".[58]
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Yvie Oddly was a part of the 2019 North American leg of theWerq the World tour, a multi-year international drag concert tour hosted byMichelle Visage and featuringRuPaul's Drag Race queens.[59] The tour visited seventeen cities throughout North America, including five in Canada. It began in Los Angeles during RuPaul's DragCon LA and ended in September in New York City duringRuPaul's DragCon NYC.[60] The tour continued to major cities in Asia, Australia and New Zealand, ending in November.[61][29]
In June 2019, Yvie Oddly performed atDenver's PrideFest, the city's annualLGBTQ pride parade and festival, and hosted "Drag Nation" at her home bar Tracks.[14] Her first post-win U.K. performance was atBournemouth's DYMK.[62] As part ofStonewall 50 – WorldPride NYC 2019, the world's largest LGBTQ event, Yvie Oddly will perform at the June 26th Opening Ceremony benefiting theAli Forney Center,Immigration Equality, andServices & Advocacy for GLBT Elders (SAGE),[63] and at the LadyLand Festival June 28.[64]
In June 2019World of Wonder, the production company behindRuPaul's Drag Race, announced Yvie Oddly will star in her ownreality show series,Yvie Oddly's Oddities aired worldwide onWOW Presents Plus.[65] It follows the bargain-hunting queen tothrift stores where she shops for "throwaway items to turn one queen's trash into her jaw-dropping fashion treasures".[65][66] Yvie Oddly explained that, "Drag is all about the power of transformation."[67] However, as of 2023, the series is yet to air.
In July 2019, she was criticized for no longer doingselfies after shows citing being physically exhausted; she later added that she had to set boundaries.[68][69] Her genetic conditionHypermobile Ehlers–Danlos syndrome (hEDS) results in chronic pain so she foregoes post-show selfies for more meaningful interactions.[67] Appearing onDrag Race, let alone winning, put Yvie Oddly on a steep learning curve to transform every aspect of her drag art into a business.[25] It also forced her to re-evaluate what she could physically do—as contorting her body in performances takes a toll—while still delivering a drag experience for her audiences.[25] Yvie Oddly stated,
"It's about taking a step back and having a conversation with whatever you're doing. A lot of people are just go, go, go. But you need to see what things are working, what things aren't working, and how to manipulate them in your favor, and think about the people that you're actually making it for."[25]
In September 2019, at RuPaul's DragCon NYC, Yvie Oddly was named as one of a rotating cast of a dozenDrag Race queens inRuPaul's Drag Race Live!, a Las Vegas show residency at theFlamingo Las Vegas.[70]
When asked about the impact of theCOVID-19 pandemic, with its requiredsocial distancing andstay-at-home orders (starting in March 2020), Yvie Oddly remarked that it brought her back to her roots of being creative at home with her roommates.[71] She also feels it frees her to tell more complete stories via video when she can layer performances atop one another, "[until now] I haven't really had a whole lot of time to invest back into the artistry of my drag and to do one-off performances and really throw my all into the creative concept."[71]
In April 2022, Yvie Oddly was announced as one of the eight returning winners that would be competing inseventh season ofRuPaul's Drag Race All Stars, the first ever all-winners season ofDrag Race.[72]
Yvie Oddly has been diagnosed with type 3Hypermobile Ehlers–Danlos syndrome (hEDS).[73][74][75] With her heightened status, she has found a content community of people living with hEDS, and otherinvisible disabilities, who call themselves "zebras", as they have more exotic diseases than doctors would expect.[9] The condition as well as the chronic pain of her "bones grinding" leave her depleted after performing so she foregoes post-show photo ops for more meaningful interactions.[67]
