{{Short description|American pop group}} {{Use dmy dates|date=October 2020}} {{Infobox musical artist | name = DWV | image = Detox, William and Vicky Vox at Venue Nightclub in Houston, Tx. (8743144337).jpg | landscape = yes | caption = DWV in 2013. From left: Willam, Vicky, and Detox | origin = Los Angeles, California, U.S. | background = group_or_band | genre = {{Flatlist | * Hip hop * parody * pop * R&B }} | years_active = 2012–2014 | website = {{url|willambelli.com}} | past_members = {{Plainlist | * Willam Belli * Detox * Vicky Vox }} }} '''DWV''' was an American pop group based in Los Angeles, consisting of drag queens Detox, Willam Belli, and Vicky Vox.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.spincyclenyc.com/index.php/liveperformances/1-live-performances/358-dwv |title=Dwv: Shhh...It'S A Show! |publisher=Spincyclenyc.com |access-date=2013-05-13 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130416033035/http://www.spincyclenyc.com/index.php/liveperformances/1-live-performances/358-dwv |archive-date=16 April 2013}}</ref> They found fame with the release of "Chow Down (at Chick-Fil-A)" in March 2012, a parody of "Hold On" by Wilson Phillips, satirizing Chick-fil-A's controversial stance on gay marriage.<ref name="huffingtonpost1">{{cite news|url=https://huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/19/chow-down-at-chick-fil-a-wilson-phillips-drag-spoof_n_1365170.html |title='Chow Down (At Chick-Fil-A),' Wilson Phillips Drag Spoof, Parodies Fast Food Chain's 'Anti-Gay' Controversy (VIDEO) |work=HuffPost|date= 19 March 2012|access-date=2013-05-13 |first=Curtis |last=Wong}}</ref> The single's music video went viral online.<ref name="advocate">{{cite web|last=Kinser|first=Jeremy|date=20 March 2012|title=EXCLUSIVE: Willam Belli on Drag Queens Eating at Chick-Fil-A|url=http://www.advocate.com/news/daily-news/2012/03/20/exclusive-william-belli-drag-queens-eating-chickfila|work=The Advocate|accessdate=28 March 2013}}</ref><ref name="forbes">{{cite web|last=Soloman|first=Brian|date=20 March 2012|title=Chick-fil-A Even If You're Gay? Three Drag Queens Lampoon Company In Music Video|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/briansolomon/2012/03/20/chick-fil-a-even-if-youre-gay-three-drag-queens-lampoon-company-in-music-video/|work=Forbes|accessdate=28 March 2013}}</ref> They followed this up with the January 2013 release of "Boy Is a Bottom", a parody of the Alicia Keys song "Girl on Fire", which proved to be even more popular, amassing 25.8 million views on YouTube, as of 2022.<ref name=":1">{{cite news|url=https://huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/28/boy-is-a-bottom-willam-vicky-vox-detox-drag-queens_n_2568983.html |title='Boy Is A Bottom' Music Video Parody From Drag Queens Of 'Chow Down (At Chick-Fil-A)' (VIDEO) |work=HuffPost|date=2013-01-28 |access-date=2013-05-13 |first=Jr |last=Tungol}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite web|last=Tharrett|first=Matthew|title=Willam Belli, Detox, And Vicky Vox Shut Down The Life Ball With "Boy Is A Bottom"|url=https://www.queerty.com/willam-belli-detox-and-vicky-vox-shut-down-the-life-ball-with-boy-is-a-bottom-20130527|access-date=2021-07-21|website=Queerty|date=27 May 2013 }}</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite web|title=Boy Is A Bottom|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0kqobQRcUo|url-status=live|access-date=July 21, 2021|website=YouTube| date=28 January 2013 |language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130129132457/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0kqobQRcUo&gl=US&hl=en |archive-date=29 January 2013 }}</ref>
Between 2012 and 2014, DWV released seven singles together commercially, three of which charted on the ''Billboard'' Comedy Digital Songs chart.<ref name=":5">{{Cite magazine|title=RuPaul Nets Highest Charting Album Ever, Plus A 'Drag Race' Chart History|url=https://www.billboard.com/pro/rupaul-nets-highest-charting-album-ever-plus-a-drag-race-chart/|access-date=2021-07-21|magazine=Billboard|language=en}}</ref>
In June 2014, it was officially confirmed by all three members on social media platforms that the group had split.<ref name="dragaholic.com">{{cite web|title=DWV Confirms Breakup: "It Was Fun For a While"|url=http://dragaholic.com/2014/06/dwv-breakup-detox-willam-belli-vicky-vox-social-media/|website=Dragaholic.com|access-date=14 June 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140622164757/http://dragaholic.com/2014/06/dwv-breakup-detox-willam-belli-vicky-vox-social-media/|archive-date=22 June 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref>
==History==
