ABC’s new musical drama, Queens, should be on everyone’s radar. The series’s cast is stacked with music icons like Brandy, Eve, and Naturi Naughton. They play three out of the four members of the fictitious ’90s hip-hop girl group, Nasty B*tches, as they reunite in their 40s to recapture the fame and feel they once had in their glory days.
It may surprise you to learn the only main Queens cast member who didn’t get her start in music is Nadine E. Velázquez, who plays Valeria. The show marks Velázquez’s first big musical endeavor. Unlike her castmates, the My Name Is Earl actress had no musical background before joining the ABC drama. Instead, she’s known for her roles in shows like The League and Major Crimes. And, as it turns out, her background is actually quite fitting for the show. Her character wasn’t an original member of the Nasty B*tches, but was added by the group’s manager, Eric, for her star quality. Though the other members regard her as the “least talented” member of the group, she was the last piece of the puzzle needed to help launch the quartet to global superstardom.
As the Oct. 19 season premiere of Queens showed, Velázquez is more than able to hold her own next to her musical-icon castmates. Scroll through this slideshow to learn more about what makes her such a multi-talented queen.
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She Always Wanted to Pursue Music
Queens is a dream role for Velázquez, who always wanted to perform on stage, but never felt confident enough to pursue music. “God is funny, Mysterious & Hilarious. It’s been a long time dream of mine to get to do this: be on stage rapping and dancing, I never thought I would though,” the actress wrote in a now-deleted Sept. 8 Instagram, adding that she’s done doubting herself. “No matter how people will react to me in this role – whether they think I deserve to rep the 90’s or not – what matters is that I face my fears and DARE to shine.”
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Her Acting Career Has Been in Flight Since the 2000s
Velázquez’s acting chops go beyond television series like Queens and My Name Is Earl. She also starred in several films, including the 2007 action movie War starring Jet Li and Jason Statham and 2012’s Flight alongside stars like Denzel Washington, Don Cheadle, Kelly Reilly, and John Goodman.
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She's a First-Gen College Grad
In 2001, Velázquez became the first person in her family to graduate college. She attended Columbia College Chicago (in her hometown of Chicago), where she earned a bachelor’s degree in marketing. She returned to her alma mater in November 2017 to address prospective students during an open house. “I gave a long speech about where I came from and what brought me to Columbia and how it added value to my life and where I am today. So I was very moved by being able to share that story and to share it there at Columbia, where it started for me,” Velázquez told the Chicago Tribute that year.
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She Was a Judge For Miss Universe 2008
While she was starring as Catalina Aruca in My Name Is Earl, Velázquez served as a judge for the Miss Universe 2008 beauty pageant. She was on the panel alongside celebrities like Miss Universe 2004 Jennifer Hawkins and Bollywood star Eesha Koppikhar.
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She Idolized Wonder Woman As a Young Girl
Velázquez learned what it meant to be a strong and confident woman from watching the Wonder Woman (1975) TV series. She told Remezcla in an Oct. 19 interview that she idolised the superhero so much, she began writing “love letters” to a woman at her church who resembled Lynda Carter. “It was just something about the aura of a strong woman that I loved so much,” she said.
