Nymphia Wind
Nymphia Wind | |
|---|---|
 Nymphia Wind in 2023 | |
| Born | Leo Tsao July 23, 1995 |
| Nationality | Taiwanese American |
| Education | University for the Creative Arts (BA) |
| Occupations | |
| Years active | 2018–present |
| Television | RuPaul's Drag Race (season 16) |
| Predecessor | Sasha Colby |
| Relatives | Ts'ao Yung-ho (granduncle) |
| Website | nymphiawind |
Nymphia Wind (Chinese: 妮妃雅‧瘋) is the stage name of Leo Tsao (Chinese: 曹米駬; born July 23, 1995),[2][3] a Taiwanese-American[1] drag performer and dressmaker.[4] In 2024, she was crowned the winner of season 16 of RuPaul's Drag Race, becoming the first East Asian winner.
Early life
Nymphia Wind was born in Los Angeles and raised in Hong Kong until the age of six, when her family moved to Taiwan.[5][6][7] Nymphia was bullied as a child due to her gender expression, which led her mother to transfer her to Holistic Education School.[8] During high school, her interest in studying fashion was sparked by K-pop girl groups. While she was studying at the University for the Creative Arts, she developed a passion for fashion and drag.[5][9]
Career
Since 2018, Nymphia Wind began performing in Taipei.[5][6][10] Her first name "Nymphia" comes from the Japanese name Pokémon character Sylveon, and her last name "Wind" means she likes to be free and invisible, also, "Wind" is a homophone of "craziness" in Mandarin.[7] She is the mother of "House of Wind" (瘋家, use "craziness" in Mandarin).[11] Nymphia's signature color is yellow, as fashion choice and her Asian identity, and her performances often incorporate banana and Taiwanese cultural elements.[7][9] She calls herself "Banana Buddha" and her fanbase as "Banana Believers".[12][13] Outside of drag, she is a seamstress who received a Bachelor of Arts in fashion atelier from the University for the Creative Arts in Rochester, England.[4][10]
In 2019, Nymphia Wind won "NYX FACE AWARD 2019 TAIWAN".[5] In 2021, she won "Make a Diva Season 2" in Taiwan.[14] She produced her first show, Bye Bye Nymphia~ Farewell Drag Show, which used a Taiwanese electric flower car as a stage, in June 2022 in Taipei.[10] She is dedicated to combining her Taiwanese cultural significance and aesthetics in her drag performances.[15]
In July 2022, Nymphia Wind moved to Brooklyn to challenge her drag.[4][9] In early 2023, she won the competition “Mother Season 2” in New York.[6] In 2024, she won the sixteenth season of RuPaul's Drag Race, becoming the first person of East Asian descent to win an installment of the American series, and the second queen of Asian descent to win after Raja Gemini.[16] Her victory also won praise from Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen.[17] Nymphia and the House of Wind are going to represent Taiwan as performers at the 2024 Cultural Olympiad in Paris.[18][19]
Personal life
Nymphia Wind lives in a supportive family with her mother, who often watches her shows and helps her drag.[9][20] Her granduncle was Ts'ao Yung-ho, a historian who specialized in History of Taiwan.[21]
Filmography
| Year | Title | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Guess Who: My Bestie Mom | [20] | |
| 2021 | Leo & Nymphia | Documentary | [2] |
| 2024 | RuPaul's Drag Race (season 16) | Contestant, Winner | [16] |
| RuPaul's Drag Race: Untucked |
References
- ^ a b "Drag Race S16 Queens on What Inspires Their Drag". Youtube. GLAAD. 2024-01-05.
- ^ a b "Leo & Nymphia". QUEER EAST FESTIVAL.
- ^ 葉, 冠吟 (2022-01-12). "雙面曹里歐記錄變裝皇后日常 衝撞價值觀" [Leo & Nymphia records the daily life of a drag queen, colliding within values]. Central News Agency (Taiwan) (in Chinese (Taiwan)).
- ^ a b c "These photographs lift the lid on Taipei's growing, energetic drag scene". Dazed. 2019-05-10. Archived from the original on 2023-08-25. Retrieved 2023-12-06.
- ^ a b c d Morgan, Seb (15 November 2019). "Nymphia Wind Shares Her Thoughts on Taiwan's Rising Drag Scene – Taiwan Scene". Archived from the original on 2023-12-06. Retrieved 2023-12-06.
- ^ a b c "On Point With: Nymphia Wind". Thotyssey. 2023-03-02. Archived from the original on 2023-03-20. Retrieved 2023-12-06.
- ^ a b c Chiang, Vic (2024-04-18). "How a 'RuPaul's Drag Race' finalist became an unlikely ambassador for Taiwan". The Washington Post.
- ^ 李, 振豪 (2024-04-20). "【下一站天后妮妃雅1】台灣人登美國實境秀 被擁有上億粉絲的天后追蹤". 鏡週刊 (in Chinese (Taiwan)).
- ^ a b c d Yang, Evelyn (2023-12-22). "INTERVIEW/Nymphia Wind blows into RuPaul's Drag Race as the First Taiwanese Queen". Focus Taiwan - CNA English News.
- ^ a b c Wind, Nymphia (2022-06-02). "《飛啊～妮妃雅》 蕉后掰掰演出募款" [Bye bye Nymphia farewell performance fundraising websites]. flyingV (in Chinese (Taiwan)).
- ^ CHENG, SYLVIA (2024-04-23). "台灣第一人！變裝皇后妮妃雅Nymphia獲美國《魯保羅變裝秀》總冠軍，大喊「送給台灣！」Lady Gaga也來留言" (in Chinese (Taiwan)).
- ^ Thomson, Jono (2023-12-12). "1st Taiwanese drag queen to appear on RuPaul's Drag Race". Taiwan News.
- ^ Sim, Bernardo (2023-12-06). "Meet the Queens of 'RuPaul's Drag Race' Season 16". Out.
- ^ "最終名次大揭曉🤩High翻舞台魅力無限🔥 | FJ234 Make a Diva2". YouTube. FJ234. 2021-03-03.
- ^ "Nymphia Wind Takes the Spotlight as the Cover star of "STARS" Edition by Hooks Magazine". The Hooks Magazine. 2024-04-04.
- ^ a b "'RuPaul's Drag Race' season 16 cast revealed: Meet the new queens". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 2023-12-06. Retrieved 2023-12-06.
- ^ "Drag queen's RuPaul victory wins praise from Taiwan's president". CNN. 2024-04-22.
- ^ Ministry of Culture (Taiwan) (2024-04-30). "巴黎文化奧運臺灣館 展現民主自由孕育的島嶼新藝展". Ministry of Culture (Taiwan) (in Chinese (Taiwan)).
- ^ Chao, Ching-Yu; Lo, James (2024-04-30). "OLYMPICS/Taiwan to present 4 spotlight experiences at Paris Cultural Olympiad". Focus Taiwan.
- ^ a b "Guess Who: My Bestie Mom". TaiwanPlus. 2022-01-24.
- ^ 鄺, 郁庭 (2024-04-21). "妮妃雅家牆上有「他」照片！她驚呆：一家來拯救人類文明的吧". ETtoday (in Chinese (Taiwan)).
External links
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