# Tia Kofi

Lawrence John Bolton, better known by the stage name Tia Kofi, is a British drag queen and singer from Clapham, South London. They are best known for competing on the second series of RuPaul's Drag Race UK (2021), and winning the second series of RuPaul's Drag Race: UK vs. the World (2024).

## Early life

Kofi was born in Essex to a Nigerian mother (d. 2022) and a British father who met at university. Kofi attended the University of Nottingham, but did not graduate.

## Career

Kofi began their career as a drag queen in 2014, when they started drag on the same day and at the same venue as series 1 contestant Sum Ting Wong. Their name is a play on the phrase "tea or coffee?", and as part of their initial entrance confessional, Kofi confirmed that they'd named themself after Tia Mowry from American sitcom Sister Sister and former Secretary-General of the United Nations, Kofi Annan. Prior to competing on the second series of RuPaul's Drag Race UK, Kofi frequently performed in venues across South London, predominantly in Clapham.
Kofi is a part of a drag girl-group called The Vixens consisting of Kofi, Pixie Polite and Woe Addams.
In December 2020, Kofi was announced as one of twelve contestants competing on the second series of RuPaul's Drag Race UK. After lip synching three times, Kofi ultimately placed seventh overall.
In February 2021, shortly after their elimination from Drag Race, Kofi released their debut single "Outside In" (co-written by Little Boots, Tom Aspaul and Gil Lewis), as well as a music video on 24 February 2021. In May 2021, Tia Kofi performed alongside series 1 winner The Vivienne, and fellow series 2 contestant Veronica Green at the Vaudeville Theatre in "Drag Queens of Pop", which was one of the first performances on the West End after the third national COVID-19 lockdown in England.
In February 2022, Kofi embarked on RuPaul's Drag Race UK: The Official Tour alongside the entire cast of series 2, in association with World of Wonder and promoter Voss Events. Their set consisted of "Outside In" followed by "Don't Start Now" by Dua Lipa and "No Way" from the musical Six. In May 2023, Kofi released their third EP, Pride. Power. Pop. and single "Standing Up for the Lonely" They played the digital assistant ALGO in the second series of "Olga Koch: OK Computer" on BBC Radio 4 from May 2023.
In January 2024, Kofi was announced as one of the contestants competing on series 2 of RuPaul’s Drag Race: UK vs. the World. They later went on to win the series and be crowned "Queen of the Mothertucking World". Subsequently, they took home the first-ever cash prize in the shows history: £50,000.
On 5 May 2024, Kofi co-hosted the opening "Turquoise Carpet" event of the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 alongside Swedish drag queen Elecktra.
On 12 Dec 2024, Kofi was a co-presenter and backstage interviewer of acts at the 2024 Het Grote Songfestivalfeest concert in Amsterdam.

## Personal life

Kofi identifies as queer. They dated their fellow The Vixens member Pixie Polite for approximately five years. Kofi is the "drag mother" of Victoria Scone and uses they/she pronouns.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref |
| 2004 | Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban | Hufflepuff student | Background actor | |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2021 | RuPaul's Drag Race UK | Contestant | Series 2 |
| 2021 | Celebrity Gogglebox | Themself | Black to Front Special (alongside Tayce) |
| 2021 | Children in Need 2021 | Themself | Guest appearance |
| 2021 | Be Here, Be Queer | Themself | Netflix special |
| 2022 | Eating with My Ex | Themself | Celebrity special |
| 2022 | Celebrity Catchpoint | Themself | Special guest |
| 2022 | Celebrity Lingo | Themself | Guest |
| 2022 | Bring Back My Girls | Themself | Guest |
| 2024 | RuPaul's Drag Race: UK vs. the World | Contestant/Winner | Series 2 |

### Music videos

| Year | Title | Artist |
| 2017 | "Gotta Get a Grip" | Mick Jagger |
| 2021 | "My House" | Jodie Harsh |
| 2021 | "Outside In" | Tia Kofi |
| 2021 | "Look What You've Done" | Tia Kofi & Cahill |
| 2021 | "Loving Me Like That" | Tia Kofi |
| 2021 | "Jingle Bell Rock" | The Vivienne & Tia Kofi |
| 2022 | "Get Better" | Tia Kofi |
| 2022 | "So Good" | Tia Kofi |

### Internet series

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2021 | I Like to Watch UK | Guest | Produced by Netflix |
| 2022 | Eating with My Ex | Guest | Produced by BBC Three |
| 2022 | Little Rants | Guest | Produced by Funny Parts |
| 2022 | Tea Time | Host | Produced by Attitude Magazine |

## Discography
### Albums

| Title | Details |
| Read My Lips | Release: March 2024 Label: Intention Format: Digital download, streaming, vinyl |

### Extended plays

| Title | Details |
| Part 1: The Damage | Released: September 2, 2021 Label: Intention Format: Digital download, streaming |
| Part 2: The Antidote | Released: July 1, 2022 Label: Intention Format: Digital download, streaming |
| Pride. Power. Pop. | Released: May 26, 2023 Label: Intention Format: Digital download, streaming |

### Singles

| Title | Year | Album |
| "Outside In" | 2021 | Part 1: The Damage |
| "Look What You've Done" (with Cahill) | 2021 | Part 1: The Damage |
| "Loving Me Like That" | 2021 | Part 1: The Damage |
| "I Want It All" | 2021 | Part 1: The Damage |
| "Jingle Bell Rock" (with The Vivienne) | 2021 | Non-album single |
| "Get Better" | 2022 | Part 2: The Antidote |
| "Heart Beating" with MRSHLL | 2022 | Part 2: The Antidote |
| "I Specialise in Love" | 2022 | Non-album single |
| "So Good" | 2022 | Pride. Power. Pop. |
| "Standing Up for the Lonely" | 2023 | Pride. Power. Pop. |
| "Maybe It's You" | 2023 | Non-album single |
| "Guest List" | 2023 | Non-album single |
| "Lonely This Christmas" | 2023 | Non-album single |
| "Read My Lips" | 2024 | Read My Lips |

### As featured artist

| Title | Year | Album |
| "UK Hun?" The Cast of RuPaul's Drag Race UK (Bananadrama Version) | 2021 | Non-album single |
| "Heart Beating" with MRSHLL | 2022 | Non-album single |

## Stage

| Year | Title | Promoter | Locations |
| 2021 | Drag Queens of Pop | Nimax Theatres | Vaudeville Theatre |
| 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 |
| 2024 | RuPaul's Drag Race UK vs The World: The Official Tour | Voss Events / World of Wonder | Glasgow, Newcastle, Manchester, Leeds, Edinburgh, Bristol, London and Bournemouth |