Activist, artist and author Sasha Velour is more than just a triple threat. She’s a winner, baby.
The drag legend not only won the ninth season of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” in 2017, she set a new standard in the process. Her scene-stealing, rose-petal-revealing lip sync was christened one of Entertainment Weekly’s best musical moments of the year and has been parodied in pop culture ever since.
Velour has found new ways to cultivate her craft in recent years, launching global tours, joining the cast of HBO’s celebrated docuseries “We’re Here” for this year’s fourth season and publishing her first book, “The Big Reveal: An Illustrated Manifesto of Drag.”
Her tour of the same name comes to Clearwater’s Nancy and David Billheimer Capitol Theater Feb. 2. It promises “an immersive evening of drag, storytelling and live art, featuring iconic new performances from Velour that will have you screaming with laughter at the start and openly weeping by the end.”
Watermark caught up with Velour ahead of the performance to discuss her drag past, present and future.
WATERMARK: What has international fame taught you about yourself?
Sasha Velour: It’s been tempting sometimes to try to model my path and what I put out after other people, but I think as far as the fame of it all goes, it’s been when I’ve taken the biggest risks and done things that felt the most personal that I’ve experienced the most success, the most attention, the most response. So oddly, I think it’s been a lesson in staying true to my voice and understanding that I have my own way of doing things in drag, in life, that I should stick to.
Where do you find yourself as an artist now?
I’m really interested in doing the most thoughtful and well put together drag spectacles that I can create. I put so much work into my shows, whether it’s my one night only drag review “Nightgowns” in New York or a big production like “The Big Reveal Live” show that I get to do many times all over the world and finetune. But no matter what it is, I put thought into every detail.
I know that sounds kind of serious, but this show is actually all about humor and life and joy and making fun of ourselves. There’s a lot of little easter eggs and connections for the audience. I think drag should be at the highest quality, especially right now as we’re fighting for the right to keep doing it in many places.
Florida is one of those places. Why did you want to bring the show here?
I know that the laws that make some states, some countries even, seem unfriendly to queer people, make it so much worse for the queer people who live there. The reality is we are everywhere. We’re part of communities. Queer people have families, run businesses and are really important members of their community.
So I think it’s essential to come and provide a little joy, a little escape and just show our extended community that we are not forgetting about them, even if it’s a little harder to get the show there. (Laughs.)
And in Florida, there are fears of being protested or shut down and there are guns allowed in so many venues, so finding places where we can make sure that me and my crew and the people in the audience are safe is a unique challenge in some places, too, but it’s worth it. We do our research of course and I’m excited to come to Clearwater. (Laughs.)
What can fans expect from your stop?
It’s called “The Big Reveal,” so it’s an exploration of different kinds of reveals. You’ve got your wig reveals, your costume reveals, but there are ways in which I think the story that I tell will be surprising. There are ways in which the show turns back on itself and reveals surprises that have been built over the course of the show, which is very intimate.
Through fantasy, I think the goal should always be to tell the truth, and that was one of my goals with the book, to lay bare the history of drag that people don’t always know. This beautiful story of queer and trans people and our communities finding a way for us to express ourselves no matter what the laws of the time are. And also the personal story in which I found drag through my family and through my community. It did save my life and also teaches me to not take things too seriously. It’s the most serious and the least serious all together.
Why was last year the right time to publish your book?
In my final draft, I began to be aware that it would need to be used as a tool to combat misinformation about queer people and about drag. So even though that hadn’t been my goal when I started writing, I was able to make sure that it still served that purpose, though hopefully that won’t always be what it has to be used for. (Laughs.) But through human stories of my life and also people I’ve learned about … it pushes back against these deadly lies that people have told about queer people. Sometimes a human, personal story is the best response.
Is that part of why you wanted to go on tour?
Yeah. I know that most people who come to see a drag show already love drag, so I want to give them something really fantastic. I think it’s also important to show the world all that drag can be — and just how full of artistic merit it is. How much joy it does bring people. Because there’s nothing inappropriate about the human body, especially not our messages of consent and self-determination that are essential in drag. So I’m always trying to do the best drag I can do. I think that is part of our mission right now.
