Mercedes Iman Diamond is a truly groundbreaking drag queen who shot to fame when she appeared on the eleventh season of Ru Paul’s Drag Race in 2019. She may not have won, but as the first openly Muslim drag queen to appear on the long-running hit series, she certainly got people talking and challenged a lot of preconceptions and stereotypes. She also had the honour of becoming a viral meme thanks to her catchphrase, “Opulaaaaannnnce, you own everything!”

But all of this success didn’t appear out of thin air. Mercedes Iman Diamond was winning drag competitions for years before appearing on national television, building up a huge organic fanbase and facing down a lot of discrimination. Born in Kenya, the self-proclaimed “African Princess” moved to the United States when she was 11 years old. In her early 20s, she began performing in drag, taking her name from the make of car she drove, her sister’s name, and her Drag Mother’s name. Soon, she was winning pageants, with her titles including Miss Gay 90s, Miss City of the Lakes, Miss South Dakota Gay United States, and Miss Queen of Hearts. At the same time, she also suffered the racist indignation of being placed on no-flight lists because of her Muslim-sounding real name.

Already a star by the time she appeared on Ru Paul’s Drag Race, the show only served to introduce Diamond to an even wider audience. She is now more popular than ever, and as well as being a huge live draw, she can boast over 180,000 Instagram followers.