Raja
Here she is… America’s Next Great Drag Superstar!
Michael Cook was one of the first to speak with RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 3 winner Raja about the competition, the show and what comes next…
Michael: First congratulations! You’re the next “Drag Superstar”. Now be honest; did you feel like a frontrunner from the beginning?
Raja: Sure I did! I’ll be honest, when I was told I’d be on “Drag Race”, I knew my own experiences and wondered if any of the other queens would be of my level of experience. I thought I may be too crazy or progressive in my drag, but I guess I did something right, since I won!
Michael: You’re drag is definitely unconventional and fashion forward. What designers do you draw the most inspiration from?
Raja: I totally love avant garde drag, very couture; Alexander McQueen, Jean Paul Gaultier. Although, I can definitely appreciate “old school” drag and can totally do that too!
Michael: Judge Michelle Visage is a Jersey girl and always shows so much love for you girls. Has she been a good mentor in any way?
Raja: Michelle comes from a place of drag, I mean look at that face, she’s gorgeous! I mean, she was hanging out at the pier “vogueing” for God’s sake! She is amazing and so great to us all!
Michael: You had a ton of love here on the East Coast, and you have done some appearances out here. How do the clubs here compare to West Coast?
Raja: It’s very different, right now there seems to be so little drag in New York, and in L.A. there is so much! I mean, I lived in NYC for two years and when I got here I wondered “where is the drag”?! I recently appeared at Escuelita in NYC and when the curtain opened money literally rained down on me; that was amazing!
Michael: Your speech at the end of “Drag Race” hit close to home for so many little boys who don’t fit in. How does it feel to finally be able to be a voice for those people?
Raja: Apart from winning the $75,000.00 cash prize, having a voice is the best part of winning. It is such an honor to be a voice for those people who don’t have one. I get letters from 12 and 13 year olds who say that they’ve started a gay-straight alliance in their school or who are out to their parents; things that never would have happened when I was younger. It’s great to see how things have changed.
Michael: There has to be some behind the scenes dish with that many queens. Who do you think you will stay in touch with the most?
Raja: I will definitely stay in touch with Delta Work, she and I are family! As for staying in touch with others, definitely Manila (Luzon) and Carmen (Carrera). While we were an alliance on the show, I think we became friends for a reason. Manila is so smart, I can sit down and have such a great conversation with her! Carmen and I have somewhat of a “chemical” connection, she and I will talk and she will say to me “girl, I miss the way you smell”. LOL. Totally a chemical connection with us!
For the Coaster and TheBPlot’s interview with Carmen Carrera before Season 3 began, click here.
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[...] READING: exclusive TheBPlot interviews with past contestants Mystique, Raja, Manila Luzon, Carmen Carrera; show photographer Mike Ruiz; show judge Michelle Visage. [...]