Minnie Cooper is one of the ten Drag Race Down Under season 2 participants competing for a $50,000 cash prize. She was “abandoned as a newborn and placed at the doorway of Arq Nightclub,” according to her Instagram bio, but “luckily, she was adopted and reared by drag queens.”
Minnie Cooper, 50, is the most senior and experienced drag queen on Drag Race Down Under, which premieres on WOW on July 30. The queens’ performances in different rounds and tasks will be evaluated. After many rounds of elimination, only the last queen standing will be named the champion of Drag Race Down Under.
Everything you need to know about Minnie Cooper from Drag Race Down Under Season 2.
Minnie Cooper was “adopted and reared by drag queens,” and the queens taught her all she knows about lipstick, platform shoes, miming, glitter, and everything in between. When she was six years old, the Australian artist began performing drag. She has captivated audiences from Oxford Street in Sydney to Oxford Circus in London over her lengthy and acclaimed career spanning over 20 years.
She has received more DIVA (Drag Industry Variety Honours) awards than anybody else, including Entertainer of the Year four times, Sydney’s Favorite Drag Queen, and Choreographer of the Year. Minnie was also a semi-finalist on Australia’s Got Talent in 2016, wowing everyone with her drag and musical theatre abilities. She also performed at the 2018 Mardi Gras for Cher and for Kylie Jenner in 2019. According to her official website minniecoopersydneydrag.com, Minnie Cooper has worked with celebrities such as Kate Miller-Heidke, Adam Lambert, Jimmy Barnes, Cyndi Lauper, and Kylie Minogue, Tina Arena, Dannii Minogue, and Australia’s most renowned drag performer, Carlotta.
In 2018, the dancer, vocalist, and choreographer debuted her one-woman performance, From Chorus Boy to Leading Lady, in the world of cabaret. Her play won the Best in Cabaret & Musical Theatre Award at the 2019 Sydney Fringe Festival. Even at Trevor Ashley’s Mardi Gala at the Sydney Opera House, she stole the show.
Other Works
Minne Cooper has also starred in Season 4 of Netflix’s Jack Whitehall: Travels With My Father, judged All Together Now, and presented the internet streaming show Live From Stonewall. Her program was nominated for best internet streaming show by Time Out magazine.
The “Super Duper Minnie Cooper!” has choreographed several large-scale spectacles at events such as Sleaze Ball and Flash Mobs, to mention a few, and has many award-winning shows to her credit.
She thinks that “knowledge is power” and draws on her experience as a drag queen to back this up. In the introduction of Drag Race Down Under, she remarked about her drag:
“I like to say this about Minnie Cooper’s drag, Cate Blanchett’s appearance, but Chris Hemsworth’s voice.” I have these extremely dulcet tones, but I don’t want to put myself in one box, because if you put yourself in one box, you’re f*cking boring.”
She enjoys singing, entertaining, and tap dancing, among other things. Marie Cooper is currently fighting for the cash prize and the title of Drag Race Down Under on the program. Season 2 of the tournament will premiere on WOW on July 30.