But

I remember the first time I saw Priscilla was in high school.

I was weird that I saw Rocky Horror before I saw Priscilla.

But there's kind of like in Australia, there's two types of drag queens or two types of queers.

There's your Priscilla queers and there's your Rocky Horror queers.

And some that just like attach themselves to Priscilla as the be-all and end-all and some that like Rocky Horror is their thing.

So I was through and through Rocky Horror.

It does get under your skin, doesn't it?

Mm.

Um, I think if you look at some of the negatives, it's probably that there's oversaturation to a degree, but there's also a decline in queer venues and queer spaces at the moment.

[laughs]

Um, and then, like, the next day after packing up my stuff and leaving the hotel, going to an Airbnb, I get a call being like, "RuPaul wants you back." And I was like, "Okay, but why? What's the reason?"

What was the green light for you to say, I want to come back, I want to tell my story, but also tell the story of so many people who've helped me as part of my

package.

It was a big amber light for a very long time.

But what kind of ticked me over was just my mindset in that the first time I went there, I think I went there for other people.

But this time going in, I wanted to first and foremost go there for myself.

And also, what also put me over the edge was it couldn't go worse than the first time, could it? Like, could it? I mean...

I mean, it could have.

Where do you think it's going to go?

So what does she look like giving woman?

Yeah, I don't think I made a specific decision that I wanted to look a certain way.

I think drag aesthetics and styles evolve as you perform and as you do drag over the years.

I've been doing drag for 16 years, so I didn't sit down one day and go, rot, so it's going to go like this and then go like that.

But do you want the real, the real T2 is, oh, I'll get to it.

But my drag is largely inspired by Priscilla Queen of the Desert.

I think that's such an iconic part of our Australian drag history.

So did you kind of go into the finale thinking it's a 50-50? Or did you think I've got it in the bag? Or did you think, no, I'm definitely not? What was your mindset?

fun and it was like that's what i see aussie drag to be is like it's just a laugh a minute it's you know you you get people like yourself and vibe and coco and you can't help but laugh along right was that what it was like in the workroom when i guess everyone came together

A hundred percent.

And I was so grateful, though, to see that displayed in the edit as well, because you never know what's going to happen when it gets sent off to a mysterious room for people to chop and play with.

But when it was airing, I was like, this is exactly what it was like.

It was so much fun.

I had the best time filming.

And I think the biggest thing and the most surprising thing that I got out of this experience was forming a sisterhood with my fellow Down Under queens.

And I would like to, without any warning, play me an acoustic version of the song right now.

there a difference? Do Australians drag queen that differently to people overseas?

Ah, yeah, I think we do.

We do.

I mean, we take the piss.

We're just a bit silly.

We're funny.

We're very campy and colourful and bright.

Can you talk through what was traumatic about leaving drag last time and why you came back?

I was like, "Who's got nails on?"

The, a fascinating feels like a charged term coming from your mouth.

Thank you for supporting the jocks, supporting, um, musically inclined folks who like to discover new listens, and we really, really appreciate it.

[singing] I'm feeling sexy tonight.

Wanna get it on all night.

Crop top and this band.

Wanna grab me? Yes, you can.

Go on, just do it.

And nostrils are a big thing in the drag community at the moment, and I wanted to know if you are pro nostrils or against.

Yes, I am definitely pro visible nostrils.

Okay, paint them on, make them bigger.

A 2.5 time.

I had to translate that myself in my head.

Um, no, I think especially, um, to speak on behalf of the Down Under girls, we have had to fight very hard for our legacy and our name and for the entire franchise for the last four or five years.

So I think we were all walking in so motivated, so inspired to do really well in this, because we finally have the opportunity to show the world how bloody good Down Under drag is, and I think we all really did that.

Really? [laughs]

Oh, I thought it was the most clever thing in the world.

I was like, "Oh, you've really done it.

You've really done it." So much so that I regret it to this day.

Um, I luckily, I did a lot of photography in high school, and I got my work into Top Arts, which is the big end of year exhibition for VCA students.

[laughs]

Um, but there's also lots of, um, drag adjacent vendors there, and wig stylists, and stockists, and costume designers, and there's main stage performances, and they do live tapings of, um, reunions and panels there.

And, um, it's, it's incredible.

How has it changed the game, Drag Race?

Yeah, I mean, there's a lot of factors in it.

I mean, if you look at the positives, it's really put a whole new set of eyes onto the drag world and the drag scene.

So many more, like, people want drag entertainment for certain events.

We're now in industries and areas and places we've never been before.

You know, it used to be really exciting or very rare to go out and do a, I don't know, a bingo out at the local RSL.

Oh, that's a bit too much because we were only in the queer venues at the time.

And it's not a queer event, but there's always a drag queen performing in some manner.