Queentastic
Encyclopedia
Queentastic is a group of Norwegian drag artists
, established in early 2005.
, and Geir Lillejord, born in Skien
in 1968, both have previous drag experience from their membership in Great Garlic Girls
- another Norwegian
drag act (two members of which backed Ketil Stokkan
's Eurovision Song Contest 1986
entry as dancers. In fact, Dean had previously substituted for Geir (a founder of the group), which marked the beginning of their association. The duo competed as one of 18 acts in the Norwegian selections for Eurovision Song Contest
, the Melodi Grand Prix 2006
. They had previously presented their weekly show Sex, Drag & Rock 'n' Roll together at the current premium queer
nightclub
in Norway - the Oslo
-based Naken http://www.naken-oslo.com/ - in company with a third drag queen and designer Cårejånni Enderud. Enderud also designed the duo's costumes for their Melodi Grand Prix performances. The show also toured to Kristiansand and Bergen. Geir has also performed as part of the Ruth & Vigdis duo along with Enderud.
-inspired disco song Absolutely Fabulous, inspired by the British comedy series with the same name. (See Absolutely Fabulous
.) The song was written by Gerard James Borg
and composed by Thomas G:son
. G:son also wrote Carola
's entry in the Swedish Melodifestivalen 2006
, Invincible (which became Sweden's Eurovision Song Contest 2006
entry). The duo competed against Norwegian musicians such as Trine Rein
and Christine Guldbrandsen
in Grand Prix final, however did not prove successful in their attempt to represent Norway (that honour falling to Gulbrandsen). In 2007 Queentastic released a new song for the Norwegian pride called Drop-Dead Gorgeous also penned by Gerard James Borg
and composed by Thomas G:son
.
Scandinavian drag artists
Drag queen
A drag queen is a man who dresses, and usually acts, like a caricature woman often for the purpose of entertaining. There are many kinds of drag artists and they vary greatly, from professionals who have starred in films to people who just try it once. Drag queens also vary by class and culture and...
, established in early 2005.
Background
Members Dean Erik Andersen, born in 1971 in KristiansandKristiansand
-History:As indicated by archeological findings in the city, the Kristiansand area has been settled at least since 400 AD. A royal farm is known to have been situated on Oddernes as early as 800, and the first church was built around 1040...
, and Geir Lillejord, born in Skien
Skien
' is a city and municipality in Telemark county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Grenland. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Skien. Skien is also the administrative centre of Telemark county....
in 1968, both have previous drag experience from their membership in Great Garlic Girls
Great Garlic Girls
Great Garlic Girls is a Norwegian drag group that has performed a number of drag shows since 1981. Up until 1992, the group consisted of Olav Klingen, Jonny Nymoen and Terje Schrøder. Olav Klingen had to quit the group in 1992 when he was involved in an accident which put a stop to his career...
- another Norwegian
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
drag act (two members of which backed Ketil Stokkan
Ketil Stokkan
Ketil Stokkan is a Norwegian pop artist who has performed as solo artist as well as the singer in the Norwegian band Zoo. 1983 saw him participate in the Norwegian qualifying heat for Eurovision with the song "Samme charmeur" which was placed second...
's Eurovision Song Contest 1986
Eurovision Song Contest 1986
The Eurovision Song Contest 1986 was the 31st Eurovision Song Contest and was held on 3 May 1986 in the Grieg Hall in Bergen, Norway. It was the first occasion on which Norway played host to the contest...
entry as dancers. In fact, Dean had previously substituted for Geir (a founder of the group), which marked the beginning of their association. The duo competed as one of 18 acts in the Norwegian selections for Eurovision Song Contest
Eurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual competition held among active member countries of the European Broadcasting Union .Each member country submits a song to be performed on live television and then casts votes for the other countries' songs to determine the most popular song in the competition...
, the Melodi Grand Prix 2006
Melodi Grand Prix 2006
Melodi Grand Prix 2006 is the television show in which the Norwegian entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 was chosen....
. They had previously presented their weekly show Sex, Drag & Rock 'n' Roll together at the current premium queer
Queer
Queer is an umbrella term for sexual minorities that are not heterosexual, heteronormative, or gender-binary. In the context of Western identity politics the term also acts as a label setting queer-identifying people apart from discourse, ideologies, and lifestyles that typify mainstream LGBT ...
nightclub
Nightclub
A nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...
in Norway - the Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
-based Naken http://www.naken-oslo.com/ - in company with a third drag queen and designer Cårejånni Enderud. Enderud also designed the duo's costumes for their Melodi Grand Prix performances. The show also toured to Kristiansand and Bergen. Geir has also performed as part of the Ruth & Vigdis duo along with Enderud.
Melodi Grand Prix
Queentastic's Melodi Grand Prix entry was the AlcazarAlcazar (band)
Alcazar is a Swedish eurodance group which has established themselves as one of Sweden's most successful music groups with a string of hits since their debut single in 1999. Worldwide, Alcazar sold over 12 million records between 2001 and 2004...
