Fans of RuPaul’s Drag Race will remember Season 8 standout Chi Chi DeVayne, known for her southern charm and incredible lip syncs—who can forget the epic lip sync with Thorgy Thor?! Chi Chi DeVayne is a talented dancer with a great ear for music, so Saint Audio chatted with Chi Chi about how music has influenced her drag persona.
Tell us a little about Chi Chi—how did you get started in drag?
To be honest with you, I was terrified of drag queens at first! But one Halloween night I got really brave and decided to dress up as what I call my version of Nicki Minaj. On that night, Chi Chi DeVayne was born!
Are there any musical icons that inspire your drag persona? If so, why do they inspire you?
I’m glad you asked that question. I really feel stuck at this point in my career because I don’t take the time to study and take inspiration from musical icons, but as I begin to take my drag in a new direction I really would like to take my inspiration from artists like Beyoncé and Lady Gaga. You know, the usual.
How do you select music for your performances? Is the music you lip-sync to different from music you listen to when you’re not performing?
I listen to all genres of music – that’s why you will catch me doing country, pop, dancehall, rap, disco… basically anything with a beat.
What’s been your most wild drag performance experience?
Performing at Toronto Pride in front of thousands of people and looking a complete mess while still having the best time of my life!
Do you think that music is central to the art of drag? Why or why not?
I think that music is the central part of a performing queen. These days we have many many many types of drag queens, but most definitely – if you’re going to be on a stage you need to know music!
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