How Drag Helped This Iconic Canadian Queen Achieve Her Dreams

MTL Blog

Canadian Drag icon Priyanka, sat down for Narcity's qNa series to spill the tea on Canada's Drag Race, her new album, and what it's like being an icon.    MTL Blog - Montreal’s largest online network, created by and catering to a new generation of Montrealers.    Website: https://www.mtlblog.com  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MTLBlog/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MTLBlog/  Twitter: https://www.Twitter.com/MTLBlog/    For National News visit: https://www.narcity.com/  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NarcityCanada  Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/NarcityCanada  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/NarcityCanada    For advertising and sponsored content opportunities visit: https://www.narcitymedia.com/

Transcript

00:00I'm a goddess. Look at my face now. Like, this is beauty. This is grace. This is Miss United.

00:06No, I'm Canadian. Never mind.

00:14Hello, my name is Priyanka. I am a drag superstar, pop star, icon diva. I'm 30 years old, and I'm

00:21from Toronto, Ontario. Holla. I started drag about four years ago. I had a drag queen before

00:26around my birthday party, and she was like, you should start drag. You should enter this

00:29fun local bar competition at Cruise and Tangos. So I did. I came fourth place, and I looked

00:35really bad, but look at me now. Look at me now, Toronto. Look at me now.

00:41I saw the posting for Canada's Drag Race come up, and I literally looked at my co-host, Spencer,

00:46and was like, my life is about to change. When I first went on the show, I definitely thought

00:50that I was a contender to win, but when I got put in the bottom twice and gave you two iconic

00:55lip syncs, you're welcome, I was like, maybe I don't have it in the bag. I remember the

01:01makeover challenge, and we were sitting there, and I was like, I'm next to go home if I don't

01:06nail this. Elton, my drag daughter, came in and was like, Toronto's rooting for you. You're

01:11the reason I feel safe in the bars. I love you. And I was crying and crying and just painting

01:16that face. If you watch that episode, you realize that I'm not talking while we're getting

01:21ready because I'm so focused. I think that it's okay to fall sometimes because that's

01:26what really solidifies the crown on your head. When I won, I felt nauseous, anxious, like

01:33I was going to have diarrhea, like my life just changed, like I was rich, like I was poor,

01:37like my boyfriend just dumped me, like I just got married, like all these feelings rushed

01:42to my body all at once. The thing that I was most proud of was the look I won in. And when

01:48I won, I was very just like to my mom, like you're such a big part of this, like you being

01:54open and accepting and loving me and being here at the finale and understanding drag and

02:00opening your mind to it is the reason why I feel even more like a winner. Being a kids

02:05television host is something that's so near and dear to my heart because I also didn't

02:09think that I was going to be a kids TV host. I thought I was going to be an entertainment

02:12reporter on Entertainment Tonight or E-Talk, and that's what I was going to do. I was going to

02:17interview celebrities and that was it. But now, lo and behold, I am the celebrity surprise.

02:21I find it so inspiring that like kids growing up, like they're going to have this guy that

02:25they used to watch on SpongeBob's Fair Pants now be the winner of Canada's Drag Race. And

02:30that's normal. Cake is so important to me because it's a lead single off an album that's coming

02:36out very soon. And I get to really just enjoy my dreams. I wanted to create music that sounded

02:44like girl group music because I wanted like the fans to be in the girl group with me.

02:48Every single song on my album that's coming out is about a boy who broke my heart or made

02:51me happy. Like, it truly is just drama. It's so amazing that, you know, you can take your

02:56traumas and turn them into art because now you get cake.

02:59Get up with us this cake.

03:04Being one of the first ever drag queens to shoot at that castle was like, you just feel

03:07like you're paving the way. I had to get funding for the video. I got a sponsor for the video.

03:12And we were able to shoot at the castle. And I worked with this amazing director, Caroline

03:15Tortie, and I wanted to have my sisters come. Like I'm the winner of that season. I sent

03:19all those girls packing, but it doesn't matter because like we're all so iconic in our own

03:24ways. Like all these girls like truly inspired me in a different way. And I love sharing the

03:29love because we all come from the first iconic season of Canada's Drag Race and nothing will

03:34ever top it. Drag isn't a job. It truly is a culture. And like learn where people have come

03:42from, learn about the ballroom culture, learn who's the top, you know, performers, learn

03:46from people. I was able to walk out of my front door in drag easily. No one even bat an eye.

03:51But there's some drag performers that did it and it wasn't so easy for them. And just do

03:55it and ask questions and get excited and know that like drag could change your life. And know

03:59that like if you're not seeing yourself yet in the media, know that like you could be the

04:03first person to do that. Like it doesn't have to be such a negative thing. I was driving on the Gardner

04:09and saw myself on a billboard. Little old brown boy from Whitby who now is a drag queen. Former

04:14kids TV hosts Anna Gardner just surfing. What I want people to know is that like if you feel

04:19like you're not represented, like you are the representation and we have to just keep working

04:23hard to make the strides to make sure that we're seen everywhere. I'm a champion of our community

04:27in whatever way that means us to be all accepted. If you want to find me, head over to my Instagram

04:33at TheQueenPriyanka or you can hear my brand new single cake at TheQueenPriyanka.com.

04:39Stream it, listen to it and watch the music video to find out who killed Priyanka. Happy

04:44Pride everybody. And don't forget you could work so hard to make your dreams come true.

04:48And don't forget you too.

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