DWV (group)

DWV[1] was an American pop group based in Los Angeles, consisting of drag queens Willam Belli, Detox and Vicky Vox. They found fame with the release of "Chow Down (at Chick-Fil-A)" in March 2012, a parody of "Hold On" by Wilson Phillips, satirizing Chick-fil-A's controversial stance on Gay marriage.[2] They followed up this success with the January 2013 release of "Boy Is a Bottom", which currently has 24,423,296 views on YouTube as of September 2020.[3]

DWV
DWV in 2013
Background information
OriginLos Angeles, California, United States
Genres
Years active2012–2014
Websitewillambelli.com
Past members

On 14 June 2014, it was officially confirmed by Belli and Vicky Vox that the group had split.[4]

History

Tranzkuntinental

Tranzkuntinental was a band started by Charlie Paulson and Xander Smith, which features drag queens Kelly Mantle, Rhea Litré, Vicky Vox, and Willam Belli.

In April 2013, Vicky Vox confirmed he was no longer part of TranzKuntinental, explaining that the band had not worked together since Halloween the previous year and that he was instead opting to focus on his work with DWV.[5][6]

RuPaul's Drag Race

Willam Belli was a contestant on the fourth season of RuPaul's Drag Race, which premiered in January 2012. He was disqualified in the conclusion of the eighth episode "Frenemies" and it was revealed during the reunion episode that it was due to Belli having received conjugal visits from his husband, which was a breach of contract and contestants are not allowed to reveal their presence on RuPaul's Drag Race during their time as contestants. Detox was a contestant on the fifth season of RuPaul's Drag Race, which premiered in January 2013. He came in fourth place after losing a lip-sync against subsequent winner Jinkx Monsoon. Vicky Vox has yet to make an appearance on Drag Race.

Success

Belli often cites critical timing as the cause for the success of DWV. In March 2012, The group released their first collaborative single "Chow Down (at Chick-fil-A)" on Belli's personal YouTube channel. The song and music video quickly went viral due to Belli's promotion of the single during a social media buzz regarding the reason behind his disqualification from RuPaul's Drag Race. The song is a parody of "Hold On" by Wilson Phillips and also includes a homage to Left Eye's rap from "Waterfalls" by TLC. The group explained that they wrote the song together in response to the controversial stance on gay marriage held by Chick-fil-A.[2]

In January 2013, following up on the success of their first single, DWV released "Boy Is a Bottom" coinciding with the premiere of the fifth season of RuPaul's Drag Race of which member Detox was a contestant. The song quickly went viral with the help of social media promotion through Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr. The song is a parody of the Inferno version of Alicia Key's "Girl on Fire" featuring Nicki Minaj, also including the breakdown from "My Lovin' (You're Never Gonna Get It)" by En Vogue. The song plays on the ideas of society regarding the role of a top and bottom in anal intercourse, satirizing the concept of "pseudo-tops"

In May 2013, DWV released "Silicone", alongside the premiere of the reunion episode of RuPaul's Drag Race. Written by Willam Belli, the song is a parody of Robyn's "Dancing On My Own". The song refers to the use of silicone to alter the body in an attempt to make oneself more attractive. The single marked the singing debut of Detox, who usually rapped verses in the group's songs rather than singing them. Belli stated in an episode of "Hey Qween" that the song was his gift to Detox. It also is the first to have been released under the DWV group name.[7]

In December 2012, DWV embarked on a 60-day world tour, promoting their singles throughout North America, Europe, Australia and also Dubai.[8][9]

In 2013, DWV performed "Boy Is a Bottom" at White Party in Palm Springs, California.[10][11]

In 2013, DWV became the faces of a limited edition selection of OCC Makeup Lip Tar and & Nail Lacquer packs.[12][13][14]

In May 2013, DWV performed "Boy Is a Bottom" at the Life Ball in Vienna.

On 11 September 2013, DWV released "Blurred Bynes", a parody of Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines". The song pokes fun at Amanda Bynes' new image on social media including her hair, new breast implants and her infamous tweet to Drake.[15][16]

On 10 December 2013, DWV released "That Christmas Song", a Hip Hop/Rock track and video of a Christmas party, using many elements of TLC's All That.[17]

Early 2014, saw them release Gaycation!, in the style of The Go-Go's' "Vacation" and "We Got the Beat".[18]

In April 2014, Belli stated via his Tumblr account that DWV had no upcoming plans,[19] as both Belli and Vox are undertaking solo projects. However they have been booked to perform in Copenhagen, Denmark at the opening of the new gay club "Star Factory" on 2 May, to kick off "Eurovision week", which was held in Copenhagen on 10 May.[20]

On 14 June 2014, Belli tweeted that DWV had broken up because "it was just time." Vicky also stated that "it was fun for a while."[4]

Members

Willam
Main article: Willam Belli

Willam Belli (born 30 June 1982) is an American actor, drag queen and singer-songwriter from Philadelphia, based in Los Angeles. She first gained fame for her recurring role as transsexual Cherry Peck in Nip/Tuck, before gaining notoriety as the first ever disqualification on RuPaul's Drag Race, of which she was a contestant in the fourth season.

