After the success of our feature on Cardiff’s drag scene – and with a new series of the perennially popular RuPaul’s Drag Race now ensconced on our screens – we’ve decided to profile some of Cardiff’s Queens.
Misty Monique, 21 (“Only just, there goes my ‘twink’ status”)
Gloucester’s Johneh Emptage has the honour of being our first Queen. Currently finishing his dissertation, he’s studying Computing Mathematics at the University of South Wales in Treforest, making Misty an honourary South Wales/Cardiff Queen.
How long have you been doing drag? Just less than two years, but it feels like way longer.
How/why did you start getting in to drag? I dabbled with drag a few times growing up/in school but never considered myself a queen. I was asked to enter the first Gloucestershire’s drag race, went along with it as a bit of a laugh and ended up winning! The rest is herstory.
Who are your influences (drag or otherwise)? My character tends to shift towards ‘dumb blonde’, with a lot of hip-hop and new-wave influences. Specific drag queens are Willam and Violet Chachki; I like to think I’m somewhere in between them in terms of style.
How have you balanced drag with completing a degree? I’ve balanced it terribly! There were weeks I’d be at uni Monday to Friday, go home, do a show that night and have a photo shoot the next morning, do another show, hop back on the train. In my final year, I’ve had to put it aside and reject offers that came my way, which was heartbreaking as it was just when my drag career was kicking off; I was offered shows in many parts of the UK and I just had to say no.
What does your family think? That’s funny because when I came out to my mum I had Drag Race on in the background and she said: “I don’t mind you being gay, as long as you don’t do THAT”… ha, sorry mum. She’s my biggest fan now. My cousins make time to attend my shows and other local LGBT events. I love them all, their support and strength is what keeps me going.
What have you accomplished through drag? After the contest I have hosted and organised our own shows, which turned out to have the biggest attendance of local LGBT events. Myself and fellow queen Pandy Roo built upon Gloucestershire’s drag race and established ‘Drag Wars’ which had nationwide interest and the winner (Count Addiction) traveled from Southampton. I also performed on the main stage of Gloucestershire Pride last year, which was recognised as the fastest growing Pride in the UK at the time.
Where are you going to take being a drag queen? Despite my degree, I would love to make Misty my priority. All I have seen on a day-to-day basis is numbers, logic and academia… I never get to express myself creatively and that is exactly what I want to do. I have some things lined up and am hoping to expand as much as I can. Maybe aim for bigger competitions.
Is drag more than a hobby? It’s a job and I love it! Until you do drag you don’t realise how much goes into it, from learning makeup to styling wigs, producing music for shows and learning comedy; even just buying tights and lash glue, it all adds up financially and the amount of effort and time it takes could never justify it as a hobby, it is so much more.
Minnie Cooper, “Technically 24, but feel about 44!”
How long have you been doing drag? On and off for about four years, but more full time the last two years.
Who are your influences (drag or otherwise)? I like the old school comedians like Lily Savage and Dame Edna Everage; comedy-wise: the slapstick, but also the type of comedy from people like Sarah Millican and Michael McIntyre who use real life situations on which to base their humour. I’m also a massive Bianca Del Rio and Katya fan!
How have you balanced drag with a day job (if drag’s not your main job)? I was teaching for a bit whilst doing drag, but they both got in the way of each other; so I work in telecommunications now, which is less heavy outside of work than teaching.
What have you accomplished through drag? When starting out drag, there are so many setbacks and people make you feel like you’re not good enough so managing to plow through the bitchiness and harsh critique that we all still get is important, and developing a thick skin. Someone once told me I’d never do drag, and now I travel up and down the country performing for all different crowds, so it’s a massive middle finger to them!
Where are you going to take being a drag queen (e.g. a career)? I’m concentrating on DJing at the moment, building up my reputation as well as developing myself; but I love performing… I’d love to do a season in Spain and do all the cheesy holiday stuff!
Is drag more than a hobby? Drag is definitely more than a hobby, it’s my career that I’m building upon every day… its kind of a hobby too because I enjoy what I do, I think that’s important to any job!
Jolene Dover, “I am *cough* 28 with the mindset of a 19-year-old, but the hangover recovery time of a 40-year-old. Age is just a number right? RIGHT?!”
Jolene Dover is a bit like Cardiff’s RuPaul – she hosts her own Jolene’s Drag Race (the 2017 competition is currently taking place at Pulse on Wednesday nights) and has even had her own TV show When Jolene Met… on Made In Cardiff TV (you can still catch repeats on Made In Cardiff’s TV Channel).
How long have you been doing drag? I have been doing drag professionally for nearly nine years.
Why did you start/how did you get into it? I found myself on an extended gap year shortly after finishing college. I moved out of my family home and planned to work for a year or two then apply to go to drama college and be a proper actor. Going out to gay bars and clubs at that time, I would watch some of the drag queens (most of whom are still around today) working and I thought ‘I want to try that’. I performed my first “show” in my living room and invited all my friends around, it was all very amateur, home made. Soon after that I entered DRAG IDOL… and lost. So took the long route, got an act, a look (which has changed dramatically over the years) started doing charity gigs for almost no money. Got in contact with agents/venues, bought a sound system and made myself available for bookings. Learnt my craft the old fashioned way, in pubs and clubs up and down the country.
Who were/are your influences (drag or otherwise)? In terms of my act as it is now I’m inspired by a lot of comedians, particularly female. I’m very influenced by Amy Schumer for her comedy timing and delivery and more recently Luisa Omelian. Music-wise I love Rihanna and Katy Perry (as well as her wardrobe….it’s a drag queen’s heaven); drag-wise my friend and fellow Cardiff entertainer Pixie Perez is up there with the best of them. And my favourite act working the circuit at the moment is Myra Dubois from London (check her out)
How have you balanced drag with a day job (if drag’s not your main job)? Drag has been my main job now for about seven years; at the moment I have a great work/social life balance. A lot of people see me hosting or DJing my weekly nights and think that’s me in a social environment but it really is not. If I’m in a wig (outside of Halloween) it’s work – I’m not at the party. I’m bringing the party.
What does your family think? Unfortunately, I have no terrible family stories of me being outcast or shunned, which sucks because if I ever become famous that would have been great for the book! My family are fully accepting. My nan used to make my boobs for me!
What have you accomplished through drag? Considering I wanted to be an actor growing up I think drag has opened up way more doors than being an actor ever could have. I have friends in London who struggle getting jobs in the arts and I’ve been fortunate enough to do theatre, TV work and even landed myself my own six-part show on a local channel a few years back (Jolene Meets…). Doing drag really does bring some amazing opportunities and what I love about the job is how immediate it can be. You think up a new job or a new part of your show in the morning and then you do it on stage to a paying audience that night. It’s extremely rewarding if you’re a creative person.
Where are you going to take being a drag queen? I would love to do some more TV just because the exposure is always great, but the stage is where I feel most comfortable, you can get away with so much more on the stage and as a comedian being able to feed off a live audience is just priceless. I’d love to write a show and take it to Edinburgh, I’d love to do a show with a live band, dancers, backing singers. Who knows, there are billion more doors to be opened!
Can drag be a hobby? Drag started out as a hobby, something I wanted to try. Now its my profession, something I’m good at, something I’m passionate about. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a job and like every job it has its downsides and rough days but because for the most part I’m fully in control of every aspect of it, I can change it, I can move in a new direction at any time. And with the recent boom in popularity of RuPaul’s Drag Race, I think it’s a really exciting time to be a man in a wig!
words CHRIS WILLIAMS