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Remembering Remarkable Queens

Mother Marsha in 1987, Photo by: Stanley Stellar, @stanley.stellar

Some queens go beyond their wigs, outfits, and flawless makeup to redefining drag, fashion and culture all while challenging stereotypes and stigmas around gender, race and sexuality. Indeed, most of us would feel blessed if we accomplished half of their achievements in our lifetime. Here, at GiGi, we wanted to honour just some of these queens of queens. With so many memorable queens who have roamed this earth and gifted us with their humour, personalities, talent, beauty, and more, it was quite the challenge selecting only four to focus on. Time can’t erase the impact these icons have made and the footprints they have left. Starting with, yours truly, Divine!  

Divine

Photo by Albert Watson, Divine, New York City, 1978.

Born Harris Glenn Milstead in 1945, Baltimore, and renowned the “drag queen of the century” by People Magazine upon his death in 1988; you may not believe it but in his childhood, Divine was a bit of an outcast and a shy kid. It wasn’t until the age of 16 when he met underground filmmaker John Waters; also known as “The Pope of Trash” according to writer William Burroughs, that Divine flourished. Waters wanted her to be the Godzilla of drag queens, calling her the “most beautiful woman in the world, almost”. Together, this dynamic duo gave rise to transgressive and delightfully trashy films such as Pink Flamingo, Serial Mom, Multiple Maniacs, Hairspray and many other pictures where Divine proved herself to be a talented actress. The queen was also a club performer, successfully producing various singles in the 1970s and 80s such as ‘I’m So Beautiful’ and even appeared on the U.K music show Top of the Pops with her song ‘You Think You’re A Man’.

Divine was iconic, unapologetically big, and self-consciously vulgar. As far as her looks went, it was very in-your-face and aggressive with ostentatious makeup looks and outfits that flaunted her curves; redefining the conventions of drag and challenging who was allowed to perform gender and how. “Divine took a bigger-than-life character… I think she made RuPaul possible,” says Film Historian George Figgs in Divine’s 1998 documentary. Similarly, in Harper’s Bazaar, drag queen Psycadella Facade speculates how we could’ve had Divine’s Drag Race instead of RuPaul’s had Divine’s success not been cut short. At only 42 years old, in 1988, Divine was found dead at the Regency Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles from a heart attack.

Although Divine considered herself more of an actor than a drag queen, her influence was ample. Not only did she fearlessly shift drag from beauty pageant styles, but she also was the inspiration for the villain, Ursula, from Little Mermaid– very few of us can say they have a Disney character influenced by them. Divine is even displayed as a 10-foot statue in the American Museum of Visionary Art in Baltimore. She is a legend with one hell of a personality who daringly paved the way for many queens to come. She is simply, and truly divine.

Marsha P. Johnson

Photo from @payitnomind

Born Malcolm Michaels Jr. in 1945, New Jersey, Marsha was and continues to be a prominent figure in the LGBTQIA+ community. As an outspoken advocate of gay rights in the 1969 Stonewall uprising, she’s considered by many as the forefront of the gay liberation movement in the United States. She is also the co-founder of the Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (STAR), helping homeless transgender youth.

In addition to being an activist, Johnson was also a drag queen, sex worker and a prevalent part of street life in New York’s Greenwich Village where she relocated in 1966 to find herself, with one bag of clothes and $15 dollars to her name. During this transition period, she was initially referred to as Malcolm and Black Marsha. Later, she settled on Marsha P. Johnson, the “P” standing for “Pay It No Mind”; a phrase she used when asked about her gender as a gender-nonconforming individual during a time where this was not widespread or acceptable.

With a liking for feminine clothing since she was five years old, Marsha found tremendous joy in being a drag queen, quickly establishing her presence in the village through her vibrant outfits which she would tend to scavenge for in rubbish bins. She was usually seen wearing bright red heels, colorful wigs rendered with artificial fruits and flowers sourced from the streets of Manhattan’s Flower District, stacks of jewelry and glittering dresses. She occasionally performed on stage in ‘high drag’, but primarily in grassroots groups such as the drag performance group Hot Peaches whom she successfully toured the world with. 

Marsha’s body was found in the Hudson River in 1992, soon after the Pride parade. Initially ruled as a suicide, the case has been reopened as a possible murder. Despite her tragic death, her legacy lives on and her story of determination in the face of oppression echoes to this day.

