Priyanka (drag queen)

Mark Suknanan (born May 28, 1991)[1] is a Canadian singer, television personality and drag queen. Competing under his drag name, Priyanka, Suknanan won the first season of the reality competition series Canada's Drag Race in 2020. He was previously a host of the YTV children's series The Zone and the YTV reality competition series The Next Star, where he went by Mark Suki.[2] His first EP, Taste Test, was released in 2021.

Priyanka
Priyanka at RuPaul's DragCon LA, 2023
Born
Mark Suknanan

(1991-05-28) May 28, 1991
Whitby, Ontario, Canada
Other namesMark Suki
Priyanka Love
EducationNiagara College (OCAD)
Occupations
  • Singer
  • Television personality
  • Drag Queen
WebsiteOfficial website

Early life

Suknanan was born on May 28, 1991, in Whitby, Ontario.[3] He is of Indo-Guyanese descent.[4] Suknanan is an alumnus of Niagara College's broadcasting program.[5]

Career

Suknanan began his career as a host in children's television, most notably on YTV's The Zone[6] and as the web host of the YTV reality competition series The Next Star.[7]

Suknanan began performing as a drag queen in 2017, initially under the name Priyanka Love, in Toronto clubs.[1] Her first competition in drag was for a local contest at the suggestion of fellow drag queen Xtacy Love, where she placed fourth. She quickly found success in the local drag scene, winning numerous titles, including Miss Crews and Tangos (2018–2019) and Woody's Queen of Halloween (2018).[8] Priyanka was voted Toronto's best queen in Now's annual reader poll in 2019.[8] Speaking about her rise to fame, Suknanan said: "I went from zero to 100 ... I came into drag so hard and built up a name so quickly that it just kind of became routine."[8] Priyanka has also performed as Mel B in a Spice Girls drag tribute act, alongside her Canada's Drag Race castmate Juice Boxx as Emma Bunton.[9]

In 2020, Priyanka earned wider recognition as a contestant on the inaugural season of the reality competition series Canada's Drag Race, ultimately winning the competition over finalists Scarlett BoBo and Rita Baga.[10] She became the first person of Indo-Caribbean descent to win in the franchise's global history.[11] Throughout the season, her narrative included a running gag that the contrast between personas, as both established television personality Mark Suki by day and drag queen Priyanka by night, made her Canada's Hannah Montana;[12] for Fierté Montréal's special online edition of its annual Drag Superstars show, which featured all of the Canada's Drag Race queens in prerecorded video performances, Priyanka performed to the Hannah Montana theme song "The Best of Both Worlds".[12] She was also featured in Pride Toronto's online Drag Ball on June 27, 2020, performing to Marina and the Diamonds' single "Power & Control".[13]

Priyanka at RuPaul's DragCon LA in 2022

At the 9th Canadian Screen Awards in 2021, she received a nomination for Best Supporting Performance in a Web Program or Series for her Drag Ball appearance,[14] and was one of the ten nominees for the fan-voted Audience Choice Award,[15] as well as serving as the narrator of the livestream presentation for lifestyle and reality categories on May 17.[16]

Following the conclusion of the season, she headlined a cross-Canada tour with the other Canada's Drag Race contestants, which was performed at drive-in venues due to the ongoing social distancing restrictions remaining in place during the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada.[17] In October, she participated alongside Scarlett Bobo, Rita Baga and Jimbo in an online panel discussion as part of the Just for Laughs festival.[18] Priyanka was featured on the cover of Gay Times digital issue, her first magazine cover.[19] In November and December 2020, Priyanka appeared as the celebrity spokesperson in a Canadian advertising campaign for SodaStream.[20] She has also starred in online advertising campaigns for Shoppers Drug Mart and the Bank of Montreal.[21]

In April 2021, she was announced as the host of the 2021 virtual edition of Pride Toronto.[22] In May 2021, she partnered with Vizzy Hard Seltzer, serving as community impact director.[23] In August 2021, they were a featured performer in Drag Fest, a live music festival.[24] She currently co-hosts the Forever Dog podcast Famous This Week alongside Brooke Lynn Hytes, which won a Canadian Podcasting Award in 2022.[25][26]

In July 2021, Priyanka released the EP Taste Test.[27] which surpassed 15 million streams, as of October 2023. In addition, Priyanka was featured on the July/August 2021 edition of Elle Canada, becoming the first drag queen to do so.

