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Thomas George Graeme Hibbitts (born 12 May 1993), better known by the stage name Bimini Bon-Boulash or Bimini, is an English drag queen, author, recording artist and model based in East London, and born in Great Yarmouth, England.[2] They are best known for competing on the second series of RuPaul's Drag Race UK, where they placed as a runner-up.[3]
Bimini Bon-Boulash | |
|---|---|
.png) Bimini performing in July 2021 in Torquay | |
| Born | Thomas George Graeme Hibbitts[1] 12 May 1993 Great Yarmouth, England, UK |
| Occupation(s) | Drag queen, model, singer |
| Years active | 2019–present |
| Television | RuPaul's Drag Race UK (series 2) |
| Musical career | |
| Genres | |
| Labels | Relentless |
| Website | biminibabes |
Hibbitts' parents separated when Hibbitts was a child. Hibbitts describes themself as being raised in a working-class environment.[4] Hibbitts attended Lynn Grove Academy, moving to London in 2012 to study journalism at the London College of Communication. In London, Hibbitts discovered drag, beginning their career as a drag performer in 2017.[5]
Bimini started performing drag professionally in 2019 and was heavily inspired to kick-start their career by the spirit of their fashion heroes Alexander McQueen, Vivienne Westwood, Iris van Herpen, and John Galliano.[6] Bimini has stated that their greatest inspiration as to their look and aesthetic is Pamela Anderson. Their drag name derives from what they would be called if they were assigned female at birth, and the name of their first cat, Bonnie Boulash.[7] Bimini is based in East London, and regularly performs across the capital.[8]
In December 2020, Bimini was announced as one of twelve contestants competing on the second series of RuPaul's Drag Race UK.[3] In Episode 1, Bimini lip-synced against Joe Black to "Relax" by Frankie Goes to Hollywood, which they won, sending Joe home. They later won four challenges, including the Snatch Game, where they portrayed Katie Price, becoming the first contestant in the British version to win four challenges. In Episode 9, Bimini became the first contestant to reach the finale after lip-syncing in the first episode. After a final lip-sync in Episode 10, they were announced as a runner-up, along with fellow competitor Tayce, to eventual winner Lawrence Chaney.[9]
In February 2021, Bimini made their London Fashion Week runway debut alongside fellow Drag Race contestant A'Whora with Art School London, a genderless fashion label for designer Eden Loweth's AW21 collection.[10] In March 2021, Bimini, alongside their fellow Drag Race finalists, was photographed and interviewed for The Guardian.[6] In July 2021, Bimini embarked on a sold-out UK tour alongside A'Whora, Tayce and Lawrence Chaney for the United Kingdolls Tour with promoter Klub Kids.[11] In February 2022, Bimini also joined "RuPaul's Drag Race UK: The Official Tour" alongside the entire cast of the second series of RuPaul's Drag Race UK, in association with World of Wonder and promoter Voss Events.[12]
It was announced via Bimini's Instagram account in March 2021 they would be writing a book with the working title A Drag Queen's Guide to Life, scheduled for release in October 2021, and published by Penguin Books and Viking Books.[13] The book was released with the title Release the Beast: A Drag Queen's Guide to Life. "Release the Beast" is a reference to Bimini's verse on "UK Hun?", which she performed with The United Kingdolls in RuPaul's Drag Race UK.
In June 2021, Bimini released their first single "God Save This Queen",[14] as well as a corresponding music video.[15]
On 21 August 2021, they presented the Saturday-afternoon slot on BBC Radio 1 from 1pm alongside Dean McCullough, as part of the radio station's "drag day".[16] In 2021, a reference to Boulash was featured in a Sainsbury's Christmas advertisement.[17] In the ad, a family is seated around the table playing the parlour game 'Who Am I?'. The grandmother is trying to guess which famous celebrity she is meant to be. As the camera pans across the table, the name Bimini can be seen written on a note stuck to the grandmother's head.
