Onya Nurve
Onya Nurve | |
|---|---|
| Born | Justin Woody Canton, Ohio, U.S.[1] |
| Education | Cleveland Institute of Art (BFA) |
| Occupation | Drag queen |
| Years active | 2021–present |
Onya Nurve is the stage name of Justin Woody,[2] an American drag performer and winner of the seventeenth season of RuPaul's Drag Race (2025).
Career
[edit]Onya Nurve began performing as a drag queen in 2021.[1] Before Drag Race, Onya Nurve was named Cleveland's best drag performer in the Cleveland Scene's 2023 Best of Cleveland issue and won the title of Mx. Zephyr in the first Zephyr Drag Takeover competition in Kent a year prior. She has additionally been crowned Miss Addicted to Glamour Newcomer. Onya Nurve is the inaugural ArtReach fellow for Haus of Transcendent, a Cleveland-based LGBTQ nonprofit.[3][4] In 2018, she portrayed the character of Youth in the Karamu House's production of Passing Strange.[1] In 2024, she served as a consultant for the Dobama Theatre's production of AT THE WAKE OF A DEAD DRAG QUEEN.[5] She has described herself as the "Andy Warhol of the drag scene".[3]
Onya Nurve competed and won the seventeenth season of competition series RuPaul's Drag Race (2025),[6] where the drag performer was crowned as the Next Drag Superstar for the United States.[7] She was the second contestant to represent Cleveland after Akashia, who competed in its first season.[8] Throughout the season, Onya Nurve became the first contestant in the season to win four main challenges.[9]
The challenges included an advertisement parody where she performed a jazz–monologue based on Laganja Estranja's stand-up comedy routine from the sixth season,[10] acting in a sketch inspired by screenwriter Truman Capote, and lastly a narrative interpretive dance challenge alongside Lexi Love. For the Snatch Game challenge, Onya Nurve won the episode with Entertainment Weekly seeing potential in her after "matching her ace comedic skills" and "embodied [the] beloved Hollywood staple," actor and comedian Eddie Murphy.[11]
Personal life
[edit]Woody is based in Cleveland.[12] He got his BFA in painting at Cleveland Institute of Art.[13] Prior to appearing on Drag Race, he worked at Doinks Burger Joint.[12]
Discography
[edit]Singles
[edit]| Title | Year | Album | Writer(s) | Producers(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "In and Out" | 2025 | Non-album single | Justin Carlo Woody and Charles Boyd | Husk Pesci | [14] |
Filmography
[edit]Television
[edit]| Title | Year | Role | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| RuPaul's Drag Race | 2025 | Contestant | [15] |
| RuPaul's Drag Race: Untucked! |
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c Novak, Lainey. "Onya Nurve, Cleveland's Drag Superstar, Shines on "RuPaul's Drag Race"". clevelandmagazine.com. Cleveland Magazine. Retrieved February 1, 2025.
- ^ ""Are Queer People Allowed to Like Dave Chappelle?" with Justin Woody AKA Onya Nurve". buzzsprout.com. Queer Discourse with Lou Barrett. February 23, 2022. Retrieved December 4, 2024.
- ^ a b "Cleveland drag artist Onya Nurve joins Season 17 cast of "RuPaul's Drag Race"". wkyc.com. December 4, 2024. Retrieved December 5, 2024.
- ^ "Onya Nurve Named HOT's Inaugural ArtReach Fellow!". July 13, 2024.
- ^ Berko, Roy. "Review: AT THE WAKE OF A DEAD DRAG QUEEN at Dobama". broadwayworld.com. BroadwayWorld. Retrieved December 6, 2024.
- ^ Nolfi, Joey (December 4, 2024). "RuPaul's Drag Race season 17 cast revealed as Rate-a-Queen returns with a major twist: 'The game is new'". Entertainment Weekly. Dotdash Meredith. Archived from the original on December 5, 2024. Retrieved December 4, 2024.
- ^ Sim, Bernardo (April 18, 2025). "And the winner of RuPaul's Drag Race season 17 is..." Out. Retrieved April 18, 2025.
- ^ Jones, Monique; Mangum, Trey (December 30, 2024). "RuPaul's Drag Race season 17 cast interview: Queens tease season and journey as 'fucking' nuts". Blavity. Retrieved April 16, 2025.
- ^ Duncan, Charlie (March 25, 2025). "These are the only RuPaul's Drag Race queens with four challenge wins – including season 17's Onya Nurve". PinkNews. Retrieved April 16, 2025.
- ^ Frank, Jason P. (January 24, 2025). "RuPaul's Drag Race recap, season 17 episode 4". Vulture. Retrieved January 25, 2025.
- ^ Nolfi, Joey (February 14, 2025). "Every Drag Race season 17 "Snatch Game" character: See all the stars the queens played". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on February 18, 2025. Retrieved February 19, 2025.
- ^ a b "'RuPaul's Drag Race' Announces Season 17 Cast, Updated 'Rate-a-Queen' Twist". Variety. December 4, 2024. Retrieved December 4, 2024.
- ^ "'RuPaul's Drag Race' Announces Season 17 Cast, Updated 'Rate-a-Queen' Twist". December 4, 2024.
- ^ Nurve, Onya (January 11, 2025). "In and Out". Apple Music. Retrieved April 16, 2025.
- ^ Nolfi, Joey (December 4, 2024). "RuPaul's Drag Race season 17 cast revealed as Rate-a-Queen returns with a major twist: 'The game is new'". Entertainment Weekly. Dotdash Meredith. Retrieved December 4, 2024.
