RuPaul’s Drag Race season 7 contestant Pearl Liason, aka record producer Matthew James Lent, is coming to the UK! He’s set to make personal appearances over three consecutive days at OMG clubs Plymouth, Bristol and Sheffield respectively, and we couldn’t be more excited. Here’s all you need to know about one of Drag Race’s hottest alumni.
Matthew James Lent grew up in St Petersburg, Florida, with his mother and two sisters. He spent time drawing “rich old ladies with big diamond rings and furs”, which eventually morphed into his drag persona, Pearl.
After moving to Chicago, Lent began performing in drag in 2012 alongside South Korean-American Kim Chi (who also went on star in Drag Race, for season 8). He initially only planned to use drag as a hobby, but quickly began booking gigs at increasing frequency. He later moved to Brooklyn, New York City.
Pearl was hailed as somewhat of a comeback queen during his season of Drag Race. Despite a slow start to the competition, Pearl rebounded to win two main challenges (episodes 5 and 8), and eventually became a finalist alongside fellow competitors Ginger Minj and Violet Chachki. In the season finale, Violet Chachki was crowned the winner, leaving Pearl as a runner up.
Since Drag Race, Lent released the album Pleasure, along with a music video for its first single, Love Slave. Unlike other albums released by Drag Race alumni, Pleasure does not feature any vocals from Lent; he instead produced the entire album. The album charted at number 11 on the US Billboard Dance/Electronic Albums chart and number 16 on the Heatseekers chart.
He’s also released a fragrance named Flazéda (a made up word he coined during a season 7 judges’ critique). In doing so, he became the first Drag Race alumni member to release a scent.
Upcoming projects for Pearl include a brand new website and her own fashion line, as well as many other projects.
For your chance to meet Pearl up close and personal, be sure to head to either OMG Plymouth, Bristol or Sheffield in the next week. More details can be found at OMGclubs.com
Book tickets now via OMGclubs.com
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