Shuga Cain is the stage name of Jesus Martinez (born November 20, 1977), an American

drag queen A drag queen is a person, usually male, who uses drag clothing and makeup to imitate and often exaggerate female gender signifiers and gender roles for entertainment purposes. Historically, drag queens have usually been gay men, and part o ...

and

baker A baker is a tradesperson who bakes and sometimes sells breads and other products made of flour by using an oven or other concentrated heat source. The place where a baker works is called a bakery. History Ancient history Since grains ...

who came to international attention on the eleventh season of ''

RuPaul's Drag Race ''RuPaul's Drag Race'' is an American reality competition television series, the first in the ''Drag Race'' franchise, produced by World of Wonder for Logo TV (season 1–8), WOW Presents Plus, VH1 (season 9–14) and, beginning with the f ...

''.

Early life

Martinez was born in Oakland, California and as a child moved to

Northern California Northern California (colloquially known as NorCal) is a geographic and cultural region that generally comprises the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. Spanning the state's northernmost 48 counties, its main population centers incl ...

, where he grew up in a predominantly caucasian neighborhood. His father was

Salvadoran Salvadorans ( Spanish: ''Salvadoreños''), also known as Salvadorians (alternate spelling: Salvadoreans), are citizens of El Salvador, a country in Central America. Most Salvadorans live in El Salvador, although there is also a significant Salvad ...

, and his mother was Apache with Spanish ancestry. He received a

Bachelor of Music Bachelor of Music (BM or BMus) is an academic degree awarded by a college, university, or conservatory upon completion of a program of study in music. In the United States, it is a professional degree, and the majority of work consists of presc ...

degree from the

University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire The University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire (UW–Eau Claire, UWEC or simply Eau Claire) is a public university in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. It is part of the University of Wisconsin System and offers Bachelor's degree, bachelor's and Master's degree, ...

and a Master of Music degree from

DePaul University DePaul University is a private university, private, Catholic higher education, Catholic research university in Chicago, Illinois. Founded by the Congregation of the Mission, Vincentians in 1898, the university takes its name from the 17th-centu ...

, both in applied voice.

Career

In 2011, Martinez starred in a production of Xanadu, portraying Sonny Malone. Cain started drag full time in 2017, quitting a six-figure corporate job with the

Scholastic Corporation Scholastic Corporation () is an American multinational publishing, education, and media company that publishes and distributes books, comics, and educational materials for schools, parents, and children. Products are distributed via retail and on ...

to pursue it. In March 2018, Cain was a part of Max Emerson's ''Drag Babies'' series, hosted by

Bob the Drag Queen Christopher D. Caldwell, better known as Bob the Drag Queen and Caldwell Tidicue, is an American drag queen, comedian, actor, activist, musician, and reality television personality. He is best known for winning the eighth season of ''RuPaul's D ...

. She was a Drag Mentor, alongside

Peppermint Peppermint (''Mentha'' × ''piperita'') is a hybrid species of mint, a cross between watermint and spearmint. Indigenous to Europe and the Middle East, the plant is now widely spread and cultivated in many regions of the world.Euro+Med Plantb ...

and

Chi Chi DeVayne Zavion Michael Davenport (September 24, 1985August 20, 2020), better known by the stage name Chi Chi DeVayne, was an American drag queen A drag queen is a person, usually male, who uses drag clothing and makeup to imitate and often exag ...

. Cain was announced to be one of fifteen contestants competing on season eleven of ''

'' on January 24, 2019. In episode 3, Cain was a part of the historic six-way lipsync (the first time in the show history in which more than two contestants had to lipsync to avoid elimination), which she survived. Cain lipsynced once again in episode 5, where she sent home Ariel Versace to

Whitney Houston Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012) was an American singer and actress. Nicknamed "Honorific nicknames in popular music, The Voice", she is Whitney Houston albums discography, one of the bestselling music artists ...

's "

I'm Your Baby Tonight ''I'm Your Baby Tonight'' is the third studio album by American singer Whitney Houston released on November 6, 1990, by Arista Records. The album has been certified quadruple platinum in the US by the RIAA. Background By 1989, Whitney Hou ...

". Despite never winning a challenge, Cain placed in the top during the season's

Snatch Game Snatch Game is a challenge on the ''Drag Race'' reality competition television franchise. Beginning with the second season of the original American series ''RuPaul's Drag Race'', the challenge has taken place on every season since. It has also o ...

challenge, where she portrayed

Charo María Rosario Pilar Martínez Molina Baeza, professionally known by her stage name Charo, is a Spanish-American actress, singer, comedian, and flamenco guitarist. Charo began playing guitar at the age of nine and trained under the famed An ...

