Lady Red Couture

Kareemia Baines[1][2] (May 30, 1977 – July 25, 2020), known professionally as Lady Red Couture, was an American drag queen and singer best known as the co-host of Hey Qween! with Jonny McGovern. Born in Park City, Utah, she relocated to Los Angeles, where she became a fixture of the local drag scene. She released an album, #Stuntqueen, in 2018, and she was featured in a number of other drag queens' singles and music videos throughout the 2010s. She also starred in Judge Lady Red, another web series produced by McGovern. Couture died on July 25, 2020, after a flare-up of cyclic vomiting syndrome, a chronic affliction that affected her throughout her life.

Lady Red Couture
Lady Red Couture in an undated photo
Born(1977-05-30)May 30, 1977
Park City, Utah, U.S.
DiedJuly 25, 2020(2020-07-25) (aged 43)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Cause of deathCyclic vomiting syndrome
NationalityAmerican
Other names
Occupation
Years active1995–2020
Known forHey Qween! with Jonny McGovern
Musical career
Genres
InstrumentsVocals
LabelsPolyGram
Associated acts

Early life

Baines was born in Park City, Utah on May 30, 1977, to Kathleen Barnes.[7][8][9] According to Baines's obituary in The New York Times, her father "left the family when she was young and was not a part of her life".[8] She had a younger sister named Krystle Butler.[8][10] Their mother was a nondenominational Christian minister, and Baines had a strained relationship with her. Ultimately, her mother kicked her out of the home for being transgender.[8]

Baines attended George Washington Preparatory High School in Los Angeles. She was active in extracurricular activities including theatre and marching band, where she played trombone and tuba. As part of the band, she performed in the Rose Parade.[8] After high school, she went on to earn an associate's degree in culinary arts from Salt Lake Community College in Salt Lake County, Utah.[8] In 2001, she graduated from Weber State University.[7] After college, Baines was briefly employed as a chef for Amtrak. When she returned to Los Angeles, she took up work as a "security diva" at Gym Sportsbar and as a "budtender" at a MedMen cannabis shop.[8]

Career
At a time when the word authentic is overused, honey, she was unique. She was 6-foot-7, wore size 16 Converse sneakers with an evening gown, and wore the showbiz eyelashes during the day. And she would drop her voice real low to freak you out.

–Lady Bunny, quoted in Couture's obituary in The New York Times[8]

Lady Red Couture began her career in drag in 1995, regularly performing at venues like Hamburger Mary's.[8] She was 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) in height and stood as tall as 7 ft 2 in (2.18 m) when wearing heels.[7][8][11] As a vocalist, she was known for her wide vocal range and acquired the nickname "the largest live-singing drag queen".[4][12][13] She was widely regarded as a staple of the Los Angeles queer nightlife community.[1][12][14]

Couture rose to international attention as the co-host of Hey Qween! with Jonny McGovern, a drag-focused talk show that features interviews with RuPaul's Drag Race contestants.[1][14] She worked at Hey Qween! for eight seasons, from 2014 until her death.[8][9] She also had a minor role in the 2011 film Leave It on the Floor; starred in Judge Lady Red, a 2015 web series produced by McGovern; and appeared in "Dickmatized", one of McGovern's music videos.[10][15]

In 2016, Couture toured with the Drag Queens of Comedy.[7] Two years later, in 2018, she released an album called #Stuntqueen,[5][9] and Adam Joseph featured her on his EP The Rent.[6][7][11] Lady Red Couture also produced a number of live shows, including an adaptation of The Vixen's "Black Girl Magic" in 2019.[7] In June 2020, she was featured in Harper's Bazaar's "Striking Portraits of America's Most Legendary Drag Queens".[3][9][16] She was known for helping aspiring drag queens learn how to sew, do makeup, and perform.[1][12][13]

Personal life

Baines was a transgender woman.[7][8][12] She and McGovern became close friends during the first season of Hey Qween!, and he invited her to move in with him after discovering she was living in a transient hotel.[8]

