Male lookalike: “I’ve made £500k impersonating Cher”
Steven Andrade used to be bullied for his feminine looks, now he earns £2,000 a night as a drag queen…
❛Cher hugged me and Chatted as If I were an old friend❜
With his chiselled cheekbones, jetglitzy black hair and costumes,
Steven Andrade is a dead ringer for pop megastar Cher. And he’s so convincing, he’s earned more than £500k in his 12-year career as a drag act.
And Cher, 71, who recently stirred up controversy by appearing in a revealing costume to collect an icon award at the Billboard Music Awards – has even praised his “fabulous” look.
BULLIED
Steven, a 6ft 2 former account executive, says: “Impersonating Cher has given me confidence. I loved her recent Billboard performance – she’s so feisty.”
Growing up, Steven was selfconscious about his looks and bullied for being effeminate.
He says: “I was brought up in a religious family and found it difficult to talk to my parents. I didn’t even admit to myself that I was gay until I was 16.”
Steven, who now lives in New Jersey, USA, explains: “I left home at 20 and began working as a waiter at a cabaret club aged 22. By then, I was comfortable with my sexuality and felt accepted. One night, I decided to have a go at being the act and dressed up as singer Alanis Morissette – the first time I’d ever dressed as a woman. I got such a huge buzz from it.”
He was spotted by a club owner who offered him a job as a Cher impersonator.
Steven recalls: “Cher’s hit Believe was in the charts so she was really popular and he thought I had the right look.”
PERFECTING THE LOOK
Lookalike work soon started to flood in, and he’s regularly performed worldwide since – earning up to £2k each time.
Steven says: “I spend £1,000 and up to six weeks hand-making each outfit. The most expensive is a Swarovski crystal-encrusted coat – which cost £1,700.”
He perfects the star’s iconic looks with a range of brunette and red wigs, costing up to £250 each, and forks out £1,000 a year on make-up. It takes three hours to complete his transformation.
While Cher’s no stranger to cosmetic surgery, Steven’s looks are natural – although he’d never rule out surgery in the future, saying: “As I age, I’ll definitely consider it.”
Incredibly, his parents are still unaware of his alter-ego. Steven, who lives with his partner of 10 years, art director Kinley Boden, 50, says: “I’ve told my parents that I’m a designer and an artist, which is true by day!”
Meanwhile, the 40-yearold – whose picture was once mistakenly used by Rolling Stone magazine, who thought he was Cher – has even performed in front of the star at one of her record release parties.
He says: “She hugged me and chatted as if I was an old friend. I’m so grateful – I’m a million miles away from the bullied school boy I once was.”