'RuPaul's Drag Race': Who is Kandy Muse? Meet New York queen who has All-Star winner Shea Coulee rooting for her
From the moment Kandy Muse stepped into the Werk Room of 'RuPaul's Drag Race' Season 13, all decked out in denim with her boom box in tow, it was a sign that this was one contestant you need to keep your eyes on. Although the first episode hasn't given us much to work with, Kandy seems like a well-rounded charismatic queen who brings her unique brand to the table.
Having won the first ever lip sync of the season against Joey Jay, we're curious to see what this young drag queen is all about.
She auditioned 4 times before she got in
Some iconic drag queens get on 'Drag Race' in their first shot of sending their audition tapes, while others take a while to get on. Kandy falls into the second category seeing that she auditioned four times before she finally made the cut.
Her love for makeup led to drag
Believe it or not, Kandy's first reaction to her doing drag was a resounding no. "Ew! There's no way in hell I would ever be a drag queen. You're crazy." Is what she told a friend when they suggested it, as mentioned in an interview with paper magazine. But at the time, she also had a friend who used to practice their makeup skills on her.
She always had an interest in makeup, and when her friend went on to become a makeup artist at Sephora, Kandy followed suit. At the same time she began posting her drag looks on Instagram — when it came down to choosing between working at Sephora and drag, she picked the latter. Her initial drag name was actually Kandy Ho which she later went on to change it to Kandy Muse.
She was a part of Haus of Aja
Kandy Muse, along with Dahlia Sin (who was the first to get eliminated in Season 12, only to make a comeback in nearly every episode, in her iconic broccoli costume) were a part of the Haus of Aja, founded by Drag Race alumni and All Star Aja. Haus of Aja became popular quite quickly, gaining quite the following on social media. However, the group didn't last for long, seeing that Aja decided to disband, to pursue a musical career.
Without their drag mother, it made no sense to call themselves the Haus of Aja and the group decided to rebrand themselves, and went with the name Dollhaus instead. Aja since then has quit drag and is continuing to work on creating a career in music instead. Her drag daughters seem to be more than okay though, seeing that Dahlia has made a name for herself and Kandy is expected to be a frontrunner in the show.
She's popular on Instagram and in the NYC Drag Scene
With 146k followers on Instagram and multiple weekly shows in New York and a few in Vancouver, Kandy Muse is a regular part of the New York drag scene. This pandemic hasn't hindered her at all, seeing that she's also hosting shows and events online, her most recent one being with Nicky Doll, from Season 12.
She's definitely a queen to look out for
You haven't really watched an episode of 'Drag Race' if you don't watch the episode breakdowns on YouTube immediately after. Because who else can explain all the looks featured in an episode better than Raja and Raven as seen on 'Fashion Photo Ruview' or have winners like Trixie Mattel talk about the twists and turns on 'The Pit Stop'.
Kandy's cast reveal photo got an instant seal of approval from Season 3 winner Raja and Season 2 runner up and All-Star Raven, both of whom were impressed with the way Kandy put her look together.
On the latest episode of 'The Pit Stop' hosted by Trixie Mattel, where she interviewed fellow All-Star winner Shea Coulee, they both spoke about how they are looking forward to Kandy's run on the show, seeing that she is in fact a strong contender. Looks like a lot is riding on the young queen's shoulders.
Catch RuPaul's Drag Race' Season 13 on VH1. For more information, check your local listings.