“I’d like to let you know Marsha, that your fire never went out. I see it on the streets, in the bars and dance floors, on the piers. I see it in the eyes of those who are fearlessly themselves. I see it in black and brown queer and trans people. Marsha, your fire never went out. It spread like wildfire and set us ablaze. I will fight for you forever, Marsha,” says West Dakota, a Brooklyn-based drag queen said to possess a star quality to rival Lady Gaga, according to Vogue. 

Mario Montez

Photo by Conrad Ventur- @conrad.ventur

Born René Rivera in 1935, Puerto Rico, but New York made, Mario Montez, whose name is a homage to the iconic Dominican actress, Maria Montez; was a substantial influence in the history of film, theatre, art and queer performance. His poised and glamorous drag made him a successful figure in the avant-garde, camp, and underground film culture in the 60s, becoming a fixture in films by Andy Warhol as his first drag “superstar” and a favourite of artist Jack Smith.

Presented with a lifetime achievement award in queer film by the Berlin International Film Festival and crowned “the great drag superstar,” Montez was a sought-after actor, making appearances in 13 films by Andy Warhol such as Harlot, Camp, More Milk, Yvette and The Chelsea Girls as well as in Flaming Creatures and the unfinished film, Normal Love by Jack Smith. Other features included films by Puerto Rican filmmaker José Rodríguez-Soltero and Brazilian visual artist Hélio Oiticica.

As a member of Charles Ludlam’s Ridiculous Theater Company, Montez would design and make costumes for himself as well as other cast members by refashioning clothing found at thrift shops and trash piles which he labelled, “Montez Creations”. On stage, he was known for his timely humour, over-the-top acting and versatility in capturing the essence of femininity independent of what role he was playing. “Whether he is playing The Wife, The Mother, The Whore or The Virgin, Montez captures the ineffable essence of femininity,” says Charles Ludlam, founder of the Ridiculous Theatrical Company.

Although Montez performed in drag, as a devout Roman Catholic, his relationship with drag was an intricate one, calling it “going into costume” and being fearful of revealing this to his family. According to Warhol in the book, Popism, “The only spiritual comfort he allowed himself was the logic that even though God surely didn’t like him for going into drag, that still, if he really hated him, he would have struck him dead.”

This queen, fascinated with the Hollywood glitz and considered a royal in the world of underground filmmaking, was every inch a star, one which shines to this day. Bringing drag to the theatre as well as representation for Latinos in the US cinema with his striking performances.

Montez died in 2013 in Key West, Florida, at the age of 78. The cause according to Claire K. Henry, senior curatorial assistant of the Andy Warhol Film Project, was complications of a stroke.

Sylvester

Sylvester in Golden Gate Park, 1971. Photo by Fayette Hauser
‘The Cockettes; Acid Drag & Sexual Anarchy, 1969-1972’.

Born Sylvester James in 1947, Los Angeles, this queen is the creator of one of disco’s impermeable classics, an everlasting Pride anthem and a groundbreaking hit in Pop history, You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)’. One of the first openly gender fluid musicians, Sylvester embraced the gender spectrum at a time not particularly warm to the LGBTQIA+ community. His emotive and soaring falsetto voice was rooted in Gospel and Blues, creating a template that was long followed into the future by the Pop industry.

His life as a musician began at a young age during his church choir performances at regional Gospel Music events. Later as a teenager, Sylvester joined The Disquotays, a group of passionate and fearless black teenage drag queens, “somewhere between a street gang and a sorority house,” says a previous member to The Guardian. The group would courageously defy California’s law against public cross-dressing by wandering the streets in full-drag and throwing scandalous parties. They also joined the 1965 Watts riots, a series of violent confrontations by Los Angeles police and residents of Watts, caused by the arrest of an African American man by a white California Highway Patrol officer on suspicion of driving while intoxicated.

Outrageously gay, Sylvester was all about high fashion drama. He flaunted fur coats, satin and disco sequins in his soulful performances where he was known for his movie-like stage entrances. Ironically, he preferred to work with straight musicians as he would say, “There’s only room for one queen in this band and I’m it.” Despite his preference, in 1969 when he moved to San Francisco, Sylvester was invited to join the cabaret troupe, The Cockettes. There, he was given a star spot in one of their revues, signing ‘The Big City Blues’, becoming their main attraction. However, with critics not embracing the group’s stage insanity but Sylvester’s authentic Blues, he decided to go solo.

