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A'keria C. Davenport

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A'Keria Chanel Davenport
A'Keria C. Davenport in 2019
Born
Gregory D'Wayne

(1988-03-01) March 1, 1988 (age 36)
Oak Cliff, Texas, U.S.
Occupation
Years active2011–present
Known forRuPaul's Drag Race (season 11) contestant
RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars (season 6) contestant
Websitetheonlyakeria.com

A'Keria Chanel Davenport (born March 1, 1988)[1] is the stage name of Gregory D'Wayne,[2] an American drag queen best known for competing on the eleventh season of RuPaul's Drag Race (2019) and the sixth season of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars (2021). As a professional entertainer, she has won several national titles in drag pageantry systems, including Miss Black Universe in 2017.[3] Davenport was recognized by Dallas Voice as a Texan of the Year in 2019.[4]

Career

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2011–2018: Drag beginnings

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A'Keria Davenport, 2019

Davenport started participating in drag pageants since 2011. Some of her titles include Miss Unity of America Newcomer 2011, Miss Wessland Newcomer 2012, Miss Diamond of the South Newcomer 2012, Miss International Vogue 2017, and Miss Black Universe 2017.[5]

2019–present: RuPaul's Drag Race

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A'Keria was announced to be one of fifteen contestants competing on season eleven of RuPaul's Drag Race on January 24, 2019.[6] In episode three, she was involved in the show's first ever six-way lip sync with Honey Davenport, Ra'Jah O'Hara, Plastique Tiara, Scarlet Envy, and Shuga Cain, which she survived.[7][8] She later lip synced again with Ra'Jah to Sheena Easton's "Strut" in episode seven.[9] She won two main challenges, in episodes six and nine.[10][11] She placed 3rd/4th alongside Silky Nutmeg Ganache after losing a lip sync against Yvie Oddly, who would eventually win the season against Brooke Lynn Hytes.[12][13]

From March 26 to September 6, she was a part of the rotating cast for RuPaul's Drag Race: Season 11 Tour, presented by Voss Events and World of Wonder, and hosted by Asia O'Hara.[14] The show kicked off in Los Angeles on May 26 during the RuPaul's DragCon LA wrap party (hosted by Drag Race judge Michelle Visage) and concluded with a final bow on September 6 in New York City (also hosted by Visage) at the top of RuPaul’s DragCon NYC.[14]

A'Keria was in a music video for Lizzo's "Juice" on April 17, 2019.[15] She portrayed Nicki Minaj in the music video for Taylor Swift's "You Need to Calm Down" on June 17, 2019.[16] On August 26, 2019, Davenport performed alongside Taylor Swift during her 2019 MTV Video Music Awards performance.[17]

In April 2020, amid the coronavirus pandemic, Davenport was announced as a featured cast member for the very first Digital Drag Fest, an online drag festival for all ages, with attendees given opportunities to interact with the artists, tip them, and win prizes during the broadcast.[18]

On May 26, 2021, it was revealed that A'Keria would be competing in RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars Season 6 along with 12 other contestants, including fellow Season 11 contestants Ra'Jah O'Hara, Scarlet Envy, and Silky Nutmeg Ganache.[19] After landing in the bottom on episodes 3 and 4, she was later sent home by Kylie Sonique Love on the 6th episode “Rumerican Horror Story: Coven Girls” (a parody of American Horror Story) after placing in the bottom with fellow season 11 contestant Ra’Jah O’Hara.

In August 2021, they were a featured performer and host in Klub Kids London Presents: NOIR: The Tour, where 25% of the proceeds from the production were donated to the Black Lives Matter movement.[20]

Personal life

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A'Keria Chanel Davenport at RuPaul's DragCon LA 2022

A'Keria C. Davenport is a member of the Drag Haus of Davenport, with Drag Race alum Kennedy Davenport, Sahara Davenport, Monét X Change, Honey Davenport and Ra'Jah O'Hara.[21] Her drag mom is Armani Nicole Davenport.[22] D'Wayne was living in Dallas before being accepted on Drag Race.[23] After Drag Race, D'Wayne moved to Katy.[24] He has stated that he plans to create a skincare line as well as start a charity that will provide support for transgender women and homosexual youth.[25]

D'Wayne spent almost a year of his life as a woman, Kiki, until he realized he identified as a man.[26] He opened up about this experience on the fifth episode of the sixth season of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars, saying: "It took me to go through that experience to not only find myself but to know who I truly was and wanted to be to know I was enough... I faced the same obstacles most trans people ([especially] those of color) and that's why I will now and forever advocate and dedicate everything in me to protect them!"[27]

Davenport went to David W Carter High School in Wolf Creek, Texas and grew up in Oak Cliff, Texas

Filmography

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Television

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Year Title Role Notes Ref
2019 RuPaul's Drag Race Herself Contestant (3rd/4th Place) [6]
RuPaul's Drag Race: Untucked
2021 RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars (season 6) Contestant (8th Place) [28]
RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars: Untucked (season 3)

