Shontelle Sparkles is getting her big break — with or without RuPaul's Drag Race.
After hosting a podcast, featuring in a music video, and even being named 2022's National Entertainer of the Year, the drag queen has taken on her most ambitious project yet by releasing her debut EP, Butterfly Effect. As someone who started in the music industry as a producer, being in the spotlight hasn't only been a "full circle moment" — it's been a healing journey.
"Being in the background for so long, it was almost one of those things where I felt like it was never obtainable," Shontelle tells The Advocate. "I stopped doing music, and music production is like drag — you have to continuously do it. It's constantly progressing. So, finishing this album has really made me feel accomplished and has helped my self esteem as a singer and an artist."
Shontelle has always been a singer, but she says she hasn't always had the confidence to pursue it. It was her drag mother, Drag Race: All Stars season four co-winner Trinity the Tuck, offering her a feature on a single that encouraged her to fully dive in.
The song, "Six Six Sex," also features Shontelle's drag daughter, Jewels Sparkles, and Trinity's other daughter, Sam Star — both finalists on Drag Race season 17. Shontelle sang the bridge, after which she said her family insisted, "You need to do more music."
Producing an album is no easy task, especially as Shontelle says, "I don't have Ru girl money. I'm just here trying to make it, like everybody else in this industry." Luckily, she was able to find a team that "believed in me and helped me get to the point where I'm meant to be."
Shontelle Sparkles' 'Butterfly Effect' album cover
Art by Coen Hutton and Erika Wagner
Shontelle is beyond proud of her music, but that doesn't mean she's given up on her other dream of being cast on Drag Race. Despite auditioning several times, she somehow hasn't made the cut yet — but she knows that doesn't define her career.
"In this industry, Drag Race is obviously the pinnacle, and I would love to be on it. It takes your career to the next level," Shontelle says. "But I'm a big believer of Drag Race is not a career. It's a stepping stone to making a career for yourself. It's a platform that is given to you, but at the end of the day, you shouldn't have a goal to get on Drag Race and that's the end goal."
Shontelle feels nothing but pride for her drag family members that have been on the show, especially Jewels, who was the runner-up for the latest season. She may not have taken the crown, but to her mother, she's always a winner.
"I'm so ecstatic for her. I'm so proud of her," Shontelle says. "Before she got on Drag Race, me and Trin took her under and were gonna help her build her name. We didn't have this goal for her to audition for Drag Race. We just wanted to genuinely take her under our wing because she had potential."
"She auditioned for the show and she got on, and we helped her with everything we could," she continues. "Every sweat, every blood, every tear to get her where she needed to be. And she did amazing, and it's so nice to see someone represent the legacy and the family in its fullest potential, because she got so close to win."
It's funny, Shontelle notes, how much of her career hasn't been focused on herself but rather building up those around her. While it's not where she thought she'd be in life, she's found that it's ultimately where she needs to be.
"One of the songs on my album is called 'Happy Ending,' and the song specifically writes in a perspective of someone that has put sweat, blood, tears into their dream and to helping others' dreams come true," Shontelle says. "When is someone's happy ending going to happen? Do dreams actually happen? Because there's people out there that have auditioned for Drag Race, or released music and done other things with their life, and wonder, 'When is this break gonna happen?'"
"That's really what Butterfly Effect is about," she adds. "You may start at one thing, but different things in life take you in different directions based on the choices that you make. But ultimately, you always end up back where you're supposed to be, which is your passion."
Butterfly Effect is available to stream on Spotify and Apple Music.
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