In addition to ‘You Make Me Feel’, he made other successful records such as ‘Dance Stars’, ‘Do Ya Wanna Funk’ and a live album called Living Proof. It is hard to pinpoint the root of his success as simply a product of his extravagant personality or outrageous style, but many agree that it is the modern figure he would portray as a woman one day and man the other during an era when this was unheard of. “Sometimes, folks make us feel strange, but we’re not strange. And those folks – they’ll just have to catch up,” says Sylvester to a New York audience in 1978 while enjoying the fame his record had brought him. In 1988 and only 41 years old, Sylvester was found dead in his bed in San Francisco of complications from AIDS.

This era-transcending record means Sylvester’s relevance as a staple of the 70s-music industry, and gender anarchist is still “mighty real.” He was a rebel and radical visionary who turned everything that could be the basis of his marginalisation into superstardom. Not bad for a queen who was just “trying to get on the radio.” 

Want to know more about drag history, see our article on a little drag through history.

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The Drag Queens Revolutionising the Brazilian Music Industry

From marginalised groups to national and international stars, Brazilian drag singers are opening doors within the music industry, breaking barriers, and conquering spaces unlike anywhere else in the world.

It’s difficult to start any conversation about Brazil’s drag queens without mentioning the one and only, Pabllo Vittar. She is far from being the first drag queen in Brazil but surely is the first to reach such great heights in her career, initiated with her 2015 single, ‘Open Bar’; a Brazilian version of Major Lazor’s song, ‘Lean On’. Pabllo’s hit has over 70 million views on YouTube and at the time, was even shared by Diplo, the original producer of ‘Lean On’.

In addition to winning the nation’s heart, Pabllo has started to gain international recognition in the past four years. She’s performed in Coachella and Europe Music Awards and participated in significant collaborations with artists such as Major Lazer alongside the queen of Brazilian Pop, Anitta, in the 2017 hit, ‘Sua Cara’. Recently, she even became the world’s most-followed drag queen on every social media channel, with a total of 22 million followers combined.

Pabllo Vittar, has paved the way for many other queens within the music industry; with Aretuza Lovi, Gloria Groove, Kaya Conky, Lia Clark and many others following right behind her. In 2020, Gloria won hit of the year for her single ‘Deve ser Horrível Dormir Sem Mim’ for Prêmio Portal Music BR awards and Lia Clark’s latest single, ‘Eu Viciei’, increased her number of unique listeners by 530% with over two million views on YouTube. These queens are revolutionising the Brazilian music industry, shifting the spotlight and bringing visibility to the LGBTQIA + community in a society still very much defined by machismo: “I will not be hypocritical and say that the prejudice is ending. But it is something we’re fighting against,” says Pabllo.

The Brazilian music scene may bring you a tropical breeze of Bossa Nova or the drums of Carnaval and Samba, but these genres just scratch the surface of what is a thriving and diverse music scene. Music is integral to Brazil’s national identity and society; as different people sought home throughout Brazil, they established different music styles, each accompanied by a unique form of dance. While drag queens are primarily represented in Brazilian Pop, they flaunt their talents within other music styles such as Forró, Funk and Sertanejo, the most listened to genre in the nation.  

Now, without further ado, let us meet the phenomena of the Brazilian music industry-ladies and gentlemen, the queens who take composing, singing and performing to a whole new level! 

Reddy Allor and Sabrina Angel the Queens of Sertanejo

These incredibly talented queens are best known to fans of Sertanejo, a type of music originating from the countryside of Brazil in the 1920s. Its lyrics spoke of life in the countryside and later developed into Sertanejo Universitário, a sub-genre focusing on young-adult life and care-free relationships. Despite the rise of feminejo, a term used to describe the increase in female singers within the genre, this is a field still very much dominated by men. So, you can only imagine the challenges Reddy and Sabrina have faced and continue to battle when building this path for other upcoming queens.

As Reddy says, “For existing as LGBTQ+, we already suffer prejudice with stares, jokes and worse, so, it is inevitable that being a drag queen in Sertanejo has made me go through several difficult situations.”

Reddy, who recently released her newest album, ‘ASCENSAO’, started her career at a young age. As early as 12 years old, she began singing professionally in a duo with her brother. She later developed her dragnejo (a term combining drag and Sertanejo) career around 2018 with her single ‘Tira o Olho’ and was the only drag queen in the Sertanejo market at that time. “What inspired me was the desire to feel included, because I always loved Sertanejo but I never felt represented,” she says.

