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Cameroon Bebe Zahara Benet, the inaugural winner of RuPaul's Drag Race, has built a global career as a drag artist, television personality, and musician, with notable engagements in event planning and brand collaborations.
Jack Daniel's teamed up with Bebe Zahara Benet, Trinity the Tuck, and other 'RuPaul's Drag Race' alum for 'Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Fire presents Drag Queen Summer Glamp' to celebrate Pride.
BeBe Zahara Benet contacted SoulSpeak Studios in June 2017 to create a custom cat headpiece, a new version of one she wore during her original season of Drag Race.
Nea Marshall Kudi Ngwa, known professionally as Bebe Zahara Benet, was born on March 20, 1981, in Douala, Cameroon. He later moved to France with his family before settling in Minneapolis at the age of 19 for college and to be closer to relatives. His initial experience with drag occurred at a Paris fashion show where he filled in as a last-minute model. His first drag performance took place in Minneapolis at The Gay 90s bar alongside Cyndi Lauper. This early exposure and participation in drag pageants, including Miss US of A, established the groundwork for his career.
In 2009, following a suggestion from RuPaul himself, Benet auditioned for and subsequently won the first season of Logo’s reality-TV drag competition, RuPaul’s Drag Race. This victory marked a significant turning point, inspiring many future drag artists. He returned to the franchise in 2018 as a surprise contestant on the third season of RuPaul’s Drag Race: All Stars, finishing in the top four, demonstrating his continued relevance and skill within the drag community. Beyond competitive drag, Benet expanded his television presence, appearing in two episodes of RuPaul’s Drag U as a “drag professor” and starring in the TLC series Dragnificent from 2019 to 2020 as the event planning expert. A documentary film, Being Bebe, was released in 2021, chronicling 15 years of his life and career, including his journey leading up to Drag Race.
Benet has also developed a music career, releasing his first dance single, “I’m the Sh*t,” in 2009, followed by “Cameroon” in 2010. His EPs include ‘Face’ (2014), ‘Kisses & Feathers’ (2017), ‘Broken English’ (2020), and ‘The Christmas Chanteuse’ (2021). He has participated in various tours and events, such as “Queens United” in 2017, a benefit show for Hurricane Maria victims, and co-created the “Nubia” tour in 2020, celebrating Black drag queens. In addition to his entertainment career, Ngwa is the CEO of The Lavish Labs, an event planning and decor firm, and has officiated weddings, stemming from his church roots.
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