Black “Drag Race” Contestant Auditioned For K-Pop’s “Big 3″… And Faced Microaggressions

Hershii Liqcour-Jeté, known from season 16 of RuPaul’s Drag Race, recently opened up about her past dreams of breaking into K-Pop. As a young dreamer, Hershii sent audition tapes to the “Big 3” of K-pop — SM, JYP, and YG Entertainment — with hopes of becoming “the first little black boy in K-Pop.” What she encountered, though, was rude microaggressions regarding her features.

In a recent tweet, Hershii revealed a fun fact about her past, surprising fans of K-Pop and RuPaul’s Drag Race. The Drag Queen revealed that back when she was 21 she used to fly to LA often to send audition tapes to the three biggest K-Pop companies back then.

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A post shared by Hershii LiqCour-Jete (@hershiiliqcour)

She said the audition tapes were sent in hopes of becoming the first K-Pop idol during the second generation of K-Pop.

At 21 this lil boy was jumping on flights to LA and sending audition tapes to SM Entertainment, YG and JYP cause I just knew I was going to be the first little black boy in Kpop…

Those auditions was the first time I heard how big my nose was pic.twitter.com/iwgz4jsEHn

— The Porkchop (@HershiiLiqCour) February 2, 2024

Hershii also humorously mentioned that she got feedback regarding the size of her nose during auditions. Fans recognized that this comment was a microaggression — a subtle form of discrimination. Comments like these point out differences that suggest not fitting beauty standards associated with certain ethnicities is a drawback, especially in industries like K-Pop, where the aesthetic is heavily curated.

For Hershii, who poured her heart into practicing dances by iconic groups like B2st, SHINee, Girls’ Generation, BIGBANG, 2NE1, and 2PM, the feedback was a harsh reminder of the barriers that exist for Black artists. Despite the setback, she tackled the topic with humor, also highlighting her confidence in nailing a girl group challenge on Drag Race.

2nd Gen was the best!

— The Porkchop (@HershiiLiqCour) February 2, 2024

Remember when they did that Visual Dreams thing for Intel! That one! pic.twitter.com/elHb6ZfxXs

— The Porkchop (@HershiiLiqCour) February 3, 2024

“Lonely”, “Ugly”, and obviously “I’m the best”

— The Porkchop (@HershiiLiqCour) February 2, 2024

Fans have been quick to support Hershii, not just for sharing a piece of her life before Drag Race but also for pointing out the microaggression she faced. Some fans also believe that if Hershii had auditioned now, she would have definitely passed the test — especially as the industry now has active Black idols.

when we somehow get hershii to debut as a kpop soloist and then she collabs with fatou and they run the world then what https://t.co/lCmwzXtrDf

— azura (@V3R0SIKAA) February 2, 2024

Finding out Hershii is a KPop stan during the golden years of KPop is iconic. But the nose comment hurts my heart and I am ready to fight. https://t.co/16benyLEoo

— ???????????????????????????? 『????????????????????☆????????????????』 (@AbstractDAISY) February 2, 2024

I was ahead of my time

— The Porkchop (@HershiiLiqCour) February 3, 2024

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A post shared by Hershii LiqCour-Jete (@hershiiliqcour)

Meanwhile, Hershii’s journey from aspiring K-Pop star to celebrated drag performer shows that talent and passion can pave the way for success, even when faced with unwarranted obstacles.