Reddy often sings of self-identity and self-reflection such as in her song ‘Deixa Ela Voar’ which speaks of a broken relationship and of letting her go and liberating her smile. “What I feel and how I feel it, I have always expressed myself through music,” she says. For her, the art of drag challenges gender stereotypes, and when combined with music, “allows for the message to arrive faster and in a way that moves people to a point where we start questioning our own lives.”

When asked to describe the movement with one word, Reddy chooses ‘resistance’. “This evolution is certainly happening and will not pass as a moment. We are here to show our existence and above all, resistance, as people and artists who deserve their space in the industry just like any other.”

For Sabrina who recently released ‘Video Chamada’, their roles go beyond entertainment. “We are here to deconstruct and contribute to society,” she says. “Having names that represent the LGBTQIA + community present on TV programs and on the charts has a significant objective. It shows a large portion of the population what happens in a sector that until recently, was very segmented and viewed with disdain by society. After all, what we all want is respect, equal rights and representation. We want to feel included, and end prejudice once and for all.” 

She reveals that producers and studios refused to record her songs and music clips. “When I would contact them introducing myself as a drag queen, they would increase the prices or say they had no available time slots. However, when I’d introduce myself without mentioning drag or anything related to the LGBTQIA+ community, I would find out that the price was four times lower and that they were available on the same day.”

For Sabrina, music allows her to learn and teach that drag queens, too, have their place and value in society as they do in the music industry. Her main goal with her art is to be happy. Secondly, she also wishes to touch people in some way. “When I realised that I could carry a message and be heard by uniting the two things I love, that is music with drag art, I had the certainty that this was my main way of contributing to our LGBTQIA+ community.”

A word that exemplifies the movement for Sabrina is ‘love’. “It is the love for our art, for our community and mainly for the desire and responsibility to make a difference in this society where the majority are sexist, transphobic, homophobic, and oppressive that we are increasingly producing music and clips, making our voices heard.”

Yara Aquino the Forró Diva

This Northeastern queen has recently entered the world of Forró, a popular type of music in the north of Brazil which originated in the end of the 19th century. The style is marked by the sound of the zabumba, a type of bass drum, and a combination of the triangle and accordion. It is represented by a dance between couples, who with bodies almost glued together, drag their feet on the floor.

Yara began her career only one year ago, mainly drawing inspiration from Pabllo Vittar, Gloria Groove and Lia Clark. Since, she has already released her first single, ‘YARA’, which tells a love story between her male alter ego and her drag persona being betrayed and manipulated by him; to later realising this and her journey overcoming it. Having grown up with the genre, Yara thanks it for moulding her into the person she has become; with every special moment in her life having a Forró soundtrack behind it. Even her name has references to Forró singers, Yara Tchê and Silvana Aquino.

For the future songs that Yara states are already written and ready to be released towards the end of this year, she hopes to convey the north-eastern culture in rhythm, aesthetics, and stories. “I have no interest in singing other genres, I want to bring and represent the northeast through Forró like the women I watched when I was a child, wanting to be them, to be on stage. And I hope I can make this dream come true.”

For this diva, the drag queens have arrived to completely change the Brazilian music industry. One word to describe this revolution is ‘innovation’. “I think that the drag singers are the future of music. They’re already shaping music both in its style and aesthetics, so for the future, drags in charge, always. I mean, they already are, but I would like to see more drags bringing new music and rhythms.”

Larissa Santel and Sarah Mitch Take Over Brazilian Pop

These drop-dead-gorgeous queens don’t go unnoticed when it comes to Brazilian Pop, a modern genre and important aspect of the Brazilian culture, popularising sounds and voices which were previously hidden in small niches.

For Larissa, who is soon to release her single at the end of May, Pop was where she found herself. Her eyes would shimmer while watching international Pop singers, hoping to one day, obtain the same success in Brazil. “I chose to work with Pop as it involves not only music but also dance, fashion and culture. It’s a genre that takes many musical styles from different regions to the public in a much more commercial way.”

She also says how the divas of Pop have always embraced the LGBTQIA+ community with Lady Gaga and ‘Born This Way’, a hymn for the drag community. Like many queens, she also praises Pabllo Vittar, Gloria Groove and Lia Clark for bringing visibility by making songs that extended beyond the community. “Drag art in Brazil is splendid, we have artists who overcome incredible barriers and I can’t wait for all of them to show their art to the world. And in the music industry, we already have incredible singers who unfortunately still do not have the space they deserve but are battling to achieve their place here in Brazil and in the world”. Larissa is doing just that, fighting for her art to be recognised, “We’re strong and we have to take every bump in the road with a smile and platform-15 high heels,” she says.

