I've been staring at my computer screen blankly for the better part of an hour trying to figure out how to even go about this. Sahara Davenport was a true queen. I had been a fan of hers since I first laid eyes on her in the second season of Ru Paul's Drag Race. And now she's gone.
Yesterday, October 1, 2012, Antonie Ashley, better known as Sahara Davenport from the second season of Ru Paul's Drag Race, passed away. No details have been released so far on what exactly happened, but it seems everyone she has touched in her life has come out to show their support for both Sahara's family as well Manila Luzon and his family as well.
Now I guess it's my turn. Sahara has personally touched my life on a few different occasions. Were we really close? No, but that doesn't mean I don't care. Sahara was one of the first people to get behind the idea of Taking Over The Universe and was one of the first people I interviewed. She was always very polite about it, and was eager to help whenever I needed it. It really meant a lot to me.
I didn't get the real feel for who Sahara was until I saw her live. Back in June of this year, just four short months ago, I saw bot her and Manila live, and let me tell you, it was a sight to see. She was such an energetic person, and she was an amazing live singer. She would do high kicks and moves that I've never seen any other performer do -- in or out of drag.
Sahara will be missed by so many people, and I am certainly one of them. You don't have to be around someone all the time, or even at all to miss them. Fans everywhere have hearts full of sorrow, showing that you don't have to win the crown to win the hearts of millions. We all must remain positive about the situation, knowing that she is in a better place and is not suffering.
R.I.P. Sahara Davenport.
And from the hearts of myself, and those that are helping me every step of the way, our condolences go out to the families of those touched by this tragic event.
It's pretty much common knowledge that I live in the middle of nowhere (the Deep South of the Midwest -- IE NOTHING HERE), but I do live within short driving distance of Memphis, Tennessee, which is thankfully starting to pull in big names for the drag world. This was the first time I have gotten to see a live performance from one of the Drag Race girls, and I am glad that of all of them, it was my girl Sahara and her equally amazing partner, Manila.
The show had a lot of both local Memphis talent, as well as imported talents. A big highlight of the show was definitely Florida queen Andromeda Strain, who didn't get a lot of attention due to not being from Memphis and not being a Drag Race girl (Yet, hopefully!). I did have to give her a hug, though, because she did amazing for both of her numbers.
Other very memorable performances were Anita Cocktail and her amazing Wonder Woman costume, and Memphis vet Beverly Hills. Also, my new friend I made at the venue actually thought Akasha, the stand out Memphis diva, was an actual woman. Now that is how you werk it.
First up for the headliners was Sahara. She came out looking super disco-fied, and sang both of her singles, "Pump With Me" (to which I was pissed that nobody knew the lyrics) and "Go Off!". That woman got CRAZY on the stage, just like I knew she would. High kicks and splits were abound, and the crowd ate - it - up. My favorite part was knowing that Sahara really is a great singer. She sang her two songs live, and sounded just as good as the recording.
Manila came out shortly after and got the crowd going with a sexy remix of her track "Hot Couture". With furry shoulderpads that look like they were stolen off the set of Designing Women, she strutted her stuff and sang along, and to my surprise, she was being quite modest about her vocal talents. The song we know and love obviously had some autotune on it (to which she fully admits) but her live vocals aren't bad at all. Towards the end of the song she pulled not one, but two "I Mwah Manila" shirts out of her shoulderpads (how she kept them up there and hidden, I have no idea) and tossed them to the crowd. I didn't try for one because, well, I already was wearing one.
After a break, the two of them came back on the stage to do a duet together. I say duet, but it was more like a battlefield. They would constantly try to outshine each other, in a playful manner, and keep it totally campy. I am a huge Sahara fan, but I have to say, when it comes to camp, nobody can outshine Manila. Those crazy faces had me rolling and begging for more.
I'm no club kid, but I have to say that Jack Magoo's was a great place to check out. The food looked good (my mind was set on drag and therefor too busy to eat), the staff was friendly, and the atmosphere was amazing. The beauty of the place is that it isn't just a gay bar. It has sports on the TV, plenty of people of all sexual preferences, and plenty of booze to keep everyone happy. I can already guarantee I will be back -- mostly because this is only the beginning of an entire Drag Race event series at Jack Magoo's. Check out these sweet dates for those of you who might want to give the Memphis gay scene a chance:
July 14 - Sharon Needles
August 11 - Latrice Royale
September 8 - Jujubee and Mariah
October 13 - Nina Flowers and Raven
And as a special treat, they have announced that for Memphis Pride, right on Beale Street, will be headlined by the one and only Chad Michaels! It looks like Memphis is moving up in the world, no? I will be attending as many of these shows as possible, and you better believe I have some tricks up my sleeves for them. Are you going to be there? Don't be shy, say hi. I won't bite unless you're into that kind of thing and I'm drunk.
