Originals

“I’m that woman”: Cara Melle on making Black trans history on Drag Race UK

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By Alice Morey

27th September 2023

Cara Melle says it is “really gratifying” yet “surreal” to be making herstory on this season of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK.

As revealed in Cara’s recent digital cover interview with GAY TIMES, the 26-year-old becomes the UK’s first-ever Black trans competitor, something that “didn’t really register at first.”

Because of the inevitable impact she will have on her respective communities, Cara rightfully says she is “that woman”: “I can’t wait to show people who are like me how to be powerful in our Blackness, transness and womanhood.”

The significance of her casting is not lost on Cara, who explained: “I just can’t wait to show the people that are like me what I can do and what we can do.”

“I am the highest form of goddess energy. I am Queen of Sheba, mixed with Beyoncé, a lioness and any sort of mythical creature that you could think of,” Cara added when describing her drag aesthetic. It is a “gratifying” and a “really happy moment” to show “all this work that I’ve done has just finally come to fruition.”

If Cara is Beyoncé then this makes the rest of the cast: “Kelly [Rowland], Michelle [Williams], LaTavia [Roberson], LeToya [Luckett] and Farrah [Franklin]. We might even have a Tina Knowles up in there and a Solange.”

The fifth season of Drag Race UK will see the return of RuPaul, Michelle Visage, Graham Norton and Alan Carr as regular panellists.

Aisling Bea, Alexandra Burke, Cush Jumbo, Daphne Guinness, Joel Dommett, Kristen McMenamy, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Suranne Jones and Yasmin Finney will guest judge, with additional cameos from Edward Enninful OBE, Carol Vorderman, Karen Hauer and Claudimar Neto.

Not only is Cara the first Black trans queen to compete on Drag Race UK, she is also the first American queen to sashay onto the stage.

Cara has a background in musical theatre, performing drag for the first time at 17 at her boarding art school in California. Later, Cara moved to London for university to continue pursuing her creative multi-hyphenate skillset in dance, singing and a stint of studying fashion design. “I’m just a talented b***h,” Cara remarked.

Don’t be fooled though, it may be “an American invasion” but Cara is “a London girl baby,” she teases when speaking in her promo video for the upcoming season.


Cara shares her desire to make herself and others proud. “I want to slay it so hard like no one has done before. I want to go down in history as the baddest of the bad. The biggest of the big, the sweetest of the sweet.”

Cara looked ahead to this season and gave GAY TIMES a tantalising teaser about what we can expect. Hold onto your heels, because viewers are in for “an extravaganza of charisma” and “too many egos in one room” – and we are here for it.

RuPaul’s Drag Race UK season five premieres Thursday 28 September on BBC Three and BBC iPlayer.

You can read our digital cover with all 10 queens here.