When it comes to Sarah, she knows the Pop industry from inside and out, having even been featured in legendary programs such as ‘Amor e Sexo’ from Rede Globo, a talk show with weekly guests who discuss topics and taboos related to love and sex. For her, the movement is surreal. “I come from a time when there wasn’t a place for drag and music. People thought I was crazy, wanting to sing live in the clubs 20 years ago! Then I saw Pabllo, and her success made me complete. Having this representation with such success, paved the way for a very relevant discussion in broad media channels. It’s surreal! It doesn’t matter the genre or theme of the songs, what matters is who is there appearing and singing them! This is very important for the LGBTQIA+ community. This is what really matters, besides putting everyone on the dance floor!”

Sarah always tries to convey a message in her music, be it profound or not. Her latest single, for example, ‘Janela’, talks about a personal loss. She also addresses those who simply seek “to dance”, for instance, with her 2013 song, ‘Bad Girl’

Both queens, coincidently, chose the word ‘warriors’ to describe the drag singers changing the industry. “In addition to the successful drags, there are hundreds of invisible artists who fight for space every day, just like me!” says Sarah. Similarly, Larissa focuses on the strength and determination needed to enter an industry that remains very closed to anything other than the norm, one which heavily excludes the drag community.

Lilo, Feminism and Funk

Similar to Lia Clark, Aretuza Lovi and Kaya Conky, Lilo is making history when it comes to Brazilian Funk. With its roots in the peripheries of the south zone of Rio de Janeiro, Funk began in the 1950s inspired by USA’s Rhythm and Blues and Gospel. The genre is characterised by its unique beats and has been a medium for many marginalised voices to represent themselves, especially their lives in the favelas. Funk has long been stigmatised due to its controversial lyrics which tend to normalise sexism, ostentation culture, crime and even rape culture. However, the rise in drag queens within the industry is a clear sign of its evolvement.

Lilo started her singing career about five years ago with her first Pop/House single, ‘I Want You’ in 2018. She recently got into Funk with her latest song, ‘Coitado’, which brings together a new sub-genre of Funk called Brega Funk and Funk Pop. Similar to MC Pocah’s, ‘Não Sou Obrigada’, her new single, which translates to “poor you,” talks about unfaithfulness, moving on quick and realising ones’ value, showing in the end, that it was his loss. The theme of women empowerment and revenge is extremely prevalent within the feminist movement in Funk, changing traditional roles present in Funk and society of women as submissive, also representing an unruliness and transgression from normative discourses on gender and sex.

For Lilo, it’s more than just the culture these queens bring, noting that if Funk is already marginalised in every aspect, imagine drag within Funk. “We break gender and sexuality paradigms and stereotypes with our art, showing different ways of doing gender. Little by little, we are conquering spaces and a deserved recognition. We already have big names, artists that certainly opened doors for new ones and so on.”

Finally, when asked to describe these queens in one word, she chooses ‘unique’. “The future is already here! We’re already living it, and the industry needs to adjust to it; be more representative, more inclusive. I have a lot of faith that this will become real, drags in mainstream music, on the radio, on open TV, series, films, everywhere.”

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8 Drag clubs in London you must visit!

At GiGi, we believe that if your dignity and self-confidence are intact when leaving a drag show, it probably means that the queen failed to live up to your expectations. These spectacles are intended to make you feel insulted, offended and every feeling in between. It’s part of the act, so soak it in! Drag shows are a catalyst for enjoyment, and GiGi can vouch that there aren’t many lousy acts out there in London’s fabulous nightlife. Drag queens, drag kings, bio-queens and celebrity impersonators are the most common type of performance. The mix in variety and influx of culture within the drag scene makes it so that if one show doesn’t tickle your fancy, well, babe, go test your luck next door.

By now, you know that GiGi has you covered. So here we are, once again, this time with a list of 8 places in the heart of London that you must check out come June 21st.

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A king in a queens world

Photo Credits: Adel corner

The life of a queen is always under the spotlight. Not just on the stage, but off it too. Whether it be for the glitz and glamour of the performances or the rise in popularity on Instagram feeds, it’s evident that drag queens are slaying all around us. Love that for them! But wait a minute, where are the kings? In fact, I have a question of my own, what even is a drag king?