=== ''Drag Race'' beginnings === Willam Belli was a contestant on the fourth season of ''RuPaul's Drag Race'', which premiered in 2012 while Detox was a contestant on the fifth season of ''RuPaul's Drag Race'', which premiered in January 2013. Vicky Vox has yet to make an appearance on ''Drag Race''. The three queens began working together, releasing music, and touring as a group in 2012 following Willam's appearance on ''Drag Race''.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2018-05-25|title=RuPaul's Drag Race: 20 Times The Real Cast Drama Happened Off-Screen|url=https://screenrant.com/rupauls-drag-race-cast-drama-behind-the-scenes-secrets/|access-date=2021-07-21|website=ScreenRant|language=en-US}}</ref>
=== Viral success === In March 2012, DWV released their first collaborative single "Chow Down (at Chick-fil-A)" on Belli's personal YouTube channel.<ref name="huffingtonpost1" /> The song, a parody of "Hold On" by Wilson Phillips satirizing Chick-fil-A's controversial stance on gay marriage,<ref name="huffingtonpost1" /> went viral online.<ref name="advocate" /><ref name="forbes" />
In December 2012, DWV embarked on a 60-day world tour, promoting their singles throughout North America, Europe, Australia, and also in Dubai.<ref>{{cite web|title=Willam Belli|url=http://www.willambelli.com/|access-date=2013-05-13|publisher=Willam Belli}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=DWV: Shh...It's a Show! |url=http://www.theatermania.com/new-york-city-theater/shows/dwv-shhits-a-show_199843/photos/ |access-date=October 25, 2025 |publisher=Theatermania |archive-url=http://www.theatermania.com/new-york-city-theater/shows/dwv-shhits-a-show_199843/ |archive-date=March 14, 2016}}</ref>
In January 2013, following up on the success of their first single, DWV released another music video, this time for their single "Boy Is a Bottom", coinciding with the premiere of the fifth season of ''RuPaul's Drag Race'', on which Detox was a contestant. The song is a parody of the Inferno version of Alicia Key's "Girl on Fire". The song features lyrics that satirize sex positions, specifically tops and bottoms during anal intercourse.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" /> The song proved to be even more popular than their previous single, amassing 25 million views on YouTube, as of 2021.<ref name=":3" />
In May 2013, DWV released "Silicone", alongside the premiere of the reunion episode of the ''RuPaul's Drag Race'' season five.<ref name=":4" /> Written by Willam Belli, the song is a parody of Robyn's "Dancing On My Own".<ref name=":4" /> The single marked the singing debut of Detox, who usually rapped verses in the group's songs rather than singing them.<ref name=":4" /> It also is the first to have been released officially under the DWV group name.<ref name=":4">{{cite web |url=http://www.homorazzi.com/article/dwv-silicone-music-video-vicky-vox-willam-belli-detox-icunt/ |title=DWV Silicone Music Video | Detox | Willam Belli | Vicky Vox |publisher=homorazzi.com |date=2013-05-06 |access-date=2013-05-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130508135339/http://www.homorazzi.com/article/dwv-silicone-music-video-vicky-vox-willam-belli-detox-icunt/ |archive-date=8 May 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
In 2013, DWV became the faces of a limited edition selection of OCC Makeup Lip Tar and & Nail Lacquer packs.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.out.com/entertainment/popnography/2013/04/29/detox-willam-and-vicky-fox-are-new-faces-occ-makeup |title=Detox, Willam And Vicky Fox Are The New Faces of OCC Makeup | Out Magazine |publisher=Out.com |date=2013-04-29 |access-date=2013-05-13}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=Chris Spargo |url=http://www.newnownext.com/detox-willam-vicky-vox-new-faces-of-occ-makeup/04/2013/ |title=Detox, Willam & Vicky Vox New Faces of OCC Makeup |publisher=NewNowNext |date=2013-04-28 |access-date=2013-05-13}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.temptalia.com/occ-lip-tar-nail-lacquer-duos-featuring-willam-detox-and-vicky-vox |title=OCC Makeup Lip Tar & Nail Lacquer Duos featuring Willam, Detox, and Vicky Vox |publisher=Temptalia.com |date=2013-04-26 |access-date=2013-05-13}}</ref>
