2013–2020: Drag beginnings Shortly after high school graduation in 2013, she performed drag for the first time at Triniti Nightclub under the name Delilah Alamaine. While a student at
University of Arkansas at Little Rock, she began to build a following as a performer at Discovery and The Factory, and later changed her stage name to Symone, after a character in a play she wrote in high school. Vanderbilt is Symone's drag mother.
2021–present: ''RuPaul's Drag Race'' success at the 2022
Capital Pride festival In 2021, Symone gained wider prominence as a contestant on
season 13 of ''
RuPaul's Drag Race'', where she became the show's first Arkansas contestant.
Rihanna sent Symone an
Instagram DM after seeing her on the show: "You soooo EVERYTHING! Nasty Lil bitch! I live for every second of it! You're a true joy to watch!" Symone ultimately won the season in the grand finale that aired on April 23, 2021. In August 2021, Symone was a featured performer in
Drag Fest, a live music festival. Symone was featured on the cover of the September 2021 issue of
Interview. That same month, Symone attended the
2021 MTV Video Music Awards, the
2021 Met Gala, and walked the red carpet at the
73rd Primetime Emmy Awards. ==Awards and nominations==