Music videos

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Year Title Artist Ref
2019 "Juice" Lizzo [15]
"You Need to Calm Down" Taylor Swift [16]

Web series

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Year Title Role Notes Ref
2019 Queen to Queen Herself With Vanessa Mateo and Silky Nutmeg Ganache [29]
Queen's Court Guest [30]
Countdown to the Crown Season 11 [31]
Whatcha Packin' Guest [32]
Cosmo Queens Cosmopolitan Series [33]
Ca$tmate$ for Ca$h Guest, with Brooke Lynn Hytes [34]
2021 Reality Check Guest [35]
Pageant Pod Podcast; guest [36]
Whatcha Packin' Guest [37]
Ruvealing the Look Guest [38]
Drag Us Weekly Guest [39]
2022 The Pit Stop Guest [40]

Discography

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[edit]
Title Year Album
"Queens Everywhere – Cast Version"[41]
(RuPaul featuring Akeria C. Davenport, Brooke Lynn Hytes, Silky Nutmeg Ganache, Vanessa Vanjie Mateo, & Yvie Oddly) 		2019 Non-album single

Awards and nominations

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Year Award Giving Body Category Work Results Ref.
2019 MTV Video Music Awards Video of the Year Taylor Swift's "You Need to Calm Down" Won [42]

References

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  1. ^ @A_doubleC_D (March 1, 2021). "Heyyyy 33 what's the tea! Happy birthday 🎂 to me" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  2. ^ "Meet the 3 Dallas queens vying for the crown on this season of 'RuPaul's Drag Race'". GuideLive. February 26, 2019. Archived from the original on February 28, 2019. Retrieved May 25, 2019.
  3. ^ "'Drag Race' Queen A'Keria C. Davenport Is Season 11's Dark Horse & Here's The Proof". Bustle. April 26, 2019. Archived from the original on April 26, 2019. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
  4. ^ Arnold (December 6, 2019). "Texans of the Year: Queer locals". Dallas Voice. Archived from the original on December 6, 2019. Retrieved December 7, 2019.
  5. ^ admin (March 4, 2018). "A'keria Chanel Davenport". Our Community Roots. Archived from the original on May 26, 2019. Retrieved May 25, 2019.
  6. ^ a b "Aquaria & Adam Rippon to Announce 'RuPaul's Drag Race' Season 11 Cast in Upcoming 'Ruveal'". Billboard. Archived from the original on January 20, 2019. Retrieved May 25, 2019.
  7. ^ "'RuPaul's Drag Race' Season 11 Power Ranking: Episode 3". Billboard. Archived from the original on June 20, 2019. Retrieved May 25, 2019.
  8. ^ Access (April 2, 2019), 'RuPaul's Drag Race': A'keria C Davenport Says The 6-Way Lip Sync Was 'The Scariest Day' Of Her Life, archived from the original on May 9, 2020, retrieved May 25, 2019
  9. ^ Sheehan, Paul (April 12, 2019). "'RuPaul's Drag Race': Was the right queen eliminated in episode 7 'From Farm to Runway'? [POLL]". GoldDerby. Archived from the original on June 8, 2019. Retrieved May 25, 2019.
  10. ^ "'RuPaul's Drag Race' Season 11 Power Ranking: Episode 6". Billboard. Archived from the original on June 20, 2019. Retrieved May 25, 2019.
  11. ^ Guerra, Joey (April 26, 2019). "'RuPaul's Drag Race' Season 11: Los Angeles Drag Patrol". Houston Chronicle. Archived from the original on July 25, 2021. Retrieved May 25, 2019.
  12. ^ "Who Should Win RuPaul's Drag Race Season 11?". E!. May 23, 2019. Archived from the original on May 24, 2019. Retrieved May 25, 2019.
  13. ^ "RuPaul's Drag Race Season 11, Episode 12: We Have Thoughts". Vulture. May 20, 2019. Archived from the original on May 25, 2019. Retrieved May 25, 2019.
  14. ^ a b Nolfi, Joey. "RuPaul's Drag Race sets season 11 tour dates with all 15 queens". Ew. Archived from the original on April 2, 2019. Retrieved September 13, 2019.
  15. ^ a b "'RuPauls Drag Race' Queens Eat a Bunch of Fruit in Lizzo's New "Juice" Video". Spin. April 17, 2019. Archived from the original on April 18, 2019. Retrieved May 25, 2019.
  16. ^ a b "Every celebrity cameo in Taylor Swift's 'You Need To Calm Down' music video". PopBuzz. Archived from the original on June 17, 2019. Retrieved June 17, 2019.
  17. ^ "Taylor Swift Just Backed the Equality Act in VMAs Opening Performance". Pride. Archived from the original on August 27, 2019. Retrieved June 23, 2019.
  18. ^ Dzurillay, Julia (March 28, 2020). "'RuPaul's Drag Race' Queens Take Performances Online During Their Coronavirus Self-Quarantine". CheatSheet.com. Archived from the original on April 10, 2020. Retrieved April 10, 2020.