[Sorry for the low quality of the recordings and the annoying fanboy screams from myself.]
I love these two a lot. Sahara, who was one of the first people to jump on and help out here at Taking Over The Universe, and I really owe her so much. As far as Manila, I may not have interviewed her yet, but she still retweets and makes amazing music for me to talk about. These two have finally done a song together, which is what every fan of theirs has been asking of them since they started making music. They worked together to cover momma Ru Paul's classic hit "Supermodel."
Fun, no? What a great way to wrap up the week. I hope you enjoy. Goodnight everybody~
Welcome one and all to the reveal of the winners for the first annual Universal Conquest Awards. This is my attempt to give the new guys, or maybe just the ones who haven't had enough attention, a bit of recognition. The music industry is a cold and cruel place. I hope that through these virtual awards, I can give recognition to those who I believe are not only doing it right but also doing it well.
She sure did take her time putting this up on Youtube! It premiered at a club in New York a while back, and I have been dying waiting to see this! "Go Off" is the second single from television star Sahara Davenport, known best as being a contestant on season two of Ru Paul's Drag Race. You may recall I interviewed her, and I can never seem to stop myself from being amazed at how talented she is. Anyway, the video is FINALLY online, and I can't believe how stunning it is.
I am not sure where to begin this one. There are four, count 'em, four artists all working their butts off on new outstanding music videos. How do I know they are outstanding? Well, honestly I don't right now, but I have faith in them! Be warned though, I'm gonna zip through a lot of topics real quick like! Try and keep up.
First up, coming as a bit of a surprise so soon, is the beautiful Pandora Boxx. By now, you probably know about her debut single coming out, right? Oh, I haven't blogged about it enough yet? Well, please allow me to plug her once more. Pandora's debut single "Cooter" is coming out September 27. (That's less than two weeks away!) What I didn't realize at the time of my last cooterpost was that she was planning to put out a music video for it as well. No word yet on what all will happen in the video. I am hoping to see a lot of familiar faces as cameos and hilarity abound. The video will drop the week after the single hits iTunes, according to Ms. Boxx herself. Hopefully by then I can squeeze more juicy bits out of her. Pun intended.
I can't get over those shoes!
Next up, Aqua has already shot their video for "Playmate To Jesus." They posted a few pictures and a short goofy clip of the band being interrupted while filming on their official Facebook page. The look of this video is definitely in the same dark vein as "My Mamma Said." I'm not sure how well that will translate, seeing as the song has a very positive and uplifting message. Only time will tell. No word yet on a video for "Like A Robot", but according to the group, the single will get a true "club release" soon, so maybe that is when we will see a video surface.
A recent discovery of mine, John Boy Cool, is now working on a video for my favorite track off his debut EP. The song is called "Go To Sleep" and the song is anything but sleepy. The very upbeat song is all about going to sleep while still way too drunk for your own good. You can expect the video for this one to be amazing. Be sure and check out the song to get your own feel for it on SoundCloud.
Last, but certainly not least, my galpal Sahara Davenport is working on the video for her followup single "Go Off!" I know this video will be amazing. I mean have you seen Pump With Me? I know with this glamorous lady we can expect some amazing dancing, hot boys, and her boo, fellow Drag Race dive Manila Luzon. Being such a fabulously nice diva, she tweeted me about the project stating "Me and my team are very busy prepping at this point. I go into rehearsals next week and can't wait to shoot." If you want more info, you'll just have to check out my exclusive interview with her!
Just as a quick update on a related note, pop group Young London (Who I also have had an awesome interview with) still haven't posted their new video yet. After some investigation on Twitter, it seems that the group themselves are a bit confused as to why it's not up yet.
Sahara Davenport, like many of the contestants from RuPaul's Drag Race, has made a move to start a music career. The big twist to this situation is that drag actually came second. Sahara recently released her second single "Go Off!", and she gave me some exclusive insights into the track and what is to come for her.
Oh God. It's finally time. Jipsta has released his video he's been torturing us with for weeks. The song, "U Got (What I Need)" wasn't my first pick for a single off of the album, but then again, "Best Friend" probably wouldn't have made as good of a video... or maybe Robbie Russell was just to hot for television making a "Perfect Match" video impossible? Moving on.