In November 2021, Bimini was awarded the GAY TIMES magazine's Honour for Drag Hero at a celebration in London, as well as featuring as the cover star for the GAY TIMES Honours edition.[18]
After signing to Relentless Records, Bimini went on to write and record their debut EP, When the Party Ends, which was released in the summer of 2023, featuring 6 tracks that pay homage to their love of the electronic music scene of the 1990s.
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Bimini currently resides in East London, England. Bimini is non-binary and uses they/them pronouns when out of drag and she/her pronouns when in drag.[19] They spoke about coming to terms with their gender identity in a conversation on the third episode Drag Race with fellow non-binary contestant Ginny Lemon. Their open conversation was praised by viewers and sparked confidence in many to discuss their gender identity with those closest to them.[20] Bimini has consumed an exclusively vegan diet for eight years.[7]
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Television
Film
Music videos
| Year | Title | Artist | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | "Baby" | Madison Beer | [23] |
| 2021 | "My Head & My Heart" | Ava Max | [24] |
| "My House" | Jodie Harsh | [25] | |
| "Rasputin" | Majestic x Boney M | [26] | |
| "Confetti" | Little Mix | [27] | |
| "God Save This Queen" | Bimini | [15] | |
| 2022 | "Tommy's Dream" | Bimini | |
| 2022 | "Different Kinds of People" | Bimini | |
| 2023 | "Rodeo" | Bimini |
Radio
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Bimini & Dean McCullough | Themself | BBC Radio 1 | [16] |
Web series
| Year | Title | Notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | YouTube Pride 2021 | Guest | [28] |
| 2021 | Fashion Photo RuView | Host of DRUK S3 | [29] |
Extended plays
| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| When the Party Ends |
|
Singles
As lead artist
| Year | Title | Album | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | "God Save This Queen" | Non-album singles | [14] |
| 2022 | "Tommy's Dream" | ||
| "Different Kinds of People" | When the Party Ends | ||
| 2023 | "Rodeo" |
As featured artist
| Title | Year | Peaks | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| UK [30] | |||
| "UK Hun?"[31] (among the United Kingdolls) |
2021 | 27 | Non-album singles |
| "A Little Bit of Love (Cast Version)"[32] (RuPaul featuring the Cast of RuPaul's Drag Race UK, Series 2) |
– |
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- Autobiography
- Release the Beast: A Drag Queen's Guide to Life (Penguin, 2021)[33]
| Year | Title | Promoter | Location | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | United Kingdolls The Tour | Klub Kids | Torquay, Southampton, Newcastle, Glasgow, Sheffield, Leeds, Cardiff, Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham and London | [11] |
| 2021 | MODE | Klub Kids | Manchester, Cardiff, London, Glasgow and Amsterdam | [34] |
| 2022 | RuPaul's Drag Race UK : The Official Tour | Voss Events / World of Wonder | Ipswich, Oxford, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Newcastle, Nottingham, Bournemouth, Southend, Manchester, Sheffield, Blackpool, Llandudno, Birmingham, Cardiff, Liverpool, Basingstoke, Portsmouth, Plymouth, London, Derby, Bristol, Bradford, Aberdeen, Southampton, Stockton, Brighton and Newport | [12] |
| 2022 | United Kingdolls Tour | ITD Events / Klub Kids | Sydney, Adelaide, Melbourne, Brisbane, Auckland and Wellington | [35] |
| Year | Award ceremony | Category | Work | Results | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 10th Annual Virgin Atlantic Attitude Awards | The Style Award | Themself | Won | [36] |
| 2021 | Gay Times Honours | Drag Hero | Themself | Won | [37] |
| 2022 | British Academy Television Awards | Virgin TV's Must-See Moment | Their verse in "UK Hun?" | Nominated | [38] |
| 2022 | The WOWIE Awards | Best Book Award (The Reading is Fundamental Award) | Release the Beast | Nominated | [39][40] |
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