  19. ^ "All Stars 6 Reveal Tweet". Twitter. Archived from the original on June 24, 2021. Retrieved June 23, 2021.
  20. ^ Damshenas, Sam (June 8, 2021). "17 incredible LGBTQ+ friendly events you can attend in the UK this year". Gay Times. Archived from the original on June 8, 2021. Retrieved June 9, 2021.
  21. ^ "The House Of Davenport Has Turned 'Rupaul's Drag Race' Season 11 into A Family Reunion". Bustle. March 7, 2019. Archived from the original on May 8, 2019. Retrieved May 25, 2019.
  22. ^ "A'Keria C. Davenport Instagram: Her connection to the House of Davenport". Monsters and Critics. February 26, 2019. Archived from the original on May 25, 2019. Retrieved May 25, 2019.
  23. ^ "The Last Dallas Drag Queen Standing". D Magazine. May 2, 2019. Archived from the original on May 28, 2019. Retrieved May 25, 2019.
  24. ^ Guerra, Joey (May 31, 2019). "A'keria C. Davenport says 'Drag Race' taught her to act like a fool". Houston Chronicle. Archived from the original on June 9, 2019. Retrieved December 1, 2019.
  25. ^ "A'Keria C. Davenport Loses 'Drag Race,' Moves to Houston, and Starts a Charity". D Magazine. May 31, 2019. Archived from the original on June 8, 2019. Retrieved December 1, 2019.
  26. ^ "Three "RPDR" Queens Spent A Day At The Trevor Project, Where They Opened Up About Their Own Personal Journeys". Buzzfeed. August 26, 2019. Archived from the original on September 13, 2019. Retrieved September 14, 2019.
  27. ^ Andre Jackson (July 16, 2021). "Drag Race's A'keria C. Davenport Just Revealed Why She Transitioned". Out. Archived from the original on July 16, 2021. Retrieved July 17, 2021.
  28. ^ Del Rosario, Alexandra (May 26, 2021). "'RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars' Moves From VH1 To Paramount+; Lineup Of Returning Queens Unveiled". Deadline. Archived from the original on May 26, 2021. Retrieved May 26, 2021.
  29. ^ Queen to Queen: Vanessa Vanjie Mateo, A'Keria Davenport & Silky Nutmeg Ganache | RuPaul's Drag Race. YouTube. May 24, 2019. Archived from the original on December 7, 2021. Retrieved August 20, 2019.
  30. ^ Drag Race: A'Keria C. Davenport Dishes on Vanjie and Brooke Lynn's Relationship. YouTube. April 1, 2019. Archived from the original on December 7, 2021. Retrieved August 28, 2019.
  31. ^ "Impressions" COUNTDOWN TO THE CROWN: RuPaul's Drag Race Season 11. YouTube. May 21, 2019. Archived from the original on May 26, 2021. Retrieved August 30, 2019.
  32. ^ Whatcha Packin': A'Keria C. Davenport | Season 11 Top Four | RuPaul's Drag Race. YouTube. May 27, 2019. Archived from the original on November 9, 2020. Retrieved August 28, 2019.
  33. ^ A'keria Chanel Davenport Is The Master of Colorful Eyeshadow | Cosmo Queens. YouTube. June 30, 2019. Archived from the original on December 22, 2020. Retrieved August 28, 2019.
  34. ^ CA$TMATE$ FOR CA$H: Brooke Lynn Hytes and A'Keria C. Davenport. YouTube. August 28, 2019. Retrieved August 28, 2019.
  35. ^ A'keria Davenport and Kylie Sonique Love Dish on Everything Related to Drag Race All Stars. Yahoo. July 8, 2021. Retrieved July 10, 2021.
  36. ^ Hecht, Evan (October 28, 2021). "Seven drag artist podcasts you need to check out". DBK News. Archived from the original on November 2, 2021. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
  37. ^ Whatcha Packin' | AS6 E06 | RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars. YouTube. July 22, 2021. Retrieved July 22, 2021.
  38. ^ A'Keria C. Davenport's Glamorous Goth Look 💋 Ruvealing the Look | RuPaul's Drag Race AS6. YouTube. July 26, 2021. Retrieved July 26, 2021.
  39. ^ RuPaul's Drag Race All Star Akeria C. Davenport Names Herself 'Runway Queen' Of Season 6. Us Weekly. July 30, 2021. Retrieved July 30, 2021.
  40. ^ The Pit Stop S14 E13 | Monét X Change & A'Keria C. Davenport Fire It Up | RuPaul's Drag Race. RuPaul's Drag Race. April 2, 2022. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
  41. ^ "Queens Everywhere (Cast Version) [feat. The Cast of RuPaul's Drag Race, Season 11] - Single". iTunes. Archived from the original on March 26, 2020. Retrieved March 26, 2020.
  42. ^ Bate, Ellie (August 27, 2019). "Taylor Swift Refused To Perform At The VMAs Unless MTV Gave All The Drag Queens In Her Video Awards Too". BuzzFeed. Archived from the original on April 4, 2020. Retrieved January 11, 2020.
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