Essentially, drag kings are women going up in drag, so, as men, often wearing masculine garments and defying male stereotypes. Over the years, the idea of gender has evolved, and so has this definition. Similarly like their queen counterparts, a kings performance involves dance, comedy, and music. Today’s society has actually brought out many types of drag king performers. If you browse the Internet, you’ll find terms such as ‘non-binary kings’ and ‘trans men kings’. And this is great; the more, the merrier, and the more GiGi gets to explore all things drag! (Whoops, catch that reference!)

We sat down with three marvellous drag kings and spilt the real tea of why it’s so much more uncommon and underestimated compared to female impersonation.

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EuroStars Drag Contest 2021 premieres May 1st on LatestTV!

What if there was a mix of Eurovision and RuPaul’s Drag Race? Well, hun imagine that … there is! The EuroStars Drag Contest reality TV series is just around the corner. 

Drag has been a part of the Eurovision song contest since 2002 when Sestre represented Slovenia with “Samo Ijubezen.” In 2014, Eurovision crowned a drag queen as its winner and, Conchita Wurst left the world shook with her looks and talent. Alongside her shiny dress’s elegance and acclamation of her distinguished beard, Conchita seized the Eurovision stage, followed by stating that “you can achieve anything, no matter who you are or how you look.” 

Eurodrag’s next bout is set to take over Europe and explore the best drag talent of the continent, with the first episode releasing on May 1st at 7 pm (GMT+1)! 

The EuroStars Drag Contest derived from EuroDrag and was created by the spectacular drag queen Linda Gold to celebrate the art of all drag types. EuroStars is an all-inclusive drag contest, open to everybody, from Kings and Queens to trans and non-binary people.

Linda Gold said that “EuroDrag launched in 2015 as a protest towards shows like RuPaul’s drag race, which, at the time, excluded everyone that didn’t represent the creators’ interpretation of drag. Now, finally, five years later, after living out of a suitcase and travelling from bar to bar, we’re able to see ALL types of drag on mainstream TV in the form of EuroStars. I can’t wait to watch it!” 

Aiming to uncover Europe’s extraordinary drag talent across 30 countries, the lavish series will come in three episodes, all filmed in actuality, from start to finish. 

What is the EuroStars series’ format?

The format of EuroStars will be a unique blend of Europe’s favourite song contest, Eurovision, and the world’s most famous drag race, RuPauls’ series. 

In the first two episodes, known as the contest’s semi-finals, 33 drag artists will compete for the 12 spaces of the glorious third and final episode. In both semi-finals, 17 and 16 artists will participate. The five winners at the end of each episode will go on to the series finale. Those triumphant winners of the two semi-finals will be selected by the host and the studio judges. Two fortunate artists that will compete with the other ten will be chosen by a public vote.

Coming from different European countries and backgrounds, the drag contestants of Eurostars will have the opportunity to share their personal stories and get closer to the viewers. The series will feature astonishing talent, as well as plenty of banter and comedy! 

Meet the judges of EuroStars 2021

The big winner of Season 1 will be chosen by the total score of the 30 judges spread across Europe. The judges’ panel will include drag stars from all over the world, many of them coming from RuPaul’s Drag Race, Drag Race Holland, Canada’s Drag Race and RuPaul’s.

Drag Race UK. Eurovision participants will also be part of the judges, including Rasmussen, the Danish representative at Eurovision 2018, and one of the backing vocalists at Eurovision 2019, Dinah Yonas Manna. 

The three resident judges of EuroDrag, Drag Race Holland contestants Sederginne, Janey Jacké, and drag king LoUis CYfer, will also have a saying in the crowning of EuroStar’s Season 1 winner, as will the host and founder of EuroStars, Linda Gold. The public will have the opportunity to vote for their favourite contestant by using an online poll.

Meet the contestants of EuroStars 2021

The 33 contestants of EuroStars 2021 have been announced, and they are all impressive! Find out the representative of the 33 European countries competing here.

England will be represented by Black Peppa, a previous EuroDrag winner. Black Peppa is a brilliant drag queen, model, dancer, and designer from Birmingham with Caribbean heritage and a front runner of EuroStars 2020. 

“My style is very hard to put into one sentence but I can best describe it as fetish punk glamour meets Futurism, with a sophisticated twist of haute couture in there,” Black Peppa told EuroDrag.

The drag stars of the future are about to be discovered on EuroStars Drag Contest 2021, and they will take the world by storm. Although the best will win, everyone embarking on this journey will share the glory! 

