Shea Couleé

Shea Couleé is the stage name of Jaren Kyei Merrell, a wonderfully creative drag artist, musician, filmmaker, podcaster, and activist. She is best known for appearing on season nine of the reality TV show RuPaul’s Drag Race, and as the winner of season five of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars.

Born in Indiana and raised in Illinois, Merrell was always interested in performing from a young age. He attended Columbia College Chicago and graduated with a degree in costume design. A year later he began his drag career asShea Couleé. She regularly performed drag and also began to pursue a music career. In 2016 Merrell wrote, co-produced, directed and starred in the movie Lipstick City. A year later she released her debut EP, Couleé-D. She auditioned for RuPaul’s Drag Race five times, and was eventually cast to season nine, making it all the way to the final. Since then she has continued to release music, has starred in a web series, began podcasting, and embarked on sell-out tours across the globe. In 2020 she returned to reality TV to take part in RuPaul’s All Stars season five, going on to be crowned the winner.

Shea Couleé regularly connects with her millions of followers and fans through Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, posting pictures and videos about her glamorous life. She is available for that personalised shout-out through the Cameo platform. She also has a dedicated YouTube channel, Shea Couleé, and an official website, sheacoulee.com.