Draft:Riley Knoxx

Riley Knoxx, formerly known as Epiphany B. Lee, (born April 24, 1981) is an African-American dancer and R&B singer, and is known as the world's top Beyoncé impersonator. She appeared alongside many well-known LGBTQ celebrities, such as Todrick Hall, RuPaul and Ellen DeGeneres, in Taylor Swift's You Need to Calm Down. The video won 2019's MTV Video of the Year as well as Video for Good. Knoxx stood directly to Swift's left on stage for the acceptance of the award.

Knoxx hosts her own show titled The Illusion of Queen Bey, and has performed at Capital Pride, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and at 40/40 Club.

In 2020, she became the first openly transgender woman to perform during a National Basketball Association halftime show. She also started her own fashion line in 2021, and has designed clothing that has been seen on television, including dresses worn by Ts Madison at both the VMAs and the Emmys.

Early life
Knoxx was born in Los Angeles. Her mother sent her to live with her grandmother in Hartsville, SC to grow up in a religious household. She ran away at age sixteen, moving to Washington, D.C. by herself.

Performer
She started her career at D.C.'s Mr. P's, a famous gay bar, at 19, performing Janet Jackson songs.

Knoxx became a Beyoncé impersonator in 2003, and has since performed at the annual Capital Pride, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and at 40/40 Club. She does not identify as a drag performer, stating, "I’m literally a Beyoncé impersonator. That’s what I do. There’s no need for me to do anybody else. Nobody comes to see me do anybody else, they come to see me do Beyoncé."

She states that while it was never her goal to perform with drag queens, she attributes her success to the lessons she learned from them. Knoxx performed alongside Shi-Queeta-Lee at a drag brunch hosted at Chateau Remix in shows running from February 17, 2018 through September 15, 2019. In years past, Knoxx performed under the name Epiphany B. Lee as part of Nellie's Drag Brunch with Shi-Queeta-Lee. The two performed in "Drag Salute to the Divas" in 2013. She was also a regular at Town Danceboutique, a D.C. LGBTQ hotspot that closed on July 1, 2018.

In 2015 she performed alongside Demetri Davis in DJ Richie Skye's "Scrub the Ground", released on the album Thirst Trap.

She did receive some backlash from Beyoncé fans in 2017 after sharing photos taken at a performance on May 7, 2017 on her Instagram.

In 2019, Knoxx appeared in the music video for Taylor Swift's song You Need to Calm Down, portraying Beyoncé. At the 2019 MTV Video Music Awards, the video won both the Video of the Year and the Video for Good categories. She stood alongside Swift, Todrick Hall, Hannah Hart, Dexter Mayfield, Tatianna, Jade Jolie, and other members of the video's cast when accepting the award for Video of the Year. She credited Swift with making certain each person who was in the video received one of the signature "moon man" trophies. The making of the music video was featured in Swift's 2020 documentary film Miss Americana.

As a backup dancer, she has performed with Jennifer Hudson, Faith Evans, and Miley Cyrus.

In 2020, Knoxx performed as Beyoncé impersonator at a halftime show during a Washington Wizards game against the Atlanta Hawks, accompanied by the Wizards Dancers, becoming the first openly transgender woman to perform during a National Basketball Association halftime show.

She is the top Beyoncé impersonator in the world. She created her own stage show called The Illusion of Queen Bey, featuring dances to thirty-two Beyoncé songs, at the City Winery in Washington, D.C. She has also made appearances on the American reality television series R&B Divas, The Real Housewives of Potomac, and Braxton Family Values.

Knoxx also acted in Octavia Ethridge's The Matriarch, as well as designing the costumes for the production.

Activist
Knoxx is also an activist in the LGBTQ community. She participated in the 2016 Capital Pride Parade in Washington, D.C, and performed in the 2:00-4:00 P.M. slot in Capital Pride 2017 on June 11. In 2019, she opened the second day of the Youth Action Summit for the Alliance for Youth Action. She served as a co-host for the Wanda Alston Foundation's 2020 virtual fundraising event.

Knoxx also participated as the headline performer at "Coming Out Party: Celebrating Transgender Day of Visibility" on March 31, 2022, an event hosted by the Mayor's Office of LGBTQ Affairs, in conjunction with Impulse Group DC and FLUX DC. Pittsburgh Pride 2024 schedules show Knoxx performing a free concert on May 31 at Allegheny Commons Park West as part of the three day event Still We Rise.

Fashion designer
Knoxx started her own made-to-order fashion company in 2021. Her designs have been worn on The Real Housewives of Potomac, The Real Housewives of Atlanta, and on Married to Medicine.

Actress Ashley Boalch Darby also wore one of Knoxx's creations when appearing on The Real in 2021, and again when appearing on Watch What Happens Live in 2023. She also opened The Real Housewives of Potomac season 8 reunion in one of Knoxx's designs.

She also designed the wardrobe for Monique Samuels' "Drag Queens". In 2023, she designed the outfits worn by Ts Madison to both the Emmys and the VMAs.