The video is set up to parody audition rooms in shows like American Idol and America's Got Talent, showcasing some of the worst dance moves and "sexy outfits" you could find. Ever. We get a couple of bears (the gay scene kind, not the picnic basket stealing ones), a hobo or two, and a nudist. Before you wonder why I'd want to watch this hot mess, let me give you four reasons. The sexy Sahara Davenport, the spicy Jessica Wild, the always adorable Jipsta, and my all time favorite drag queen/person on the planet: Pandora Boxx. Yeah. You knew there had to be a catch, right?
Joking aside, I've said time and time again that I sincerely do like Jipsta and his music. The fact that he is friends with some of my favorite celebrities makes me like him a bit more, of course. Saraha, Pandora, and Jipsta spend the majority of the video judging these future contestants (for what, it is unclear). Instead of a numeral score, they write down suggestions, or more often hilarious comments, based on who they are viewing. It seems Pandora is just focused on where that bump is. Try checking a little lower, darling.
Jessica Wild's part of the video is a bit more simple, as she just lip syncs to the chorus, but she does so looking pretty fab. I wonder if she couldn't make it to the shoot with the other girls, or what, but I really would have liked to see her party with Sahara and Pandora. It'd be like a good ole' Drag Race 2 reunion. Well the good ones, anyway... Don't send me hate mail.
When it cuts back to the judges, they finally have found some talent... or at least more attractive people, and deside to abandon their posts to party with the future contestants. Jipsta cops a feel (or two). Sahara gets manhandled by a stud. Pandora... gets drunk and passes out? Oh you. Always hilarious.
The video is hilarious and exactly what any fan of Jipsta would expect. I think what makes the video so great is that you can tell these people are actually friends and actually having a good time shooting the video and being around each other in general. The production values aren't the best, but the vibe is perfect. Maybe I am biased because the video brings together two of my favorite queens, and has brought another back into the spotlight. It might also be because I have a boycrush on Jipsta, but don't tell him that.
In the end, I have to wonder if Pandora ever found the bump...
You can watch the video for yourself and leave Jipsta all kinds of pretty little comments here.
Ok, so the rhyming was kind of lame and cliche, but it's my blog and if I want to look stupid, I will. Don't judge me.
The point of this blog entry is to bring up that RuPaul, the queen of all queens, has released a remix EP as an extension of her latest album "Glamazon". Usually I don't give a crap about remixes (unless they are done by notable DJ's/Groups or are hilarious like the Goldfrapp remix for Judas), but this one is special. Why, you ask? How could any old remix catch my attention? Well the opening track, and most "sick'ning" of them all, features the always funny and rather adorable Jipsta. Enter: Sexy Drag Queen.
Jipsta is a character. His solo music is hysterical. I reviewed his album "Bandoozle" last month and I've been bothering him via Twitter ever since. He is buddy-buddy with all my favorite drag queens, making me jealous all the time by talking about hanging out with Pandora Boxx and Sahara Davenport! Yes, the world revolves around me, obviously. All joking aside, I am a big fan of both Jipsta and RuPaul, and this song doesn't disappoint.
The song is pure dancey fun, and it doesn't really sound like a remix. Ru's voice is very autotuned, but as I've said time and time again, I don't place a lot of value on singing well. It sounds horrible, but thats how it is. You can have an amazing singing voice, but if you are boring, I, as well as the majority of the country, won't give a damn. Ru knows how to have fun and how to work with what she's got.
Jipsta's verse is a plea for us to all party with him. Amen, brotha. He is kind of like that announcer at all those sporting events I don't go to but see in movies -- or a beauty pageant emcee. Announcing that you better bow down to the queen as she makes her way through.
Speaking of queens, Ms. Davenport continues to taunt me with her upcoming single. She has released a snippet of the studio version of "Go Off" on youtube and has been hammering it on her twitter... and I finally caved in and listened to it. My initial plan was to ignore it until it came out so it could be this amazing surprise, but I just couldn't resist any more. The song is HOT! Give it a listen for yourself.
I really hope this girl puts out a full album. I hate seeing the trend of endless singles being released. So many people either loose interest or loose funding and never get to release an album. I have a lot of faith in Sahara, though. She knows how to make a good track, as proven with "Pump With Me". Maybe we could even see a collaboration with Manila in the future?
Check out my review of "Bandoozle" here. You can buy "SuperGlam DQ" and the "Sexy Drag Queen" Remix feat. Jipsta here. And if you haven't yet, get Sahara Davenport's first single "Pump With Me" here.
