Amanda Lepore (born
November 21, 1967
is an American transgender model, celebutante, singer, and performance
artist. The former Club Kid has appeared in advertising for numerous
companies. Lepore is also noted as a regular subject in photographer
David LaChapelle's work, serving as his muse, as well as many other
photographers, such as Terry Richardson and Ruben van Schalm. She
participated in LaChapelle's Artists and Prostitutes 1985–2005 exhibit
in New York City, where she "lived" in a voyeuristic life-sized set.
Lepore has also released several singles, many written by and/or
recorded with Cazwell. In 2011, she released her debut studio album,
I...Amanda Lepore, on Peace Bisquit.
Amanda, born in 1967 grew
up in the Essex County community of Cedar Grove, New Jersey. Her father
was an Italian-American chemical engineer, and her mother was a
German-American housewife. Her mother had schizophrenia and spent much
time in mental institutions.She has one sibling, an elder brother.
Lepore
later wrote: "Ever since I can first remember, I knew I was a girl. I
couldn't understand why my parents were dressing me up in boys'
clothing. I thought they were insane."[8] In her early teens Lepore
began making costumes for a transgender friend in exchange for female
hormones.[9] She was already isolated from her peers. At this time, her
parents withdrew her from public school and hired a private tutor. They
took her to a psychologist, who helped her obtain a prescription to
begin hormone therapy.[10]
At the age of 17, and through a legal
loophole, Lepore married a male bookstore owner. She was granted
permission for sex reassignment surgery,[10][11] which she had at age
19 in Yonkers, New York. Lepore later left her husband; in 1989, she
relocated to New York City.
In the early 1990s, Lepore tried to
establish herself as a nightlife figure (including being a member in
the Club Kids). She supported herself by working in a nail salon, as a
dominatrix,[10] and later as a cosmetics salesgirl for Patricia Field.
After meeting photographer David LaChapelle one evening while hosting
at Bowery Bar, she began collaborating with him. She ultimately gained
international fame as his muse.
Lepore has appeared in fashion
magazines, including French Playboy, Ponytail, DAMn and TUSH. She is on
the cover of Lords of Acid's 1999 album Expand Your Head and on
Thighpaulsandra's 2006 album The Lepore Extrusion.
Because of
her association with the Club Kids, Lepore had a cameo in the
documentary Party Monster: The Shockumentary (1998) and the feature
film Party Monster (2003). She can be seen briefly in the fashion spoof
comedy Zoolander (2001). She was featured in the documentary Dig!
(2004) and in Another Gay Sequel (2008). Lepore will be featured in
José André Sibaja's upcoming film The Zanctuary.
Lepore has had
cameos in music videos for artists including Elton John, Thalía, The
Dandy Warhols, Girl in a Coma,[12] Grace Jones, Keanan Duffty, TIGA
(for his cover of "Sunglasses at Night"), and the alt rock band The
Drums (for "Days"). Lepore appears in many of Cazwell's music videos,
including "Watch my Mouth"[14] and "All Over Your Face".
She was Chief of Parade at the 2010 Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras
in Australia.
On
April 18, 2017, after having it announced for more than a year, Lepore
launched her autobiographical book, "Doll parts". It was co-written
with Thomas Flannery Jr. and published through Regan Arts. Among the
text, the book features lots of pictures of Amanda taken by different
photographers such as David LaChapelle, Tina Paul, Josef Jasso, Rob
Lebow (who has taken the cover image) or Joey Falsetta.
Her first single, "Deeper," is a 2003 trance dance song written by
Wigstock drag queen Lady Bunny.[16]
In
2005, Lepore released her first album, Introducing... Amanda Lepore,
which contains "Champagne" and "My Hair Looks Fierce". In 2007, she
released two remix albums, Fierce Pussy and My Pussy E.P. Lepore also
sings the main title for Another Gay Movie, "I Know What Boys Like".
She also performs "Cotton Candy", from the soundtrack of Another Gay
Sequel.[17]
Lepore was a part of True Colors Tour 2007, a
15-city North American benefit tour sponsored by the Logo channel,
hosted by comedian Margaret Cho and headlined by Cyndi Lauper.[18] The
tour benefited the Human Rights Campaign, PFLAG and the Matthew Shepard
Foundation, and it included Erasure, Debbie Harry, The Gossip, Rufus
Wainwright, The Dresden Dolls, The MisShapes, Rosie O'Donnell, Indigo
Girls, The Cliks and other special guests. In 2009, Lepore performed at
the Majestic Theatre during Metro Pride Fest in Detroit with The Divas
of the Majestic: A Divine Lites Productions and Founder, Electra
Lites.[19] In June 2011 she debuted her album I...Amanda Lepore at the
Highline Ballroom with Cazwell, Kat Deluna, Neon Hitch, Ana Matronic,
Jonté and many others.
Her debut full-length album I...Amanda
Lepore was released in 2011 on Peace Bisquit.
In 2013, her version of the Marilyn Monroe song I
wanna be loved by you was released through Peace Bisquit
In 2014, Lepore was featured on drag performer Sharon Needles' single, "I
Wish I Were Amanda Lepore",
and she guest starred in the music video for the track, depicting
Needles as a fan obsessed with getting plastic surgery to look like her.
In
2015, she colaborated with Alek Sandar in his song P.O.R.N., even
appearing in the cover of the single and in the music video.
On July
31, 2015, she published the remix album I... Amanda Lepore - Make over
sessions. This album includes 2 digital CDs that contain the best
remixes of her first studio album I... Amanda Lepore, released four
years before.
On December 8, 2017, the song Buckle up was released
from her forthcoming EP Lepore., which was released on February 16,
2018. The EP contains 4 new songs: Buckle up, My panties, The Jean
Genie (original song by David Bowie) and Too drunk to f*ck
Amanda
begon haar ontdekking met het maken van kostuums voor een shemale
vriendin, ze kreeg hier als tegenprestatie hormonen voor. Rond 1989
werd ze een goede bekende in het nachtleven van New york en begon in
een rol als domina te groeien.
Ze ontwikkelde zich als
zangeres en in 2003 kwam haar trance nummer "Dieper" in de winkel te
liggen. Maar waar we natuurlijk echt van kennen is haar shoot in de
Playboy.
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