Get ready for Europe’s most established drag competition that will feature all types of drag. 

Starting May 1st, airing live on LatestTV, also available on streaming services, including Sky, Amazon Prime, Virgin Media and Revry; you can’t and certainly don’t want to miss it!

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Queens of Showbiz: the hard truths behind the scenes

@ri_pride is always the best 🌈💖💦” (June, 2018)

Queen @phaedraphaded showcases her experiences behind the scenes of performing in drag.

“Kings and Queens are constantly jostling for first position line-up. Here, the hustle and bustle of the changing rooms force personalities to square up head-to-head. There’s shade thrown and bitchy comments to be ignored. Stomachs rumble as meals are skipped to prepare for the harsh fittings of corsets, and polo mints are passed around as Dutch courage is always encouraged. The feeling of anxiety and apprehension rises and the shakes set in as I convince myself that it’s all worth it in the end. Whatever, if it isn’t my best performance, I can laugh it off with few drinks afterwards. That always helps. I sashay onto the stage, and the blinding lights beam across my forehead as I get into a stance. As I shake my wig to the side and smooth down the curls, I whisper to myself, “there’s no room for nerves here. This is it”. 

In a world of stage queening, GiGi thought it was time to listen to an honest account about the difficulties of shimmying your shoulders in extraordinary outfits. So, we’ve looked to a real queen, Phaedra Phaded. The Greek drag queen artist based in New York gives us insight into the battles of bitchiness backstage, toxic work environments, and her own journey into becoming “a straight thin, gay fat, Womana.”

It’s common for queens to celebrate after shows by boozing with their fellow performers. “I drank so much alcohol the night after my first show backstage,” Phaedra shares. “So much that I stumbled across the road and into my hotel. I woke up the next day and found I still had my pads and wig on, my dress on the floor, a lash stuck to my forehead, and my lipstick smeared everywhere. She laughs, “whilst I was gripping the toilet, my best friend at the time turned to me and said, you were pretty faded last night! Ever since I’ve been Phaedra Phaded.”

“Kim, would you stop taking photos of yourself? Your sister’s going to jail.” @kpachococina @dragqueendivas” (May, 2019)

Case in point: There’s nothing wrong with commemorating a fierce performance. However, it’s not always rainbows and butterflies when it comes to the aftermath of show performances. Constantly performing at bars and clubs can actually place you in an unhealthy environment. We look to Baga chipz MBE to understand the ease of slipping into bad habits. She spoke with The Stage about her experiences whilst acting and said, “because I performed in clubs and bars every day, I’d always have a drink. It wasn’t good, but since the customers would buy them for me, I’d almost always have one in hand. I was drunk so often.”

In an era in which entertainment is hyper-focused on audience gratification, a significant amount of pressure can be felt when it comes to live performances. “I think one of the hardest things is constantly reinventing yourself to remain interesting. You never want to see people get bored of your act, so I always try to change it up and elevate my performance and style,” Phaedra says. “Then, when I do get on stage, I do my best to keep my audience and myself happy.”

“90s Girl Group Realness… but you’re all the Beyoncé” (December, 2018)

But it’s not all about staying snatched and singing with sassiness. Drag queens have been known to encourage some real bitchiness backstage. “Negativity comes in every environment, and in drag culture, there are such strong personalities, especially ones that are fuelled by their own ego. This can sometimes come in the form of queens battling between talents and beauty. Still, I believe drag should be silly, fun, and light-hearted, and also used in the right way if you want to make a statement.”

According to a report carried out by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) in 2020, 65% of employees said that work harms their mental health. Whilst these harsh figures prove that your job can become a huge stressor, it doesn’t even factor in the effects of negative workplace behaviours. Those can decrease work performance by a further 30%, says a 2018 study published in the IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering. Given that these facts highlight the true impact of toxic work environments, it’s no wonder that performance cultures can exasperate symptoms of stress with backstage bitchiness, ultimately impacting performers’ mental health. Kings and Queens should be treated as equals in terms of talent. Still, it seems a pattern of spitefulness is emerging when stars attempt to nudge out their competition.

The midlands-born drag artist and former RuPaul’s Drag race UK contestant, Baga Chipz MBE, can relate. As she spoke to The Stage about the impact of negativity backstage, she revealed that “there are many jealous drag queens. I get a lot of stick in the dressing room,” she says, “the thing is that you have to be happy for people, or it’ll eat away at you. Jealousy is not good for the soul. People should just be happy for each other.”

