Sutan Ibrahim Karim Amrullah (; born June 14, 1974), often shortened to Sutan Amrull, is an American drag queen and make-up artist who also goes by the stage name Raja Gemini or simply Raja. They are best known for winning the third season of RuPaul's Drag Race. Amrullah later returned to compete on the seventh season of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars, an all-winners season, where they won the title "Queen Of She Done Already Done Had Herses". Outside of drag, Amrullah is also known for their makeup artistry on the reality television show America's Next Top Model (cycles four through twelve). Amrullah's clients include Tyra Banks, Dita von Teese, Pamela Anderson, Paulina Porizkova, Iman, Iggy Azalea, RuPaul, and Twiggy. Since 2009, Amrullah has been make-up artist to singer Adam Lambert for print media, live U.S. appearances, and Lambert's international 2010 Glam Nation Tour.
Amrullah previously co-hosted the podcast Very That alongside Delta Work.
Early life Amrullah was born in Baldwin Park, California. They are of Dutch and Indonesian descent. Their father, Abdul Wadud Karim Amrullah, was the younger brother of Indonesian ʿālim and philosopher Hamka. When they were three, their family moved to the island of Bali in Indonesia, their parents' native country, where they stayed for six years before returning to the U.S. They grew up in La Puente, California and went to high school at Bassett High School in nearby Bassett, California.
Career Career beginnings At sixteen years of age, Amrullah got into the drag scene by attending L.A. nightclubs with friends. They were part of a sector of drag that was inspired by the goth and punk subcultures. The first few years of their drag career in the early 1990s were spent as a club kid named Crayola.
Amrullah attended California State University, Fullerton as an art student, focusing on art direction and illustration, for two years, then decided to pursue a career in makeup artistry and female impersonation.
Amrullah's first drag performance was in 1991 at Mills College performing "Groove Is In The Heart" by Deee-Lite.
RuPaul's Drag Race
They were a contestant on the third season of RuPaul's Drag Race as Raja. They were a member of the "Heathers" clique, which took its name from the popular cult film Heathers. In the final episode, after a lip-sync battle with Manila Luzon, Raja was declared the winner of the show's third season and crowned America's Next Drag Superstar. As part of their duties as the third-season winner of Drag Race, Amrullah toured the U.S. and Canada on Logo's Drag Race Tour in 2011.
In 2014, Raja joined the Drag Race Battle of the Seasons tour where they performed a lip-sync duet with Manila Luzon to the Babymetal song "Gimme Chocolate!!"
In April 2022, Raja was announced as one of the eight returning winners that would be competing in seventh season of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars, the first ever all-winners season of Drag Race. They won the title of "Queen of She Done Already Done Had Herses" and a prize of $50,000.
Other ventures Amrullah was a make up artist on America's Next Top Model from 2005 until 2009.
In May 2011, Amrullah released their first single as Raja, titled "Diamond Crowned Queen". The single debuted at number fifty on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs, before peaking at number thirty-five. On August 21, 2012, their second single "Sublime" was released. Their third single, "Zubi Zubi Zubi" (roughly translating to "Dance Dance Dance"), was released June 1, 2013.
Since 2014, they have presented the weekly WOWPresents YouTube series Fashion Photo RuView with fellow Drag Race alumna Raven.
In February 2017, they starred as an intergalactic creature in the music video for Blondie's single "Fun". They also appeared in the "Make Love Not Walls" Diesel campaign directed by David LaChapelle and in a campaign for Urban Decay alongside fellow Drag Race alumni Alaska, Jiggly Caliente, and Katya.
Amrullah has created and performed live drag shows as Raja in Provincetown, Massachusetts, such as Gawdess (2017), Masque (2018), and Lush Life (2019).
Amrullah guest starred as themself in The Simpsons episode "Werking Mom", which aired on November 18, 2018. In June 2019, they were one of 37 queens to be featured on the cover of New York Magazine.
Personal life On December 14, 2017, Amrullah married Ryan Turner at a small ceremony at City Hall in Norwalk, California. They are now separated.
In January 2023, Amrullah came out as non-binary, stating they use they/them pronouns.