In September 2013, DWV released another single called "Blurred Bynes", a parody of Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines".<ref>{{cite news|last=Nichols|first=James|title=DWV, Draq Queen Trio Featuring Detox, Willam And Vicky Vox, Release 'Blurred Bynes" (VIDEO)|url=https://huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/11/dwv-blurred-bynes_n_3908449.html|access-date=2013-10-03|newspaper=HuffPost|date=2013-09-11}}</ref> The song pokes fun at Amanda Bynes' new image on social media including her hair, new breast implants, and her infamous tweet to Drake.<ref>{{cite web|last=Malec|first=Brett|title=Amanda Bynes Called Out by Drag Queens in Funny New "Blurred Lines" Music Video Parody|url=http://uk.eonline.com/news/457881/amanda-bynes-called-out-by-drag-queens-in-funny-new-blurred-lines-music-video-parody|work=E Online|date=11 September 2013|access-date=2013-10-03}}</ref> On 10 December 2013, DWV released a Christmas single, "That Christmas Song", using many elements of TLC's ''All That''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dragofficial.com/1/post/2013/12/dwv-releases-new-music-video-for-that-christmas-song.html |title=DWV Releases Music Video For Their Holiday Single 'That Christmas Song' |publisher=dragofficial.com |date=2013-12-10 |access-date=2014-03-28}}</ref> On March 8, 2014, they released another single and music video called "Gaycation".<ref>{{Cite web|last=Nichols|first=James|date=2014-03-11|title=GAYCATION!|url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/dwv-gaycation_n_4941540|access-date=2021-07-21|website=HuffPost|language=en}}</ref>
Between 2012 and 2014, DWV released seven singles together commercially, three of which charted on the ''Billboard'' Comedy Digital Songs chart.<ref name=":5" />
=== Breakup === In June 2014, rumors circulated on social media platforms that the trio had broken up and all three members addressed the situation, confirming that they had chosen to part ways due to conflicts between them.<ref name="dragaholic.com" /> Belli tweeted that DWV had broken up because "it was just time", Vox stated that "it was fun for a while", and Detox lamented feeling "piegon-holed" by the group.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Tharrett|first=Matthew|title=Drag Group DWV Splits Amid Social Media Shade, Toss Each Other Under The Bus|url=https://www.queerty.com/drag-group-dwv-splits-amid-social-media-shade-toss-each-other-under-the-bus-20140618|access-date=2021-07-21|website=Queerty|date=18 June 2014 }}</ref> Belli subsequently posted that "DMV is dead" on Facebook and explained further in a response on Tumblr:<blockquote>We never planned stuff really and we just don’t have anything coming up. We were just friends putting songs out who then turned into DWV. I would think of something and then we’d round up and do it (exception- Chow Down we all thought of and Gaycation was De’s idea but we all wrote). We no longer have time to make stuff happen like we once did. That’s the reality of it. I think when people paid us to be the supergroup DWV for their own products, the ending result video wasn’t as whoreganic and fun as what we were known for.The last two years have been a whirlwind of unexpectedness that I wouldn’t trade for anything but I am looking forward to dealing with one tranimal instead of three for a while professionally. It’s just less variables and I’m a creative despot.<ref name="dragaholic.com" /></blockquote>
==Members== Willam Belli (born June 30, 1982) is an American actor, drag queen, and singer-songwriter from Philadelphia, based in Los Angeles. She first gained fame for her recurring role as a transgender woman named Cherry Peck in Ryan Murphy's television series ''Nip/Tuck''. Willam achieved further prominence as a contestant on the fourth season of ''RuPaul's Drag Race'' in 2012, but was disqualified in the "Frenemies" challenge episode, marking the show's first disqualification.<ref>{{cite web|last=Dommu|first=Rose|date=2018-06-08|title=Willam Finally Spills the Tea On His Drag Race Disqualification|url=https://www.out.com/popnography/2018/6/06/willam-finally-spills-tea-his-drag-race-disqualification|access-date=2021-06-18|work=Out (magazine)}}</ref> In 2018, she appeared in the critically acclaimed film ''A Star Is Born''. For her performance on the dark comedy web series ''EastSiders'', she was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Digital Daytime Drama Series.<ref name="emmys">{{Cite web|title=NOMINEES ANNOUNCED FOR THE 47TH ANNUAL DAYTIME EMMY® AWARDS|url=https://theemmys.tv/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/2020.05.21-DTE-Release.v02.pdf|access-date=2020-05-23|website=theemmys.tv|publisher=National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences}}</ref> In June 2019, a panel of judges from ''New York'' magazine placed her ninth on their list of "the most powerful drag queens in America", a ranking of 100 former ''Drag Race'' contestants.<ref name="nymag2">{{cite news |date=June 10, 2019 |title=The Most Powerful Drag Queens in America: Ranking the new establishment. |magazine=New York |url=https://www.vulture.com/2019/06/most-powerful-drag-queens-in-america-ranked.html# |access-date=June 10, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190610184458/https://www.vulture.com/2019/06/most-powerful-drag-queens-in-america-ranked.html |archive-date=June 10, 2019}}</ref>