Also: I'd like to give a big thank you to Jared Jones! He was a good sport in that I forgot to credit him. It was a huge oversight and kind of embarrassing. He's got three mixes on "SuperGlam DQ" so you'd best check them out!
Ever feel like what you are waiting for seems to perpetually be "only weeks away"? Welcome to my life. Every time I get into something, it seems like they either continuously postpone a release, or they hype it up so much that I can't stand to wait the few weeks until the release.
First up, we have a favorite Drag Racer of mine having her new single come out later this month. No, not Pandora Boxx. I'm talking about Ms. Sahara Davenport "Go Off".
Not a lot has been revealed about the single, but if it is anything like "Pump With Me" I will be all over it. Sahara is one of the few queens that actually has a lot of vocal talent, so I am always happy to see her exploring the world of music. A few videos of her performing the song at clubs are floating around on YouTube, but I just can't bring myself to watch them. I want it to be a surprise when I hear it for the first time. I want to experience it... Like a virgin touched for the very first time -- Ehhh Sorry for the Madonna reference! Anyway, the girl has charm and knows how to treat her fans (she's replied to several of my tweets). I really believe she'll go far. Cant wait to GO OFF! The new track hits iTunes July 26.
Next up is an update on a friend of mine. Since my blog's creation (more or less) I have been a big supporter of Mason Black, an up and coming artist/singer/songwriter. I think he has loads of talent and is a genuinely good person. His latest song, "Jack The Ripper" was put up for free on soundcloud a few weeks back in order to gauge reception. He says that based on how well it does (IE How many listens/favorites/comments it gets) he may or may not release it as a single. Let me tell you, in case you missed my last post about it, Jack The Ripper is one seriously sick'ning track. Give it a listen here and let him know what you think.
My all time favorite band, Aqua, (don't laugh) has recently risen from the grave for a third time with the new single "How R U Doin", an iTunes exclusive. After the video was released a few months back they went silent again. I was worried that they would give up again, but as it turns out I couldn't be more wrong. They announced today via Facebook that their to-be-named album has just been completed and that a second album single will be released in the very near future. More info will be released in the coming weeks, but this glint of hope has me excited to the max.
There you have it. Wondering why I didn't mention "Cooter" again? BECAUSE I BLOG ABOUT IT IN EVERY POST! And yes, I almost posted the video yet again.
EDIT:
Not sure what this has to do with the song, but it's pretty amusing.
I have apparently been living under a rock for the past few months. It was brought to my attention earlier this week that Raja, current Drag Race queen, has released a song. "Diamond Crowned Queen" is her debut single. The song is a bit of a mixed bag, but I find myself playing it more and more every day. We all know Raja can't sing all too well, as shown in the singing competition, but she knows how to work with what she's got, and that is what really makes a star.
The video only makes it better. The video features a plastic-haired Raven, runner up of Drag Race season two, and a guy named Tommy Joe -- some guy I've never heard of. The video seems to be a lot of Raja showing off her awesome clothes and diverse styles, but it works, especially since the song is all about being the top bitch in town. The beat is a fusion of pop and club sounds, making it rather unique. It makes me wish that songs like this would get on the pop charts and really launch these girls into super stardom. And a random note -- Anyone else weirded out by seeing Raven's nipnips?
If me just finding Raja's hit isn't enough evidence for you to believe I live under a rock, look at what else I JUST now found.
Yeah. Where have I BEEN!? I LOVE this video. The production values are very high, the dancing is spot on, and Sahara looks HOT! I mean dayum. Usually when I see music videos for people who aren't on major record labels they are done on shoe string budgets -- and look it too. In this case, "Pump With Me" looks like a polished and amazingly well done video. The dancers look hot! And wait a minute -- That is Manila Luzon! Best video ever.
I wasn't completely sold on the song at first. I usually like something really dramatic and not too fluffy, but when she started spelling, she had me sold. Did I mention I have an affinity for songs that spell words? (In fact, I have). I can't believe I missed this! Oh iTunes, how you forsake me in your recommendations!
Finally, I have been putting off posting about this (because it's a small clip and I didn't have anything to group it with until now). A few weeks ago, Pandora Boxx teased me yet again my releasing a snippet of her upcoming debut single. "Cooter" is set to premier "soon" but I can't seem to get a definite answer out of her! Only time will tell. It's another song that spells out words so you guys know I'm gonna eat this up blindly. Now please be distracted by this video while I squeal like a fangirl.
