Kameron Michaels facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Kameron Michaels
Kameron Michaels at RuPaul's DragCon LA, 2019
Born	Dane Young (1986-07-23) July 23, 1986 (age 38) Massillon, Ohio, U.S.
Nationality	American
Other names	The Bodybuilder Barbie Arianna St. Claire
Occupation	Drag queen
Years active	2004 or 2005 – present
Known for	RuPaul's Drag Race (season 10) Werq the World RuPaul's Drag Race Live! RuPaul's Drag Race: Vegas Revue

Dane Young (born July 23, 1986), known as Kameron Michaels, is an American drag performer. She became famous after appearing on the tenth season of RuPaul's Drag Race.

Kameron Michaels started her career in Nashville around 2004 or 2005. Since 2018, she has joined many tours with other Drag Race stars. These include Werq the World and Christmas Queens. She has also released music, including her first song "Freedom" in 2019. Since 2020, she has been a main performer in RuPaul's Drag Race Live! in Las Vegas. She also stars in the TV show RuPaul's Drag Race: Vegas Revue.

Michaels is known as a "muscle queen." This means her drag style shows off a strong, muscular body. People sometimes call her "The Bodybuilder Barbie." She also has many cool tattoos on her arms, chest, and leg.

Early Life and Beginnings

Dane Young was born on July 23, 1986. He was the only child of his parents. They lived in Massillon, Ohio, until he was five years old. Then, they moved to Michigan for a short time. After that, they settled in Columbia, Tennessee, where Dane grew up.

When he was 18, Dane started visiting Nashville on weekends. He worked as a server in local clubs. This is where he first saw drag queens perform. Soon, he started performing drag himself. He felt more comfortable in Nashville's accepting community than in his hometown. So, he moved to Nashville when he was 21.

Developing a Unique Style

When Dane first started drag, another performer helped make his costumes. But he taught himself how to do his own makeup. His first drag name was Arianna St. Claire. After a few months, he changed it to Kameron Michaels. He wanted a first name that could be for anyone. He also wanted a last name no other drag queen in Nashville used.

Kameron Michaels gets ideas for her look from movies and video games. She describes her drag style as very feminine. She learned a lot from the Southern drag style in Nashville. This helped her become good at many things, like dancing and making costumes. In her mid-20s, she started going to the gym often. Because of her strong body, she became known as a "muscle queen." Before RuPaul's Drag Race, Dane worked as a hair stylist. He only performed drag on weekends at Play Dance Bar in Nashville.

Becoming a Drag Race Star

Kameron Michaels (center) performing at Werq the World in 2019

Kameron Michaels first tried out for Drag Race in 2014 for the seventh season. She didn't get picked that time. She tried again for the tenth season to help her through a tough time. In her audition video, she showed that she was a "muscle queen." This was a new type of performer for the show. She was chosen and her season aired in 2018. Kameron finished as a runner-up, along with Eureka O'Hara. Aquaria won the season.

Some people called Michaels the season's "lip sync assassin." This is because she had to lip-sync for her life four times in a row. She won each time and stayed in the competition. No other contestant has survived more than three lip syncs. She also won the first lip sync in the finale. But she lost the second one to Aquaria. This brought her total lip syncs to six. On the show, she was known for being quiet. This made her different from the other contestants. After the show, she learned about being an "ambivert." This means someone who is both quiet and outgoing. She feels this describes her well.

In August 2021, Michaels appeared on the ninth episode of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars season six. She was the "Lip Sync Assassin" for that episode. She lip-synced against Ra'Jah O'Hara and won.

Music and Live Shows

Michaels on tour in 2018

For the season 10 finale, Kameron and the other top four contestants wrote their own parts for RuPaul's song "American". This song reached number 12 on the Billboard Dance/Electronic Songs chart. In summer 2018, Michaels toured the U.S. with other queens from her season.

Later that year, she recorded "Let It Snow" for Christmas Queens 4. This album has Christmas songs sung by Drag Race stars. After the album, she toured Europe in November and December 2018 for the Christmas Queens tour. She then had her own solo tour in Europe in January 2019. In February, she released a lip sync music video for "Nothing Breaks Like a Heart" by Mark Ronson. In June 2019, she released her first song, "Freedom," and its music video.

Since mid-2018, Michaels has traveled around the world for Werq the World tours. She also appears in a TV show about that tour. Since January 2020, Michaels has been a main performer in RuPaul's Drag Race Live! in Las Vegas. This show stopped for a while during the COVID-19 pandemic. But Michaels was back when it started again in August 2021. She also stars in RuPaul's Drag Race: Vegas Revue, a TV show about the live performance.

In May 2020, Michaels joined a live online version of Werq the World. This event raised money for drag performers who couldn't work due to the pandemic. Since July 2020, Michaels has been on tour with Drive 'N Drag. This is a drive-in drag show held outdoors. It allows for social distancing during the pandemic.

Personal Journey

Dane Young has faced personal challenges. He has tattoos on his arms, hands, chest, neck, and left leg. These tattoos are visible when he is in and out of drag. He started getting tattoos around age 26 or 27. All his tattoos were done by the same artist in about a year and a half. He said they show his favorite childhood movies and important things in his life. For example, his left arm has pictures from Jurassic Park and Aliens. He also has a scarab beetle on his chest. He got the scarab when he started working out. He said it means "rebirth" and finding out who he was meant to be.

In July 2020, Young removed much of his content from Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube. This happened on the same day RuPaul did the same. Fans wondered why. Young later said he removed the posts during a difficult time. He was feeling down from being home alone during the COVID-19 pandemic and thinking about social issues. He later put some of the content back.

In July 2021, Young shared that he had a very difficult period in November 2020. He said he barely ate or drank. He explained that when he felt better, his body was affected. He shared this to help others know they are not alone.

As of 2021, Young lived in Los Angeles. The next month, he bought a home in Las Vegas and moved there with his French Bulldog, Lilo. In October 2023, he shared on TikTok that he had been diagnosed with ADHD. Around the same time, he shared on Instagram that he was in a relationship. In early 2025, Young announced he became a certified personal trainer. He also launched a workout program called Kameron Michaels Fitness.

Music Releases

Songs as Lead Artist

Songs Featuring Kameron Michaels

Appearances in TV and Online Shows

Television Shows

Internet Series

Music Videos

Images for kids

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  Kameron Michaels (center) at RuPaul's DragCon LA in 2019