Detox
Main article: Detox (drag queen)

Matthew Sanderson, known mononymously as Detox (born 3 June 1985) is an American drag queen and recording artist from Orlando, based in California. She was a contestant on season five of RuPaul's Drag Race, in which she came fourth, and the second season of All Stars, where she made it to the final three.

Vicky Vox

Vicky Vox is an American drag queen, based in California. She is the drag daughter (protégé) of Detox. Vicky Vox uses her own voice in most of her drag performances. Vicky Vox auditioned for RuPaul's Drag Race with an audition tape made with Willam Belli's help. The tape was rejected for looking too professional and of high a quality.

Discography

Singles
Year Song Peak chart positions Album
US Comedy Digital Songs[21]
2012 "Chow Down" (Willam Belli featuring Detox & Vicky Vox) 12 The Wreckoning
"Starfucker" (Willam Belli featuring Detox & Vicky Vox) —
2013 "Boy Is a Bottom" 6 Non-album singles
"Silicone" —
"Blurred Bynes" 5
"That Christmas Song" —
2014 "Gaycation!" —

References
  1. "Dwv: Shhh...It'S A Show!". Spincyclenyc.com. Archived from the original on 16 April 2013. Retrieved 13 May 2013.
  2. Wong, Curtis (19 March 2012). "'Chow Down (At Chick-Fil-A),' Wilson Phillips Drag Spoof, Parodies Fast Food Chain's 'Anti-Gay' Controversy (VIDEO)". HuffPost. Retrieved 13 May 2013.
  3. Tungol, Jr (28 January 2013). "'Boy Is A Bottom' Music Video Parody From Drag Queens Of 'Chow Down (At Chick-Fil-A)' (VIDEO)". HuffPost. Retrieved 13 May 2013.
  4. "DWV Confirms Breakup: "It Was Fun For a While"". Dragaholic.com. Archived from the original on 22 June 2014. Retrieved 14 June 2014.
  5. "Twitter / TheVickyVox: i have nothing to do with @TranzK". Twitter.com. Retrieved 13 May 2013.
  6. "Twitter / TheVickyVox: @touchyqueens no reason". Twitter.com. Retrieved 13 May 2013.
  7. "DWV Silicone Music Video | Detox | Willam Belli | Vicky Vox". homorazzi.com. 6 May 2013. Archived from the original on 8 May 2013. Retrieved 13 May 2013.
  8. "Willam Belli". Willam Belli. Retrieved 13 May 2013.
  9. "DWV: Shh...It's a Show! Photos and More | The Laurie Beechman Theatre, New York City, NY". Theatermania.com. Retrieved 13 May 2013.
  10. "PHOTOS: Thousands Strip Down For White Party Palm Springs / Queerty". Queerty.com. Retrieved 13 May 2013.
  11. "White Party 2013 - "Boy Is A Bottom" Performance". YouTube. 8 April 2013. Retrieved 13 May 2013.
  12. "Detox, Willam And Vicky Fox Are The New Faces of OCC Makeup | Out Magazine". Out.com. 29 April 2013. Retrieved 13 May 2013.
  13. Chris Spargo (28 April 2013). "Detox, Willam & Vicky Vox New Faces of OCC Makeup". NewNowNext. Retrieved 13 May 2013.
  14. "OCC Makeup Lip Tar & Nail Lacquer Duos featuring Willam, Detox, and Vicky Vox". Temptalia.com. 26 April 2013. Retrieved 13 May 2013.
  15. Nichols, James (11 September 2013). "DWV, Draq Queen Trio Featuring Detox, Willam And Vicky Vox, Release 'Blurred Bynes" (VIDEO)". HuffPost. Retrieved 3 October 2013.
  16. Malec, Brett. "Amanda Bynes Called Out by Drag Queens in Funny New "Blurred Lines" Music Video Parody". E Online. Retrieved 3 October 2013.
  17. "DWV Releases Music Video For Their Holiday Single 'That Christmas Song'". dragofficial.com. 10 December 2013. Retrieved 28 March 2014.
  18. Nichols, James (11 March 2014). "DWV Releases 'Gaycation'". huffingpost.com. Retrieved 28 March 2014.
  20. https://www.facebook.com/events/522164351229337/?ref=br_tf
  21. Caulfield, Keith (6 March 2014). "RuPaul Nets Highest Charting Album Ever, Plus A 'Drag Race' Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved 8 March 2014.
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