“Rupaul’s Drag Race” is a global empire now. What are your thoughts on how far the series has come?
I think it’s brought awareness about drag to many places all over the world and to people who maybe wouldn’t have discovered drag without a TV show. It is a tool to tell our stories and to hopefully spark people to think about things in new ways or to research new things to inform themselves further. I guess I do see a distinction between commercial success and artwork or activism, and I think drag generally, we need to push ourselves to think about what we’re saying and how we are giving back to the community and supporting the community.
There are so many drag artists who use their platform to advocate to spread information, to organize, and I think that’s the pinnacle of what drag always is to me. Art and activism together. I think “Drag Race” begins with that, but it’s also a mainstream TV show and I see the ways in which they have to be careful. But drag artists, we can be even bolder than a TV show can ever be and I think it’s our job to.
What’s it like looking back on your time on the show?
I feel like I have become such a more talented drag artist than I was when I was on season nine. (Laughs.) I mean, it’s been seven years. I had the right intentions and passion and hard work, but I’ve learned so much since then about how to do drag at the top level. Meeting other people and traveling the world, seeing drag in other countries, that’s the best training we can possibly get.
Would you be interested in competing again?
Sometimes I think it would be nice if I could show people out there who love drag but don’t stick with it past “Drag Race” a full update on who I’ve become and the fierce drag artist I am. I also stand by the little baby queen that I was on season nine who shocked everyone and took the crown with a dramatic surprise. It’s not a bad legacy to have, I’m really proud of that. So sure, I love performing. I will go back anytime they want me to.
What are your thoughts on your finale reveal now?
It’s still wild to reflect on. The moment it happened, the reaction was incredible and it’s still rippling which is wild. The thing I’ve learned is that you can’t engineer a moment like that. I could not have predicted what the reaction would be, but I took a huge risk and I did something in that moment that I had honestly barely rehearsed. I’m always down to try something and every time I’ve done that in my life it’s paid off one way or another. (Laughs.) Sometimes it’s with “that wasn’t exactly the move, but there was something there to pursue for next time.” But I think that opened up a whole career of taking risks.
And reveals, right?
Exactly! (Laughs.) Now on tour.
What can you share about joining the cast of “We’re Here” for its next season?
I’m really excited to be on “We’re Here.” I really liked that the show explored the role drag can have in the world. “Drag Race” is so beautiful, but it’s very much set in a studio. I think it’s really interesting, because it’s such a big part of my experience, how people interact with me when they see me on the street or what kind of conversations I have when I go into people’s homes and when I’m hanging out with friends or meet people. I feel like the show really gets at that.
I am known for really impactful storytelling numbers that show big emotion with simple theatrical gestures and especially for the reveals, and what I’m bringing to Clearwater is an exercise in that. I got to do a number of performances for “We’re Here” with people to show the stories they want to tell; I really enjoy working with people without backgrounds in performance.
Why is that?
I don’t believe you have to know how to dance, I don’t believe you have to be a certain age or size or wear a certain kind of wig or a certain kind of costume to do great drag. I just love meeting people where they are, figuring out what their fantasies are and bringing them to life in the most spectacular way. I’m excited to see how it comes out.
What message do you have for LGBTQ+ Floridians ahead of your visit?
We are in this together. What happens to queer people in any part of the world does affect all of us, and we all need to do better to keep our mind on those most in need. I am excited to come and hear from people in Florida about where things are and how they’re doing. We can be even more of a community that listens to each other and moves this world forward. I really believe in our power as a community to make good in this world, and to do it together.
What else do you want readers to know?
I hope people will show up because they’re in for surprises and I’m really proud of the show. I’ve heard great feedback and I think it’s my best work yet, so if you want to come see a great drag show, it’s the place to go.
Sasha Velour’s “The Big Reveal Live” is 18+ and features Victoria Elizabeth Black of “Dragula.” It comes to the Bilheimer Capitol Theatre Feb. 2 at 8 p.m., located at 405 Cleveland St.. To purchase tickets and for more information, visit RuthEckerdHall.com and SashaVelour.com.