Deandra Sanderson (born June 3, 1985), known mononymously as Detox, is an American drag queen and recording artist from Orlando, based in California. Detox was a contestant on season five of ''RuPaul's Drag Race'', placing fourth, and also competed on the second season of ''All Stars'', placing as a runner-up. Detox has appeared in music videos with Ke$ha and Rihanna and is a member of Chad Michaels' Dreamgirls Revue, the longest-running female-impersonation show in California.<ref>{{cite web|date=27 November 2012|title=See Chad Michaels Perform with the Dreamgirls Revue!|url=http://worldofwonder.net/posts/2012/11/27/come-to-chad-michaels-dreamgirls-revue/#|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130218094342/http://worldofwonder.net/posts/2012/11/27/come-to-chad-michaels-dreamgirls-revue/|archive-date=18 February 2013|access-date=21 March 2013|work=World of Wonder}}</ref> In June 2019, a panel of judges from ''New York'' magazine placed her 14th on their list of "the most powerful drag queens in America", a ranking of 100 former ''Drag Race'' contestants.<ref name="nymag2" />
Vicky Vox is an American actor, drag queen, and singer-songwriter based in California. Vox is Detox's drag daughter. She is known for performing live instead of lip syncing.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/an-interview-with-vicky-v_b_9870112 |last1=Podell |first1=Michael |date=May 12, 2016 |title=An Interview with Vicky Vox (She's an Entertainer, Bitch!) |access-date=June 22, 2024 |website=HuffPost |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210721212931/https://www.huffpost.com/entry/an-interview-with-vicky-v_b_9870112 |archive-date=July 21, 2021}}</ref> In 2015, she played a supporting role in the 2015 feature film ''Magic Mike XXL''.<ref name=":0" /> She also has her own YouTube web series called ''The Vicky Vox Project'',<ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-01-19|title=21 questions with drag sensation Vicky Vox|url=http://attitude.co.uk/article/21-questions-with-drag-sensation-vicky-vox-1/24325/|access-date=2021-07-21|website=Attitude |language=en|archive-date=23 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210723152514/https://attitude.co.uk/article/21-questions-with-drag-sensation-vicky-vox-1/24325/|url-status=dead}}</ref> and has performed on stage in a London production of ''Little Shop Of Horrors.''<ref>{{Cite web|last=Earp|first=Catherine|date=2019-09-29|title=Drag superstar Vicky Vox talks returning to the stage for Zeus On The Loose|url=https://www.digitalspy.com/showbiz/theatre-news/a29291545/drag-queen-vicky-vox-zeus-on-the-loose-rupauls-drag-race-tickets/|access-date=2021-07-21|website=Digital Spy|language=en-GB}}</ref>
==Discography== ===Singles=== {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" |- !rowspan="2"|Year !rowspan="2"|Song !colspan="1"|{{small|Peak chart positions}} !rowspan="2"|Album |- style="font-size:smaller;" ! style="width:30px;"|{{small|US Comedy Digital Songs}}<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Caulfield|first=Keith|title=RuPaul Nets Highest Charting Album Ever, Plus A 'Drag Race' Chart History|url=https://www.billboard.com/pro/rupaul-nets-highest-charting-album-ever-plus-a-drag-race-chart/|magazine=Billboard|access-date=8 March 2014|date=6 March 2014}}</ref> |- style="text-align:center;" |- |rowspan="2"|2012 |align="left"|"Chow Down" <small>(Willam Belli featuring Detox & Vicky Vox)</small> |12 |rowspan="2"|''The Wreckoning'' |- |align="left"|"Starfucker" <small>(Willam Belli featuring Detox & Vicky Vox)</small> |— |- |rowspan="4"|2013 |align="left"|"Boy Is a Bottom" |6 |rowspan="5" {{N/A|Non-album singles}} |- |align="left"|"Silicone" |— |- |align="left"|"Blurred Bynes" |5 |- |align="left"|"That Christmas Song" |— |- |rowspan="4"|2014 |align="left"|"Gaycation" |— |}
==See also== * Girl groups in the ''Drag Race'' franchise * The AAA Girls * List of drag groups
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:2012 establishments in California Category:2014 disestablishments in California Category:American pop music groups Category:Drag groups Category:Musical groups disestablished in 2014 Category:Musical groups established in 2012 Category:Musical trios from California Category:American LGBTQ-themed musical groups Category:American comedy musical groups Category:DWV (group)