Discography Singles + List of singles, with selected details and chart positions Title Year Peak chart position USDance "Diamond Crowned Queen" 2011 35 "Sublime" 2012 — "Zubi Zubi Zubi" 2013 — "Cholita" 2015 — "Divine" 2017 — "Moodbored" 2019 — "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.
As featured artist + List of featured singles Title Year "Legends" (Cast Version)2022 "Titanic" (MSTR)2022
Other appearances Title Year Other Artist(s) Album"Lady Marmalade" 2014 Raja, Delta Work, Manila Luzon and Carmen Carrera (as The Heathers)
Filmography
Film Year Title Role Notes 1995 Strange Days Club Goer Uncredited 2000 Angels! Tawngy Davis 2008The Young and EvilMaxieShort2015TupiniQueensThemselfDocumentaryHush Up Sweet Charlotte Reporter2025Dear VivThemselfDocumentary Television Year Title Role Notes 2002The Anna Nicole ShowThemselfSeason 1, Episode 11 2005-2009 America's Next Top Model Themself Make Up Department 2011 RuPaul's Drag Race (season 3) Themself / Contestant WinnerRuPaul's Drag Race: Untucked (season 3)2012RuPaul's Drag Race (season 4)ThemselfEpisode 13: "The Final Three" – Guest RuPaul's Drag U Themself / Professor 2013 NewNowNext Awards Themself2016RuPaul's Drag Race (season 8) Episode 1: "Keeping It 100!" (100th episode) – GuestEpisode 10: "Grand Finale" – Guest2018The Simpsons (season 30)Episode 7: "Werking Mom" The Browns Guest appearance2019RuPaul's Drag Race (season 11) Episode 1: "Whatcha Unpackin?" – Guest 2021 Painted with Raven Guest judge (1 episode)2022 The Kelly Clarkson Show GuestRuPaul's Drag Race All Stars (season 7) Contestant RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars: Untucked (season 7) Countdown to All Stars 7: You’re a Winner Baby VH1 special The View Guest 2023 Drag Me to Dinner Hulu original 2024 Tongue Thai'd Episode: "Raja at Crispy Pork Gang" 2025 RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars (season 10) Episode 10: "Tournament of All Stars Snatch Game" - Guest
Web Year Title Role Notes 2013Ring My Bell ThemselfGuest SubCultures: Drag Queens feat. Raja Gemini & Vicky Vox By SoulPancake 2014 –present Fashion Photo RuView Co host with Raven 2014Paint Me BitchEpisode: "Sutan Amrull" 2015Raja DrawjaHost Hey Qween!Episode: "Raja" Olivia Culpo is Transformed into Farrah Fawcett by Make-up Artist RajaBy Refinery29 2016100 Years of Drag Queen FashionBy Vanity Fair 2017 - 2023The Pit StopHost; Guest (S15) 2019Reading QueensGuest Hey Qween!Episode: "Raja on the Hey Qween Halloween Special" Puff Puff SessionsGuest 2020 Working Out Is a Drag Guest 2021Wanna Be On Top? Podcast, guest 2022Around the TableGuest, By Entertainment WeeklyBuzzFeed CelebGuestFriendship TestGuest, By GlamourBe ComingGuest, By Them Drip Or Drop?Guest, By Cosmopolitan
Music videos YearTitleArtist1994"Everlasting Love"Gloria Estefan 2011"Champion"RuPaul"Diamond Crowned Queen"Themself 2012"Amazing"Hi Fashion"Sublime"Themself 2013"RuPaulogize"Willam Belli"Zubi Zubi Zubi"Themself 2014"Lady Marmalade"The Heathers"Ransom"MOXXI2015"Not a Pearl"Willam Belli"Cholita"Themself2016"Anus"Alaska Thunderfuck2017"Fun"Blondie2018"Excuse the Beauty"Latrice Royale 2019"Go Fish"Manila Luzon"Comin in Hot"Adam Lambert"Moodbored"Themself 2020 "Nerves of Steel" Erasure 2021 "Shoes"Themself
Awards and nominations Year Award-giving body Category Work Results Ref.2023Queerty AwardsDrag RoyaltyThemself
References
External links