LayDee KinMee is one of Australia’s most in demand drag queens and is known for her incredible vocals and unique yodelling talents. She entertains audiences both nationally and internationally; building up a rapport with any audience and seeing them leave as friends and fans.
Her career officially began in Western Sydney, August 2009 at Heaven Social Dance, joining popular group Your Westy Divas, remaining a crowd favourite until their final performance in December 2011.
In early 2012, LayDee shocked television and online audiences after her yodelling performance on Australia’s Got Talent, (which was advertised as a world first). She received a standing ovation from all 3 judges and was also one of the most memorable acts of the series. From this, she became known as “The Yodelling Drag Queen”, and also became infamous with her catch-phrase “FASTER”, which she used as the title of her debut album released in November 2014. The album features some camp country tracks, big diva ballads and of course her ever popular yodels.
In 2014 she launched her touring production show Drags To Bitches with a cast of talented drag queens and male dancers. The show was an instant success and saw sell-out shows right across Sydney and even went on to win an ACE Award (Australian Club Entertainment) for Production Show of the Year.
To date, the show has performed in Australia, New Zealand, Denmark, Austria and The UK and has been nominated for 6 ACE Awards, 7 ‘MO’ Awards and 4 DIVA Awards (Drag Industry Variety Awards), with the following wins:
ACE Awards Production Show of the Year (2014 & 2017)
‘MO’ Award Versatile Variety Act (2017)
‘MO’ Award Production Show of the Year (2019)
Gold ‘MO’ Award Entertainers of the Year (2019)
In 2015, LayDee was selected to perform as special guest at the first ever World Yodel Day Concert (held in Gokseong, South Korea). She was also asked to record the official World Yodel Day song and to write the English lyric. She was a huge hit with both the Korean and yodelling audiences that 2017 saw a return to South Korea to Headline yet another yodelling event: the inaugural World Yodel Festival.
In 2016, LayDee was selected as one of The Top 25 LGBT People of Australia to watch out for in 2017 by Gay News Network Australia.
February 2018 saw LayDee make her European debut, with a quick 4 day trip to Vienna Austria. She returned in May/June for performances at various events, including LifeBall, (the world’s largest HIV Fundraiser), the internationally acclaimed Vienna Boylesque Festival, Diversity Ball as well as appearances on radio and television.
Vienna, Austria became like a second home to LayDee and in 2019, she returned for 10 weeks, with repeat performances at LifeBall, the Vienna Boylesque Festival, Diversity Ball, hosted Imperial Madness, an event that is usually hosted by Ru Paul Drag Race Contestants, and was the headliner at the inaugural Salzburg Pride.
Whilst in Europe, she was asked to represent The Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras along with the cast of Drags To Bitches (renamed Down Under Divas) in a bid to host World Pride 2023 (a bid which was won) at various Pride events throughout Europe to tens of thousands of people. They were fortunate to be performing amongst musical royalty including Heather Small (M People), Claire Richards (Steps) and B*Witched.
2020 was set to be another big year for LayDee with booked performances throughout Europe and a debut trip to Vietnam with her Korean Yodeller friends to celebrate World Yodel Day. All these plans quickly changed with covid-19 spreading uncertainty around the world. Whilst most entertainers lost work for over 12 months due to the impact of pandemic, LayDee was only out of work for the mandatory 10 week government lock down. Her quick return to the mic is a testament to her popularity and ability to draw a crowd – even in a pandemic!
Individually, LayDee has been nominated for 2 ACE Awards, 2 ‘MO’ Awards and 3 DIVA Awards. She can be spotted performing/hosting at over 200 events a year, from Turbo Trivia, Naughty Numbers – Bingo With a Twist, Drags to Bitches, solo cabarets, major events and more.
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