Death

On July 19, 2020, Baines was hospitalized in Los Angeles due to cyclic vomiting syndrome, a lifelong chronic condition.[1][12][16] She was placed on a breathing tube in intensive care.[4][7] On July 24, McGovern posted on social media that she appeared to be improving and would be moved out of intensive care.[7][9][13] However, the following day, July 25, she died from complications of the illness.[4][8] McGovern announced her death in an Instagram post.[4] He had been raising funds for Baines's medical expenses via GoFundMe and Venmo; he subsequently redirected the funds to her family and funeral costs.[1][7][12][16] An illegitimate GoFundMe page was also set up by an unknown party, but it was swiftly deactivated after McGovern discovered and publicly condemned it.[17][18] A number of queer celebrities, including Isis King, Justin Tranter and "virtually the entire cast of RuPaul's Drag Race" expressed shock and sadness at her death, also sharing tributes to her life and work.[7][11][12] In a report on her death, Billboard called Baines "a pillar of the drag and trans community".[1]

Discography

Studio albums
Title Details Ref
#Stuntqueen [5][9]

EPs
Title Details Ref(s)
The Rent
(Adam Joseph feat. Lady Red Couture)
  • Released: 2018
  • Label: PolyGram
  • Formats: digital download
 [6][11]

Singles

As lead artist
Title Year Album Ref
"24 Inch Magic"
(feat. Adam Joseph)		 2017 #Stuntqueen [19]
Title Year Album Ref
"Ballroom Bliss"
(Phillip Evelyn feat. Ephraim Sykes, Andre Meyers, Lady Red Couture, Roxy Wood, Cameron Koa, Daveione Williams & James Allsop)		 2013 Leave It on the Floor (Original Movie Soundtrack) [20]
"His Name Is Shawn"
(Clent Bowers feat. Charlo Crossley, Oren Waters, Miss Barbie-Q, Lady Red Couture, Phillip Evelyn, Andre Meyers, Donald Webber & Ledisi)
"Let's Do Drag"
(Alaska Thunderfuck feat. Lady Red Couture)		 2016 Poundcake [21]

Filmography

Feature films
Year Title Role Ref
2011 Leave It on the Floor Christina Allure [10]

Internet series
Year Title Role Producer Ref(s)
2014 Homie$ For Ca$h Guest (with Jonny McGovern) World of Wonder [22]
2014–2020 Hey Qween! Co-host (with Jonny McGovern) Jonny McGovern [8]
2015 Judge Lady Red Herself Jonny McGovern [10][15]

Music videos
Year Title Artist Role Ref
2011 "Dickmatized" Jonny McGovern Cameo [10]
2016 "TuckBusters" Jackie Beat, Bianca Del Rio, Lady Red Couture & Sherry Vine Main [23]
"Tongue Pop the Halls" Alyssa Edwards Cameo [24]
gollark: The best at that point is 4846.
gollark: Well, it just prints them out and saves the best/worst so far.
gollark: This is from a while ago.
gollark: Using the objective ethics algorithm. I have a screenshot somewhere.
gollark: It's up to about half a million.