-inspired disco song Absolutely Fabulous, inspired by the British comedy series with the same name. (See Absolutely Fabulous
Absolutely Fabulous
Absolutely Fabulous, also known as Ab Fab, is a British sitcom created by Jennifer Saunders, based on an original idea by her and Dawn French, and written by Saunders, who plays the leading character. It also stars Joanna Lumley and Julia Sawalha, along with June Whitfield and Jane Horrocks...
.) The song was written by Gerard James Borg
Gerard James Borg
Gerard James Borg is one of Malta's most successful song writers and concept creators for the last decades. Borg has penned five of the Maltese entries for the annual Eurovision Song Contest with Philip Vella, besides several Eurovision national final entries....
and composed by Thomas G:son
Thomas G:son
Thomas Gustafsson is a Swedish composer and musician from Skövde, Västergötland, Sweden, north-east of Göteborg. However, he is much more known nationally and internationally simply as Thomas G:son, his artistic name. Since 1998, Thomas has worked full time as a songwriter for the company G:songs...
. G:son also wrote Carola
Carola Häggkvist
Carola Maria Häggkvist , better known as simply Carola, is a Swedish singer and occasional songwriter. She has been among Sweden's most popular performers since the early 1980s, and has released albums ranging from pop and disco to hymns and folk music...
's entry in the Swedish Melodifestivalen 2006
Melodifestivalen 2006
Melodifestivalen 2006 was the selection for the 46th song to represent Sweden at the Eurovision Song Contest. It was the 45th time that this system of picking a song had been used. Five semifinals had taken place to select the ten songs for the final, in Leksand, Karlstad, Karlskrona, Gothenburg...
, Invincible (which became Sweden's Eurovision Song Contest 2006
Eurovision Song Contest 2006
The Eurovision Song Contest 2006 was the 51st Eurovision Song Contest, held at the Olympic Indoor Hall in Athens, Greece on 18 May and 20 May 2006 . The hosting national broadcaster of the contest was Ellinikí Radiofonía Tileórasi . The Finnish band Lordi won the contest with the song "Hard Rock...
entry). The duo competed against Norwegian musicians such as Trine Rein
Trine Rein
Trine Rein is a Norwegian-American singer, who belongs to the exclusive group of Norwegian artists who have sold more than a million records. Trine was born in San Francisco in 1970, and therefore has both US and Norwegian citizenship.-Successful debut:...
and Christine Guldbrandsen
Christine Guldbrandsen
Christine Guldbrandsen is a singer who is best-known internationally for being the Norwegian entrant in the 2006 Eurovision Song Contest. With a crystal-clear voice and a impressive vocal range she is often compared to sopranos like Sissel Kyrkjebø and Hayley Westenra...
in Grand Prix final, however did not prove successful in their attempt to represent Norway (that honour falling to Gulbrandsen). In 2007 Queentastic released a new song for the Norwegian pride called Drop-Dead Gorgeous also penned by Gerard James Borg
Gerard James Borg
Gerard James Borg is one of Malta's most successful song writers and concept creators for the last decades. Borg has penned five of the Maltese entries for the annual Eurovision Song Contest with Philip Vella, besides several Eurovision national final entries....
and composed by Thomas G:son
Thomas G:son
Thomas Gustafsson is a Swedish composer and musician from Skövde, Västergötland, Sweden, north-east of Göteborg. However, he is much more known nationally and internationally simply as Thomas G:son, his artistic name. Since 1998, Thomas has worked full time as a songwriter for the company G:songs...
.
See also
- Melodi Grand Prix 2006Melodi Grand Prix 2006Melodi Grand Prix 2006 is the television show in which the Norwegian entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 was chosen....
- Eurovision Song Contest 2006Eurovision Song Contest 2006The Eurovision Song Contest 2006 was the 51st Eurovision Song Contest, held at the Olympic Indoor Hall in Athens, Greece on 18 May and 20 May 2006 . The hosting national broadcaster of the contest was Ellinikí Radiofonía Tileórasi . The Finnish band Lordi won the contest with the song "Hard Rock...
- Absolutely FabulousAbsolutely FabulousAbsolutely Fabulous, also known as Ab Fab, is a British sitcom created by Jennifer Saunders, based on an original idea by her and Dawn French, and written by Saunders, who plays the leading character. It also stars Joanna Lumley and Julia Sawalha, along with June Whitfield and Jane Horrocks...
(BBC series)
Scandinavian drag artists
- After DarkAfter Dark (drag duo)After Dark is a Swedish drag act, consisting of Christer Lindarw and Lars "Lasse" Flinckman. The group was founded in 1976, simultaneously as they, together with Roger Jönsson, opened their own night club in Stockholm, called After Dark Club. Since that time, they have become a major part of...
(Sweden) - Rickard EngforsRickard EngforsRickard Engfors is a Swedish drag queen, model, and stylist.His career began in 1996 as an artist in Swedish drag troupe After Dark and he was quickly appointed to "Christer Lindarws crown prince" and was also known as "Sweden's best looking girl"...
(Sweden) - The Pink Lady´s (Norway)