“I got whisked away to the @alconeco Booth by @dragqueendivas to meet @amandalepore” (October, 2018)

Wake up, darlings. Drag culture isn’t just about slapping on copious amounts of makeup, jumping between closet changes, and supporting your sisters on the way to stardom. “These types of environments can incite jealousy and resentment in ways that cancel out thriving cultures,” says Phaedra. 

Vinegar Strokes, a South London drag artist and “straight up comedy queen,” told the Belfast Telegraph a similar story about personalities that clash behind the curtain. “The atmosphere behind the scenes can be similar to a pressure cooker. There’s constant ratty and catty behaviour pinballing between stressed drag artists,” she says. 

The backstage experiences have proven to her that these types of environments can be toxic. “Instead of being understanding of one’s situation by speaking to each other with dignity,” Phaedra says, “lots of drag artists find pleasure in spreading negativity.” Backstage Bitchiness is often seen but not addressed by management. Venue owners mind their own business as there’s no time for concern. Worries solely focus on the quality of performances, not cattiness, so they can run their business without hiccups.

Phaedra’s aware that it’s normal for most working environments to harper some sort of negativity. Still, she points out that resentment kindled by jealousy within an industry so focalised on being centre stage, can cancel out thriving cultures. “I’ve seen it all before,” she says. “I actively choose to avoid this for the sake of my mental health because, at the end of the day, it’s just drag.”

“Soaring high corseted in my customised  @fashionnova giggarama because I’m that bitch (on a budget)” (May, 2019)

Meanwhile, embracing the act of drag is also something that brings immense happiness to Phaedra’s life. With her insight into performing live on stage, we’re in awe as her big heart is revealed to be the catalyst for her own happiness. “The best thing about drag is seeing people happy. It inspires me to keep doing what I do when I see people having a great time,” she says with a smile.  

Phaedra credits her stage confidence to a fellow queen’s advice. “The best advice ever given to me was don’t be afraid to break the wall between stage and your person. I’m an incredibly interactive entertainer, and at some point, in my performance, I will break that barrier. It’s those moments for me in which performing really becomes fun,” she explains. 

Whilst reflecting on the past few months, she looks to the future positively. “During the pandemic, I haven’t been able to perform as I wish. Shows are now virtual, and there’s precedented panic about the coronavirus. Still, I look forward to when I can share my performance with audiences again.” 

As Phaedra signs off, she leaves us with some excellent words of wisdom for any new queens out there, “BE. KIND. BE. HUMBLE. BE GORGEOUS DIVA!”

Fancy finding out what sassy staple item you need to perfect your performances? Check out our quiz here!

All photo credits: @Phaedraphaded

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A little drag through history

Oh, drag – a word that echoes so many things. Dramatic eye makeup, sass and flamboyant outfits. It may seem new to many of us, claiming its place on the scene with RuPaul, but those in the know understand that it’s a long history. While it has become very much part of our society, it hasn’t always been its confident and sassy self as we know it today. In fact, there may be many things we don’t know about it. At reputation level, its world flaunts extravagant shows and characters and embodies empowering life themes. However, underneath that layer, there’s actually a lot of history and rawness. 

Drag is an integral part of Millennia’s culture and heritage, even though it can sometimes feel like a modern phenomenon because it tackles socio-political and socio-cultural themes in its unique way. For drag lovers such as ourselves and our dear readers: let us take a brief trip down memory lane into a sextet of its history. As we know, history is part of who we become. 

Think about it, do you know how it all began?

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4 TIMELESS movies YOU should know!

Hello Queens and Kings of Drag!

Welcome to your entertainment fix, where we will be helping you with your homework! But shhh, don’t tell anyone. 

In this issue of GIGI magazine, we will be giving you the top four most iconic movies that anyone who’s anyone in the drag community has seen. So, get your note pads, pens, and crowns because it’s going to be a long day. 

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4 queens you will find in every season of RuPaul’s Drag Race

Although you could say that most queens would rather be associated with a fierce heather than with a hot mess booger, there’s no right or wrong when it comes to doing drag. It’s all a form of expression and art, and it’s all valid. As tweeted by @CrayolaTheQueen, “Drag is about destroying rules about gender. It is punk, subversive and transgressive.”

However, there are four types of queens that RuPaul’s Drag Race would be incomplete without.

Let’s spill the tea!