To celebrate Black History Month, we’ll be using each Day in Denver History segment throughout February to spotlight a Black Denverite who has helped shape our city. This week: Local drag legend Yvie Oddly.
Denver’s vibrant drag scene has been going for decades. And though we hit the national scene back in 2009 when the incomparable Nina Flowers made it to 2nd place on RuPaul’s Drag Race, it wasn’t until Season 11 when Yvie Oddly became the first Colorado queen to win the competition in 2019.
But Yvie’s star rose in the Mile High City long before the cameras were rolling. She began her career here 2012, eventually winning drag club mainstay Tracks’ title of “Ultimate Queen” in 2015. That set the stage for her quirky, punk persona to go global — not only through the Drag Race recognition but also through her music. Yvie released the full-length album “Drag Trap” in 2020, along with multiple singles and features on songs with Sharon Needles, Cazwell, and more.
Her impressive stage presence and ability to perform while contorting her body continues to make Yvie stand out on the world’s stage, but it’s the queen’s trash-as-fashion aesthetic that truly sets her apart. Of assembling her couture-level costumes from vintage items, thrifted fabrics, and literal trash, the star said, “When I made it on Drag Race I was a very poor Black queen living in Denver with nearly [zero] connections to the drag world at-large, but I spent thousands of dollars and worked my hardest to make my art work.” Follow Yvie’s current work and wild life on Instagram at @oddlyyvie.