. Finally, Cain was eliminated in the 10th episode after lipsyncing to

No More Drama ''No More Drama'' is the fifth studio album by American singer Mary J. Blige, released on August 28, 2001, by MCA Records. Following the critical and commercial success of her fourth studio album, '' Mary'' (1999), ''No More Drama'' was similarly ...

Mary J. Blige Mary Jane Blige ( ; born January 11, 1971) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Often referred to as the " Queen of Hip-Hop Soul" and " Queen of R&B", Blige has won nine Grammy Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, four American Music Award ...

against

Vanessa Vanjie Mateo Vanessa Vanjie Mateo, sometimes known as Miss Vanjie or simply Vanjie, is the stage name of José Cancel, an American drag performer known for competing on the tenth season of ''RuPaul's Drag Race'' and placing fifth on the eleventh season of t ...

. She finished the competition in 7th place. During her time on the show, Cain released ''Shuga in the Raw'', where she recapped every episode of season 11. From March 26 to September 6, she was a part of the rotating cast for ''RuPaul's Drag Race: Season 11 Tour'', presented by Voss Events and World of Wonder, and hosted by

Asia O'Hara Antwan Mason Lee (born July 7, 1982), better known by the stage name Asia O'Hara, is an American drag queen, reality television personality, and costume designer. She is most well known for competing on the tenth season of '' RuPaul's Drag Race' ...

. The show kicked off in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wor ...

on May 26 during the

RuPaul's DragCon LA RuPaul's DragCon LA is an annual expo of drag culture held in Los Angeles billed as a "convention that celebrates 'the art of drag, queer culture and self-expression for all'", which debuted in 2015. Its sister event is RuPaul's DragCon NYC s ...

wrap party (hosted by Drag Race judge Michelle Visage) and concluded with a final bow on September 6 in New York City (also hosted by Visage) at the top of

RuPaul’s DragCon NYC RuPaul's DragCon NYC is an annual fan convention and expo of drag culture held in New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of ...

. She was announced to host ''Gimme Some Shuga'', a six episode mini-series on WOWPresents Plus. The series focuses on Cain and ace baker Justin Salinas creating cakes inspired by ''RuPaul's Drag Race'' legends. She was announced as part of the cast for ''A Drag Queen Christmas'', a Christmas-theme drag show presented by M&P, hosted by

Nina West Nina West is the stage name of Andrew Robert Levitt, an American drag queen, activist, actor, and singer-songwriter based in Columbus, Ohio. She rose to national prominence with her appearance on the eleventh season of ''RuPaul's Drag Race'', w ...

. Other queens in the lineup include

Shea Coulee Shea is an Irish surname that is also used in some countries as a gender neutral given name. Shea may refer to: People Surname A–H * Brek Shea (born 1990), American soccer player * Charles W. Shea (1921–1994), United States Army offic ...

, Willam,

Latrice Royale Timothy K. Wilcots (born February 12, 1972), better known by the stage name Latrice Royale, is an American drag performer, recording artist, and reality television personality. She is best known for her appearances on the fourth season of ''RuPa ...

Thorgy Thor Thorgy Thor is the stage name of Shane Thor Galligan, an American drag queen and musician who came to international attention on the eighth season of ''RuPaul's Drag Race'' and on the third season of '' All Stars''. Early life Galligan studie ...

Manila Luzon Karl Philip Michael Westerberg, better known by the stage name Manila Luzon (born August 10, 1981), is an American drag queen, recording artist, comedian and reality television personality. Luzon came to international attention as a contestant on ...

, and

Lady Bunny Lady Bunny, originally known as "Bunny Hickory Dickory Dock" (born Jon Ingle, August 13, 1962), is an American drag queen, nightclub DJ, actor, comedian, and event organizer. She is the founder of the annual Wigstock event, as well as an occasi ...

Personal life

Cain is currently

engaged An engagement or betrothal is the period of time between the declaration of acceptance of a marriage proposal and the marriage itself (which is typically but not always commenced with a wedding). During this period, a couple is said to be '' ...

to Gilbert Gaona of Atascadero, CA.

Filmography

Television

Web series

Music videos

Discography

Singles

Theatre

References

External links

*
Jesus Martinez
on

IMDb IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, p ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cain, Shuga 1977 births Living people American drag queens Gay entertainers Hispanic and Latino American drag queens LGBT people from California LGBT Hispanic and Latino American people People from New York (state) Shuga Cain