Yvie Oddly is the grandchild of DenverBlack Panther's leader Lauren Watson.[76] Yvie Oddly married Doug Illsley in July 2023.[2]
As a drag queen, she is the drag sister ofWillow Pill, who won thefourteenth season ofRuPaul's Drag Race.[77]
Yvie Oddly is genderqueer,[78] and uses she/he/they pronouns[79]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | RuPaul's Drag Race season 11 | Herself | Winner | |
| RuPaul's Drag Race: Untucked | ||||
| The Morning Show | Guest | |||
| 2020 | RuPaul's Drag Race season 12 | Guest (episode 14) | ||
| RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars season 5 | "Lip Sync Assassin" (episode 1) | [80] | ||
| RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars: Untucked season 2 | ||||
| RuPaul's Drag Race: Vegas Revue | [81] | |||
| 2022 | The Kelly Clarkson Show | Guest | [82] | |
| RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars season 7 | Contestant | [72] | ||
| RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars: Untucked season 4 | [83] | |||
| Countdown to All Stars 7: You're a Winner Baby | VH1 special | [84] | ||
| The View | Guest | [85] |
| Year | Title | Role | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Whatcha Packin' | Herself | [86] |
| Queen to Queen | [87] | ||
| Yvie's Odd School | [88] | ||
| 2020 | Werq the World | [89] | |
| 2022 | BuzzFeed Celeb | [90] | |
| Friendship Test | [91] | ||
| Drip Or Drop? | [92] | ||
| Portrait of a Queen | [93] | ||
| 2024 | Very Delta | [94] |
| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| Drag Trap |
|
| Title | Year | Album |
|---|---|---|
| "Weirdo"[95] (withCazwell) | 2019 | Non-album singles |
| "Dolla Store"[96] | ||
| "Giggling" | 2020 | Drag Trap |
| "Hype" (featuringVanessa Vanjie Mateo) | ||
| "Drag Trap" (featuring Neurotika Killz) | ||
| "Attention" (with Miss Madeline) | Non-album singles | |
| "Winner Winner"(Chicken Dinner Remix) (featuringBebe Zahara Benet &Shea Coulee) | 2021 |
| Title | Year | Album |
|---|---|---|
| "Queens Everywhere"(Cast version) (RuPaul featuring the Cast ofRuPaul's Drag Race, season 11)[97] | 2019 | Non-album singles |
| "Stan for You"[98] Honey Davenport featuring Yvie Oddly | ||
| "Digital Rainbow" Honey Davenport featuring Yvie Oddly,Widow Von Du, Cazwell, and Jayse Vegas | 2020 | |
| "911" Baby Sp!t featuring Yvie Oddly, Shanita Bump, Neurotika Killz, and Ricky Whatever | Heavy Metal Princess | |
| "Energy"[99] (Josh Lumsden featuring Yvie Oddly) | 2021 | Non-album singles |
| "Legends" (Cast Version) (RuPaul featuring the cast ofRuPaul's Drag Race All Stars, season 7) | 2022 |
| Title | Year | Director(s) |
|---|---|---|
| "Weirdo" (with Cazwell and Craig C.) | 2019 | Bottle |
| "Dolla Store" | Assaad Yacoub | |
| "Giggling" | 2020 | Jeanne Jo |
| "Hype" (featuringVanessa Vanjie Mateo) | Jasper Rischen | |
| "Drag Trap" (featuring Neurotika Killz) | Yvie Oddly | |
| "Watermelon Bubblegum" | ||
| "Sick Bitch" (featuringWillow Pill) | 2021 | Yvie Oddly and Willow Pill |
| "Grind Me" | Brad Hammer and Shawn Adeli |
| Title | Year | Artist |
|---|---|---|
| "Dressed to Kill" | 2014 | Sharon Needles |
| "Negative Nancy" | 2017 | Adore Delano |
| "Stan for U" (featuring Yvie Oddly) | 2019 | Honey Davenport |
| "Always"[100] | 2020 | Waze & Odyssey |
| "Digital Rainbow"[101] | Honey Davenport |
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Media related toYvie Oddly at Wikimedia Commons| Awards and achievements | ||
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| Preceded by | Winner ofRuPaul's Drag Race US season 11 | Succeeded by |
