Akashia (drag queen)
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Akashia | |
|---|---|
| Born | Eric Flint February 19, 1985 Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Drag performer, reality television personality |
| Years active | 2000s–2017; 2018 |
| Known for | RuPaul's Drag Race (season 1) |
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Eric Flint (born February 19, 1985), better known by the stage name Akashia, is an American drag performer best known for competing on the first season of RuPaul's Drag Race in 2009, in which she placed seventh.
Early life
[edit]Eric Flint was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio.[1] He was kicked out of his house at age 17 for being gay.[2]
Career
[edit]He began performing in the local drag scene in the early 2000s. In 2008, he won the title of Miss Bounce at Cleveland's Bounce Night Club.[3][4][unreliable source?] His stage name, "Akashia," was inspired by the vampire queen Akasha, portrayed by Aaliyah in the film Queen of the Damned.[2] Akashia described themself in three words as "crazy, real, and honest".[2]
RuPaul’s Drag Race (2009)
[edit]Akashia competed in the inaugural season of RuPaul’s Drag Race, which premiered on Logo TV in February 2009.[3] Screen Rant describes her as "villainous" and "extremely rough around the edges" on the show.[5] In the first episode, Akashia survived a lip-sync against Victoria "Porkchop" Parker to RuPaul’s "Supermodel (You Better Work)".[6] Entertainment Weekly describes her as the show's first "lip-sync assassin".[7] Writing for Vulture in 2014, E. Alex Jung named the lip-sync between Akashia and Tammie Brown as the tenth-best lip-sync battle from the show. In episode three, she was eliminated after losing a third lip-sync to Shannel, finishing in seventh place.[8]
Post-Drag Race and hiatus
[edit]In 2013, Akashia appeared in rapper Angel Haze’s music video "No Bueno" alongside fellow drag performer Laganja Estranja.[9]
Akashia continued performing at clubs and events following her elimination, primarily in Cleveland, until retiring from drag following the closure of her hometown bar in 2017.[10][7]
Return to drag (2018)
[edit]In 2018, Akashia returned for an appearance in the season 10 finale of RuPaul’s Drag Race, appearing alongside other season 1 queens in a medley performance.[11] This marked her first public drag appearance in over a year and led to her returning to drag full-time.[10]
In 2019, Akashia was featured in the book Drag: The Complete Story (A Look at the History and Culture of Drag) by Simon Doonan.[12] Akashia has stated that she would like to appear on RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars.[7]
Filmography
[edit]Television
[edit]| Date | Title | Character | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | RuPaul's Drag Race, Season 1 | Self | Contestant (7th place) | [11] |
| 2014 | RuPaul's Drag Race, Season 4 | Zombie | Episode: "RuPocalypse Now!" | [13][unreliable source] |
| 2018 | RuPaul's Drag Race, Season 10 | Self | Episode: "Grand Finale" | [14] |
Music videos
[edit]| Year | Title | Artist | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | "No Bueno" | Angel Haze | [15] |
References
[edit]- ^ admin. "Akashia – Our Community Roots". Retrieved 2025-07-10.
- ^ a b c RuPaul's Drag Race (2013-09-27). Meet The Queens: Akashia | RuPaul's Drag Race: The Lost Season Ru-Vealed. Retrieved 2025-07-10 – via YouTube.
- ^ a b "Akashia". Our Community Roots. February 18, 2023. Retrieved 2025-07-09.
- ^ admin. "Miss Bounce (Bounce Night Club – Cleveland, Ohio) – Our Community Roots". Retrieved 2025-07-10.
- ^ Ciampanelli, Paul (2021-07-20). "RuPaul's Drag Race: 5 Queens Who Deserve To Be On All Stars (& 5 Who Don't)". ScreenRant. Retrieved 2025-07-10.
- ^ "Porkchop Queens: Drag Race's list of first-eliminated queens". www.out.com. Retrieved 2025-07-10.
- ^ a b c Nolfi, Joey (March 3, 2023). "RuPaul's Drag Race season 1 cast: Where are they now?". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2025-07-09.
- ^ "The Drag Race Rutrospective: Queens fall down, go boom | Xtra Magazine". 2013-10-15. Retrieved 2025-07-10.
- ^ Jones, Marcus (June 5, 2020). "18 Fiercest Drag Race Music Video Cameos". Yahoo Entertainment. Retrieved 2025-07-09.
- ^ a b Sim, Bernardo (2019-12-22). "RuPaul's Drag Race Season 1 Queens: Where Are They Now?". ScreenRant. Retrieved 2025-07-10.
- ^ a b Quinn, Dave (June 28, 2018). "'RuPaul's Drag Race' Season 1 Queens Join Season 10 Cast for Epic Finale Lip Sync". People. Retrieved 2025-07-09.
- ^ BetteDavid's Drag Archive (2024-03-02). RuPaul's Drag Race S1 - Where The Frock Are They Now: Akashia. Retrieved 2025-07-10 – via YouTube.
- ^ Geo (2012-02-03). "letters to a higher power: TV Show and Tell: RuPaul's Drag Race Season 4 PREMIERE". letters to a higher power. Retrieved 2025-07-10.
- ^ RuPaul's Drag Race (2018-06-28). Lip Sync Eleganza Extravaganza Performance w/ S1 & S10 Queens 💃| RuPaul's Drag Race Season 10. Retrieved 2025-07-10 – via YouTube.
- ^ Angel Haze (Jun 10, 2013), Angel Haze – No Bueno (Official Video), retrieved July 7, 2025