Lexi Love
Lexi Love | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 22, 1990[1] |
| Other names | Lexi V. Love[2] Lexi Barnes[3] |
| Occupation | Drag queen |
| Years active | 2024–present |
| Television | RuPaul's Drag Race |
Lexi Love is the stage name of Lexi Barnes (born November 22, 1990), an American drag performer best known for competing on the seventeenth season of RuPaul's Drag Race (2025).
Career
[edit]Love was appointed as the official American ambassador to the United Kingdom-based House of Versace by Drag Race UK winner Krystal Versace. One of her mentors is 2016 Mr. Continental winner Mykul Jay Valentine.[4]
Lexi Love is competing on the seventeenth season of competition series RuPaul's Drag Race (2025). In the second episode, she debuted her first song titled "She's Giving" while roller skating and doing cartwheels. After lip-syncing against Crystal Envy in the same episode, Lexi Love was announced as the winner. Her debut song was produced and co-written by record producer Drew Louis, and was released on January 10, 2025.[5]
Personal life
[edit]Barnes is a transgender woman and uses she/her pronouns;[6] her drag persona is based in Louisville.[7] She previouly performed within the Cincinnati metropolitan area for nearly a decade, and afterwards Barnes worked for Play Dance Bar in 2021.[8] While she is not performing, Barnes works as a money laundering detection trainer for Citigroup.[3]
During her appearance for the seventeenth season of RuPaul's Drag Race, Barnes disclosed in an interview about taking on a second mortgage for their garments.[9]
After various HIV resources from government websites attributing for the LGBTQ community were removed in January 2025,[10] Barnes called out the second Donald Trump administration through social media platform Instagram.[11] She shared an infographic from the NOH8 campaign, revealing herself to be HIV positive, and utilized those funded programs from over ten years ago.[12]
Artistry
[edit]Barnes cites her inspirations for her drag persona to be "nostalgic" from the annual Victoria's Secret runways and "very hardcore" in Y2K fashion.[13] While performing, she is most notably known for using roller skates throughout her shows.[14]
Discography
[edit]All credits adapted from Apple Music and Spotify.[15][16]
Singles
[edit]| Title | Year | Album | Writer(s) | Producers(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| "She's Giving" (or Club Love remix) |
2025 | Non-album single | Lexi Love, Timothy Liedel, and Drew Louis | Drew Louis |
Filmography
[edit]Television
[edit]| Title | Year | Role | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| WHAS-TV | 2024 | Guest | [17] |
| RuPaul's Drag Race | 2025 | Contestant | [18] |
| RuPaul's Drag Race: Untucked! |
References
[edit]- ^ @mslexilove (November 22, 2024). "🎂 34, lol………shit 😅😂" – via Instagram.
- ^ "From brunch to burlesque, here's where you can see a drag show in Louisville". courier-journal.com. Courier Journal. Retrieved December 6, 2024.
- ^ a b O'Keeffe, Kevin. "'RuPaul's Drag Race' Season 17, Episode 5 recap: Live from the Werk Room". xtramagazine.com. Xtra Magazine. Retrieved March 1, 2025.
- ^ Nolfi, Joey. "RuPaul's Drag Race season 17 queens promise 'profane imagery' on runway, loads of drama, and twisty 'panic' ahead". ew.com. Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved December 11, 2024.
- ^ Aponte, Samuel (January 13, 2025). "Drew Louis, the creative force behind Drag Race's "My Kitty" is back". Too Much Love. Retrieved January 14, 2025.
- ^ Sim, Bernardo (January 29, 2025). "Dear trans youth: 'You are a miracle who will survive'". Out. Retrieved January 31, 2025.
- ^ Tangcay, Jazz; Vary, Adam B. (December 4, 2024). "RuPaul's Drag Race announces season 17 cast, updated 'Rate-a-Queen' twist". Variety. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved December 4, 2024.
- ^ Garcia, Joseph (December 11, 2024). "'A long time coming': Louisville's Lexi Love ready to bring 'Kentucky realness' to RuPaul's Drag Race". WHAS-TV. Retrieved March 3, 2025.
- ^ Factora, James (January 8, 2025). "A second mortgage?! Lexi Love resurfaces the financial cost of Drag Race contestants". Them. Condé Nast. Retrieved March 3, 2025.
- ^ Hansford, Amelia (January 22, 2025). "Multiple government websites purged of LGBTQ+ content following Trump's inauguration". PinkNews. Retrieved January 31, 2025.
- ^ Damshenas, Sam (January 31, 2025). "'I will continue to love myself': Drag Race star Lexi Love shares HIV status as she calls out Trump administration". Gay Times. Retrieved January 31, 2025.
- ^ Grimes, Gary (January 29, 2025). "Drag Race star Lexi Love shares HIV status as Trump cuts overseas aid and removes White House resources". Attitude. Retrieved March 3, 2025.
- ^ Garcia, Joseph. "'A long time coming': Louisville's Lexi Love ready to bring 'Kentucky realness' to RuPaul's Drag Race". MSN. Retrieved December 13, 2024.
- ^ Stultz, Caleb. "Louisville's Lexi Love joins season 17 cast of RuPaul's Drag Race". Louisville Eccentric Observer. Retrieved December 6, 2024.
- ^ "Lexi Love on Apple Music". Apple Music. Retrieved January 11, 2025.
- ^ "Lexi Love - Spotify". Spotify. Retrieved January 11, 2025.
- ^ "Meet Lexi Love, Kentucky drag queen starring on next season of RuPaul's Drag Race" (Interview). Louisville, Kentucky: WHAS-TV. December 11, 2024. Retrieved December 11, 2024.
- ^ Nolfi, Joey (December 4, 2024). "RuPaul's Drag Race season 17 cast revealed as Rate-a-Queen returns with a major twist: 'The game is new'". Entertainment Weekly. Dotdash Meredith. Retrieved December 4, 2024.
