Tayce Szura-Radix (stage name Tayce; born 28 May 1994) is a Welsh drag queen, rapper and model from Newport, Wales.[1] She[a] is best known for competing in the second series of RuPaul's Drag Race UK, in which she placed joint runner-up.[2]
Career
2017–2020: Pre-Drag Race UK
Tayce moved to London in her late teens. After getting fired from a series of jobs, she became a full-time, professional drag queen in 2017.[3] In June of that year, QX Magazine referred to her as "London's most promising new drag star".[4] In 2018, she became Bougie Drag Brunch's[5] first featured queen, performing regularly alongside other well-known drag queens such as Honey Foxx and eventual Drag Race UKSeries Five (2023) contestant Cara Melle.[6]
In December 2020, Tayce was announced as one of twelve contestants competing on the second series of RuPaul's Drag Race UK.[2] Tayce won the main challenge in Episode 5 "The RuRuvision Song Contest" (alongside A'Whora, Bimini Bon-Boulash and Lawrence Chaney). However, she also landed in the "bottom two" four times, and had to lip-sync in order to stay in the competition. She won her first three lip-syncs, and sent home Cherry Valentine, Sister Sister and A'Whora. Her performance in the lip sync against Cherry Valentine, to the Cats song 'Memory', went viral.[8] Her fourth lip-sync against Ellie Diamond was declared a "double-shantay", with neither queen being eliminated. Tayce was the first ever contestant on RuPaul's Drag Race UK to survive four lip-syncs and win three of them, and is therefore often called a "lip-sync assassin".[9] She made it to the finale and, alongside Bimini, placed joint runner-up to Lawrence Chaney.
2021–present: Post-Drag Race success; breakthrough into modelling, presenting, and music
Tayce frequently performs at nightclubs, predominantly in London and New York.[10]
In May 2021, she was a featured performer at Drive Time Drag, a drag drive-in show which was the first of its kind in the UK.[11] Tayce embarked on the sold out United Kingdolls Tour (alongside A'Whora, Bimini Bon-Boulash and Lawrence Chaney) with promoter Klub Kids in July 2021,[12] and in February 2022 Tayce embarked on RuPaul's Drag Race UK: The Official Tour (alongside the entire cast of the second series of RuPaul's Drag Race UK), in association with World of Wonder and promoter Voss Events.[13] In September 2022, Tayce launched a solo tour across the UK, The Assassination Tour, with promoter Klub Kids.[14] In September 2023, Tayce joined Voss Events' Night of the Living Drag tour across the US alongside international RuPaul's Drag Race alumni.[15]
In March 2021, Tayce was announced as an ambassador for Coca-Cola's "Open That Cola!" campaign in the United Kingdom.[16]
In April 2021, Tayce, alongside fellow Drag Race contestant A'Whora, co-launched The Bluebella Pride Collection, a lingerie line by brand Bluebella. Proceeds from the collection were donated to the Kaleidoscope Trust, a British non-profit which promotes the abolition of anti-gay laws in the Commonwealth.[17] In June 2021, Tayce partnered with Boohoo owned fashion brand Nasty Gal for a 60-piece gender neutral capsule collection.[18][19]
In April 2022, Tayce teamed up with Absolut Vodka, Chet Lo, and the Institute of Digital Fashion for the #BornToMix campaign, in which Tayce modelled a digital dress designed by Chet Lo.[20]
Modelling
Tayce is currently signed with Models 1, the largest modelling agency in Europe.[21] She has walked runways for designer brands such as Richard Quinn, The Blonds, EgonLab, and Namilia.[22][23][24] She has also modelled in two Jean Paul Gaultier fragrance campaigns.
Hosting and radio
Tayce has been a frequent collaborator with the BBC (especially BBC Radio 1 and BBC Sounds). In August 2021, she presented the Saturday breakfast show slot on BBC Radio 1 from 9:30am, alongside Clara Amfo, as part of Drag Day also featuring Tayce's fellow Series 2 contestants: Bimini Bon-Boulash and Lawrence Chaney, as well as DJJodie Harsh.[25] Tayce has also presented a mindfulness-based programme in collaboration with BBC Radio 1 Relax (a BBC Sounds exclusive subsidiary of BBC Radio 1).[26] Since 2021, Tayce has hosted MTV's Queerpiphany alongside Munroe Bergdorf.[27] In June 2024 Tayce presented the Sky TV original documentary ‘’Striking With Pride - United at the Coal Face’’ [28] where she tells children the real story behind the 2015 hit film Pride
Music
In December 2022, Tayce released her debut rap single, "Swagzilla".[29] In November 2023, she was featured on Jan Sport's single "For You Only".[30]
On episode eight of RuPaul's Drag Race UK, Tayce opened-up about how being diagnosed with chlamydia and gonorrhea at the age of 18 damaged her self-esteem, and altered her perceptions surrounding relationships and sexuality due to feelings of shame and guilt.[33] Tayce's openness when discussing this experience was commended for breaking stigmas around sexually transmitted infections, including by the Terrence Higgins Trust, a British charity.[34]
Tayce is gay, and uses she/her pronouns while in-drag, and he/him pronouns while out-of-drag.[35][36]
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