RuPaul’s Drag Race stars Sasha Velour and Shangela share stories behind their iconic reality TV moments

BETWEEN them, RuPaul’s Drag Race stars Shangela and Sasha Velour have provided some of the most jaw-dropping reality TV moments of recent years. They tell all to news.com.au.

A DECADE, 10 seasons and three ‘All Stars’ on from its humble, soft-focus debut, RuPaul’s Drag Race is undoubtedly bigger than ever.

One measure of the reality juggernaut’s reach is the mainstream success achieved by several of its alumni.

Gone are the days of dancing for dollars in tiny clubs — some of the showgirls who found fame on Drag Race are now playing in the same theatres as the pop divas whose hits they lip sync.

Two such success stories are season nine winner Sasha Velour — the arty, angsty bald queen who secured her place in the Drag Race hall of fame with some artfully concealed rose petals — and Shangela, the irrepressible Energiser Bunny of the Drag Race universe who’s appeared on three different seasons now thanks to her innate understanding of what makes good TV.

The pair were in Sydney today ahead of their own separate near sold-out national tours, and sat down with news.com.au to share the inside story of their most dramatic Drag Race moments, how to tackle the show’s difficult race issue, and what it’s like to watch yourself fail on TV.

You’ll both be returning to Australia in summer headlining your own national theatre tours. Did you ever dream you could take your drag to such a wide audience?

Sasha: Of course I dreamt; I think Shangela and I both dreamt of being able to perform on a big stage. To see what kinds of people turn up for drag shows now — it’s not just young queer people, it’s people of all ages, from all walks of life. It shows there’s something universal about this passion, about putting on heels and a wig … or no wig.

Shangela: People love entertainment. When you can get past the barriers that might keep you away, the core of what we’re doing is putting on a good show. If you love a good show, then come on through, Halleloo.

Sasha: The only kinds of shows I used to do were tiny little cramped bar shows where I could reach up and adjust the lighting myself, but I pretended I was in a 2000-seat grand opera house. I would make the audience hold up their phones so that I would be lit properly and I would turn on the projector so that I had a nice front spotlight on me.

We’ve always made a grand spectacle for ourselves, wherever we’ve gone. Now, the spectacle is real.

Shangela, you were widely tipped to win the third season of Drag Race All Stars earlier this year — then we all watched your heartbreak in the finale as your fellow competitors didn’t vote for you to advance to the final two. How long did it take to get over that pain?

Shangela's heartbreak was palpable.

Shangela: We filmed the show last year in the summer, July our time. At the finale when I wasn’t voted by the other girls to go from the four to the two, even after what I look back on as a really great season, it was very sad. Watching it again [when it aired] in March I was like, ouch.

But I’m not in control of what hardships or twists and turns are going to come in life — all I can be in control of is me, and how I react and pick myself up. Keep a positive attitude, go to work and keep it movin’ — that’s what I did.

When I look back at the season, it was everything I wanted it to be: I got to come back and be the drag queen I always envisioned myself to be. Because if you saw season 2, I thought I was number one, honey, but I came in the room with a dream, a wig, and no make-up on! I was winning... in my head. But All Stars 3 was me at my best, I think.

Sasha Velour, your finale lip sync to Whitney Houston’s So Emotional — with that surprise rose petal reveal — was really your defining Drag Race moment. How well-prepared was it?

Sasha Velour starts her season winning performance.

GAGGED.

Sasha: With every lip sync, I want to create special little moments that connect with the song. As soon as we got that song — which was literally 24 hours before we had to perform it — I started developing little fantasy performances for it. Every time I hear a song on the radio I love to create a performance to it, so it’s not that hard! The rose petals came to mind for that song — a story about love and passion getting out of control until it’s everywhere, consuming you. I think there’s a poetry to drag lip syncing, and I like to express that with my costumes and movements, with everything I do.

We saw an attempt at a similar stunt go horribly wrong with this season’s finale when finalist Asia O’Hara tried and failed to pull live butterflies out of her costume. Sasha, it seems like for you the ‘stunts’ need to tell a story.

Sasha: Well, we are storytellers, truly. We tell stories about our own lives, we tell stories about fashion and beauty, we tell stories when we perform.

Shangela: Also, it’s live TV. You can practice, but things will go wrong. I’ve done it. You all saw season 3, mamma.

Across its ten seasons, RuPaul’s Drag Race has played host to a litany of celebrity guests — including Lady Gaga (left), who guest judges on Sasha Velour’s season. Picture: RuPaul Drag Race

Did either of you have any negative experiences appearing on reality TV? Shangela, this seems like a redundant question for you seeing as you’ve gone back to Drag Race twice. I figure you’ll pop out of a box on season 37.

Shangela: Thank you. I agree. You never know where I’ll pop up, bitch! For me, there where moments where I looked back and went [winces] “ooh.” First of all, being the first girl to go home [in season two] — that’s a rough road. I had quit my job to be on the show and went in thinking ‘I’m gonna win.’ To be going home, I was shell shocked.

When you see yourself on a show like this, it’s a bit like having an out of body experience — you see yourself how other people see you. You realise, ‘Oh, maybe I do come across that way.’ You watch it back and go, ooh — did I just throw that drink? Whoops. But for people on TV who say they weren’t portrayed the best, I would say that it’s never too late to change the world’s perception of you, it’s just gonna take a little bit of work.

Shangela.

Sasha Velour.

This latest season of Drag Race has initiated conversations about race and racism in the show’s fandom — queens of colour finding it more difficult to make their mark and even battling racism from fans.

Shangela: Well as a white woman, I … oh, no? Did I get that mixed up?

Sasha: We live in America, a country that’s full of racism. It affects people everywhere, so of course it’s in queer spaces and the drag community. It’s an issue I think the drag community has wanted to talk about and address for some time. Queens of colour have been the backbone of our community since long before I put on my first wig and heels. We have to fight the structures at large to see change — and the good thing is, I think drag queens can be good listeners, even though we might not seem like it.

Shangela: As a queen of colour, I think the first step is identifying there is an issue. It’s such a shame that in our community, when we’re already on the outskirts in many ways, that we still divide our community even more. That’s troubling. The biggest thing for me is that I want to be the girl that breaks down barriers. I don’t let anything hold me back. I hope people will see me for my spirit and my entertainment, because I think great entertainment transcends race, gender, all that. THAT is what I hope to inspire.

info: Shangela brings her show Shangela Is SHOOK! to Australia for a tour from November 30 to December 10, and Sasha Velour’s Live and in Colour tour plays Australia and New Zealand from January 9 to 21 next year. Tickets for both tours are available through In The Dark Events.