Asia O'Hara

Asia O'Hara
Born Antwan Mason Lee
(1982-07-07) July 7, 1982
Grand Prairie, Texas, U.S.
Occupation
  • Costume designer
  • entertainer
Years active 2003–present
Known for RuPaul's Drag Race (Season 10)

Asia O'Hara is an American drag queen and costume designer. She is most well known for competing on the 10th season of RuPaul's Drag Race, in which she placed fourth.[1]

As a professional entertainer, she has won several national titles in drag pageantry systems, including Miss Gay America in 2016.[2]

Life and career

O'Hara grew up in Grand Prairie, Texas and has five sisters, who Asia helped to raise, and all of whom also became performers. Her parents are deceased. She moved to Dallas when she was 14, and in high school performed in band, color guard, and theater.[3] She toured in The Cavaliers Drum and Bugle Corps for three years.[4]

Her drag career began in the early 2000s, when she entered and won an amateur contest at the Rose Room in Dallas. The name Asia was taken from a close family member of hers, and the name O'Hara was given to her by her drag mother, Josephine O'Hara. Her drag grandmother is Texas pageant legend Sweet Savage.[5] O'Hara continued to perform and in the following years won many titles in the drag pageantry systems, including three National titles. She has worked as a makeup artist and behind the scenes during pageants, helping to plan and promote preliminary competitions. O'Hara owns her own costume design company, Helen of Seven, in which she creates custom design pieces for clients including dance teams, color guards, ice skaters, and other female impersonators.[6]

Asia O'Hara (left) and Blair St. Clair (right) in 2018

As a dance and color guard instructor, O'Hara has taught at the high school level in Texas, leading her teams to statewide competition.[7] She has performed often at the Rose Room Theatre & Lounge in Dallas, Texas since 2005, and has been a full-time showgirl there since 2009. She has also toured across the country performing, judging, and competing in pageants.[8]

O'Hara was crowned Miss Gay America in October 2016, at the 2016 competition in Memphis, Tennessee.[8] Winners of this title are known as the “Symbol of Excellence” of female impersonation and are expected to reign for one year, while performing official MGA responsibilities including touring, community service, and projecting an overall positive image for the LGBT community.[9]

She is the drag mother of Season 4 and All Stars 2 contestant Phi Phi O'Hara. She is also close friends with Texas-native Drag Race alum Alyssa Edwards and the Davenport drag family.[10] On February 22, 2018, O'Hara was presented as one of the 14 drag queens competing on Season 10 of RuPaul's Drag Race.[11] She has won two main challenges on the show and came in fourth place.[12][13]

O'Hara released her first single, "Queen for Tonight" on June 15, 2018.[14]

Titles

Discography

Singles

Year Song
2018 "Queen for Tonight"

Filmography

Television

Year Title Role
2018 RuPaul's Drag Race Season 10 Herself
2018 RuPaul's Drag Race: Untucked Herself

References

  1. ↑ "Asia O'Hara on Drag Race's Season 10 Finale, the Failed Butterfly Stunt, and Arguing With RuPaul". Vulture. Retrieved 2018-06-30.
  2. ↑ "Asia O'Hara, MGA 2016". Miss Gay America. Retrieved 2017-09-28.
  3. ↑ "The Miss Gay Texas Pageant Starts This Week at The Rose Room". Dallas Observer. Retrieved 2017-09-28.
  4. ↑ "Asia O’Hara". Our Community Roots. Retrieved 2017-09-28.
  5. ↑ https://www.dallasvoice.com/start-your-engines-2-10250457.html Asia O'Hara interview, Dallas Voice
  6. ↑ "MGAZINE: LIFE AFTER THE REIGN: A Chat with the Dazzling Miss Gay America 2016 ASIA O'HARA". missgayamericapageant.blogspot.com. Retrieved 2017-09-28.
  7. ↑ "ALL AMERICAN GODDESS 2012 ASIA T. O’HARA | Hottest Gay Entertainment News Now - Palm Springs Personality Steven Michael Spills The Tea On Today's Queer Culture". iamstevenmichael.com. Retrieved 2017-09-28.
  8. 1 2 "Congratulations Asia T. O'Hara, Miss Gay America 2016". Dallas Voice. Retrieved 2017-09-28.
  9. ↑ "MGA Job Summary". Miss Gay America. Retrieved 2017-09-28.
  10. ↑ http://theroseroomdallas.com/asia-ohara/. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  11. ↑ http://ew.com/tv/2018/02/22/rupauls-drag-race-season-10-cast/
  12. ↑ ""Drag Race" Season 10 Episode 9 Review: Breastworld". PopBuzz. Retrieved 2018-05-27.
  13. ↑ "'RuPaul's Drag Race' star Asia O'Hara apologizes for shocking finale stunt: 'It wasn't a careless act'". EW.com. Retrieved June 29, 2018.
  14. ↑ Queen for Tonight - Single by Asia O'Hara, 2018-06-15, retrieved 2018-06-24
  15. ↑ "Asia O'Hara". Our Community Roots. 2018-03-11. Retrieved 2018-05-27.
  16. 1 2 3 "Miss Gay Texas USofA". Our Community Roots. Retrieved 8 August 2018.
  17. ↑ "Miss Gay USofA History". USofA Pageantry. Retrieved 23 February 2018.
  18. ↑ "Scenes from the Miss Texas FFI pageant". Retrieved 2018-08-08.
  19. 1 2 "Asia O'Hara | Rose Room". theroseroomdallas.com. Retrieved 2018-05-27.
  20. ↑ "All American Goddess". All American Goddess. Retrieved 23 February 2018.
  21. ↑ "Miss Gay Briar Park America". Our Community Roots. Retrieved 8 August 2018.
  22. ↑ "Asia O'Hara, Miss Gay America 2016". Miss Gay America. Retrieved 23 February 2018.
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