Jeffree Star (born Jeffrey Lynn Steininger on November 15, 1985) is an American singer-songwriter, make-up artist, fashion designer and model from Orange County, California. He started his music career on MySpace with over 25 million plays on his self-released music. After releasing two extended plays, Star released his debut album, Beauty Killer (2009), under Popsicle Records. Star is also known for his fashion line, Beauty Forever, and his transgressive, gender-bending appearance and persona.Jeffree Star was born in Los Angeles County, California. His father died when Star was 6 years old; subsequently, he was raised solely by his mother, a model who frequently went on assignments. As a child, Star regularly began experimenting with his mother's makeup and convinced her to let him wear it to school when he was in junior high. He moved to Los Angeles following his graduation from high school, supporting himself with various makeup, modeling, and music jobs. He later recalled spending his time on weekends "using a fake ID to attend Hollywood clubs dressed in mini dresses and nine inch high heels where celebrities would contract [Star] for makeup work at their homes", or "hiring [Star] as a model." Star reports that his weekend socializing at clubs and the makeup advice he offered eventually led to his modeling career.
Star used popular social networking website MySpace to further both his music as well as fashion design career. Star also used MySpace for blogging about his life while making social commentary on "self-image and confidence", fame, beauty, and life. Star had built up a fan base on several websites but convinced many to join him on MySpace, giving his MySpace profile a large number of "friends" from the beginning. His MySpace photo shoots would frequently get over 50,000 comments when posted, and by November 2006, he was recognized as MySpace's most connected profile personality. Star also gained fame as one of the most popular unsigned artists with the daily rankings placing him in the top tier on MySpace.
Star's music career as an electronica and pop vocalist began when he befriended Peaches' drummer Samantha Maloney who encouraged him to make music. His first two solo tracks "We Want Cunt" and "Straight Boys" were co-written with Samantha Maloney and singer Jessicka from Scarling..[citation needed] During the summer of 2007, Star was advertised as a part of the True Colors Tour 2007, which traveled through 15 cities in the United States and Canada. The tour, sponsored by the LGBT Logo channel, began on June 8, 2007 to coincide with Pride month.
In 2009, Star released his first studio LP Beauty Killer, which was described by allmusic reviewer Pemberton Roach as "a fun, no-frills dance-pop record" and "a harmlessly naughty guilty pleasure". In 2010, Star and Detox appeared in the second version of Kesha's music video for the song "Take It Off". In 2014, Jeffree Star launched his own cosmetics brand called Jeffree Star Cosmetics. Star has worked with several other musical performers, including Breathe Carolina, Blood on the Dance Floor (duo), Nicki Minaj, Deuce, Millionaires, and Larry Tee.