References
  1. Peters, Mitchell; Daw, Stephen (July 27, 2020). "Drag Stars Mourn Death of Lady Red Couture: 'Rest In Power to This Gorgeous Soul'". Billboard. Archived from the original on August 7, 2020. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
  2. Lopez, David (July 25, 2020). "Hey Qween Icon Lady Red Couture Has Passed Away". Instinct. Archived from the original on August 7, 2020. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
  3. IN Magazine (July 27, 2020). "Hey Qween's Lady Red Couture Has Died". IN Magazine. Mint Media Group. Archived from the original on August 15, 2020.
  4. Walker, Harron (July 25, 2020). "Saturday Night Social: Remembering Lady Red Couture". Jezebel. Archived from the original on August 7, 2020. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
  5. Lady Red Couture (July 1, 2018). #Stuntqueen (Album). Apple Music. Archived from the original on August 7, 2020. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
  6. Joseph, Adam (2018). The Rent (feat. Lady Red Couture) (EP). Apple Music. Archived from the original on August 7, 2020. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
  7. Lang, Nico (July 28, 2020). "Lady Red Couture, a Trans Icon and Drag Performer, Dies at 43". them. Archived from the original on August 7, 2020. Retrieved August 4, 2010.
  8. Leland, John (August 1, 2020). "Lady Red Couture, 'Mother Hen' of a Drag Scene, Dies at 43". The New York Times. Archived from the original on August 7, 2020. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
  9. Warnock, Caroline (July 25, 2020). "Lady Red Couture Dead: 'Hey Qween' Star & Drag Performer Dies at 43". Heavy.com. Archived from the original on August 7, 2020. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
  10. Staff (July 25, 2020). "Lady Red Couture, a WeHo Drag Queen Known for Her Talent, Charm and Height, Has Died". WEHOville.com. West Hollywood Media Company. Archived from the original on August 7, 2020. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
  11. Masters, Troy (July 26, 2020). "Lady Red Couture, a towering "Drag Queen of Comedy" dies". Los Angeles Blade. Archived from the original on August 7, 2020. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
  12. Street, Mikelle (July 27, 2020). "L.A. Drag Fixture, Hey Qween Star Lady Red Couture Has Died". The Advocate. Archived from the original on August 7, 2020. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
  13. Street, Mikelle (July 26, 2020). "'Hey Qween's Lady Red Couture, LA Drag Icon, Has Died". Out. Archived from the original on July 30, 2020. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
  14. Rudolph, Christopher (July 27, 2020). "Drag Legend and 'Hey Qween' Co-Host Lady Red Couture Dead at 43". NewNowNext. Logo TV. Archived from the original on August 4, 2020. Retrieved August 9, 2020.
  15. Zeff, Nigel (August 12, 2015). "You Don't Want to Miss Episode 1 of 'Judge Lady Red: Shade or No Shade!'". The WOW Report. World of Wonder Productions. Archived from the original on August 7, 2020. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
  16. "'Hey Qween!' Host, Iconic LA Performer Lady Red Couture Dies, Twitter Reacts". EDGE Media Network. July 26, 2020. Archived from the original on August 7, 2020. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
  17. Smith, Reiss (July 28, 2020). "Loved ones of late trans drag queen Lady Red Couture launch funeral fundraiser after ghouls set up fake page". PinkNews. Archived from the original on July 31, 2020. Retrieved August 9, 2020.
  18. Sahana (July 29, 2020). "Official Fundraiser Established For Late 'Hey Qween!' Co-Host". Canyon News. Archived from the original on July 31, 2020. Retrieved August 9, 2020.
  19. Lady Red Couture (April 4, 2017). "24 Inch Magic (feat. Adam Joseph)" (Single). Apple Music. Archived from the original on August 7, 2020. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
  20. Various Artists (February 8, 2013). Leave It on the Floor (Original Movie Soundtrack) (Album). Apple Music. Archived from the original on August 7, 2020. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
  21. Thunderfuck, Alaska (October 14, 2016). Poundcake (Album). Apple Music. Archived from the original on August 7, 2020. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
  22. James, Andrea (July 25, 2020). "RIP: Lady Red Couture". The WOW Report. World of Wonder Productions. Archived from the original on July 25, 2020. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
  23. St. James, James (July 14, 2016). "Jackie Beat, Bianca Del Rio, Alyssa Edwards, Sherry Vine, and Lady Red Couture Sing 'TuckBusters'". The WOW Report. World of Wonder Productions. Archived from the original on August 7, 2020. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
  24. Edwards, Alyssa (December 16, 2016). "Alyssa Edwards- 'Tongue Pop the Halls!'" (YouTube video). Archived from the original on July 6, 2020. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
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