In November 2021, Priyanka was named as a co-host with Lindsay Ell of the 2021 Canadian Country Music Awards.[28] At the same time, she released the country music single "Country Queen".[29] which she performed during the opening number of the award ceremony.

In February 2023, Suknanan signed a development deal with Bell Media on potential future television or film projects.[30]

In 2023, she was featured as the "lip-sync assassin" of the tenth episode of the eighth season of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars, where she beat Kandy Muse in a lipsync to Destiny's Child's "Jumpin', Jumpin'".

In July 2023, it was announced that Priyanka, alongside Sasha Velour and Jaida Essence Hall, would be the new hosts of the upcoming fourth season of reality television series We're Here. The three replaced the previous hosts, Eureka, Shangela, and Bob the Drag Queen.[31]

Personal life

Suknanan is openly gay.[32] In November 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Suknanan revealed that he had tested positive for and since recovered from COVID-19.[33]

Filmography

Film
Year Title Role Notes Ref.
2023 It's All Sunshine and Rainbows Melonie Sunshine

Television
Year Title Role Notes Ref.
2013–2014 The Next Star Himself Host
2013–2019 The Zone Himself Host
2015 Katie Chats Himself
2015 Kids Choice Awards Countdown Himself Host
2020 Canada's Drag Race (season 1) Herself Winner
2021 Canada's Drag Race (season 2) Herself Guest [34]
2022 Ezra Herself
Canada's Drag Race: Canada vs. the World Herself Guest judge
2023 Bollywed Herself [35]
2023–present eTalk Herself Special contributor [36]
2023 Glamorous Herself Cameo [37]
2023 RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars (season 8) Lip Sync Assassin Episode: "The Letter L" [38]
2023 RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars: Untucked Herself Episode: "All Stars Untucked: The Letter L"
2023 Sew Fierce Herself Guest [39]

Music videos
Year Title Artist Ref.
2018 "Say My Name" Herself
2019 "You Look So Good" Herself
2020 "Power & Control" (unofficial) Marina and the Diamonds
2021 "Do Better" Anjulie [40]
2021 "GAP" Heidi N Closet [41]
2021 "Montero (Call Me by Your Name)" Herself [42]
2021 "Queen of the North" Brooke Lynn Hytes (featuring Priyanka)
2021 "Cake" Herself [26]
2021 "Bitch I'm Busy" Herself [27]
2021 "Come Through" (featuring Lemon) Herself
2022 "Snatch" (featuring Cheryl Hole) Herself [43]

Web series
Year Title Role Notes Ref(s)
2021-22 The Pit Stop Herself Guest, 2 episodes [44][45]
2021 What's My Game? Herself Host [46]
2021 Out of the Closet Herself Episode: "Priyanka: Canada for Christmas" [47]

Discography

Extended plays
Title Details Ref.
Taste Test [48]

As lead artist
Title Year Album
"Say My Name" 2018 Non-album singles
"You Look So Good" 2019
"Watermelon Sugar" 2021
"Montero (Call Me By Your Name)"
"On the Ground"
"Cake" Taste Test
"Bitch I'm Busy"
"Come Through"
(featuring Lemon)
"Country Queen" Non-album singles
"Sleigh My Name"
(solo or remix with Shea Couleé, Alaska Thunderfuck, and Lemon)
"My Only Wish (This Year)"
(with Tia Kofi)		 2022
"Bad Bitches Don't Cry"
(with Ralph)		 2023
Title Year Album
"Not Sorry Aboot It"
(with The Cast of Canada's Drag Race, Season 1)		 2020 Non-album singles
"U Wear It Well" – Queens of the North Ru-Mix
(RuPaul featuring the Cast of Canada's Drag Race, Season 1)
"Queen of the North"
(Brooke Lynn Hytes featuring Priyanka)		 2021

Awards and nominations
Year Award Category Work Result Ref.
2021 Canadian Screen Awards Best Supporting Performance in a Web Program or Series Canada's Drag Race Nominated [49]
Audience Choice Award Nominated [50]
2022 The WOWIE Awards Best Red Carpet Look (The Who Are You Wearing Award) Herself Nominated [51][52]
Canadian Podcasting Awards Outstanding Foreign Series Famous This Week Won [53]
UK Music Video Awards Best Hair & Make-Up in a Video "Come Through" Won [54]
2023 Peabody Award Entertainment We're Here Won [55]

References
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