Queen Priyanka reigns in the world of ‘DEVASTATIA’

With her debut album, DEVASTATIA, out now ahead of her DEVASTATIA World Tour, Priyanka chatted with us about her revolutionary run on Drag Race, her life after winning the crown, and this new era she’s reigning in as we enter the world of DEVASTATIA.

This interview has been edited for clarity and length.

Andre Lawes Menchavez: Did you ever expect walking into the Werkroom, with that big question mark in hand, that you were one day going to be a queen that so many people fell in love with?
Priyanka: I just had a vision. I remember standing behind that wall about to walk in with my thigh high boots on, and there's no music, it's all quiet. I looked to the left to see if anybody else was in there yet, and it was empty, and I go, “Holy shit, I'm that girl. I’m opening the first episode of the first season of Canada's Drag Race! That's a big deal.”

I remember my drag mother Xtacy Love saying, “Yes, everyone in Toronto knows who you are, but this is your introduction to the world.” So, the intention was global. The intention still is global. So yes and no. I look back at all those little things that I told myself during Drag Race, or in conversations I had with friends, and I had a dream of touring the world! I went to go see a psychic once, and she kept being like, “[I see] music, performing, all across the world.” And now, it's happening. There's something inside of me where I knew this was my purpose. There was a manifester, there was a dreamer. I just knew I wanted people to feel something. I wanted people to be like, “If Priyanka wins Drag Race, we all win Drag Race.”

Queen Priyanka is the only South Asian winner of the entire "Drag Race" franchise.

Shaun Vadella

ALM: And you did win, becoming the only Indian winner, ever, across the entire franchise—and we have 50 million iterations of the show across the world, so that’s a huge accomplishment! How does it feel to represent your culture as the only South Asian queen with a crown on your head, and does that come with any pressure?
Priyanka: I'm happy that it's me. I have immigrant blood inside of me where it's like, it's one thing to see a South Asian person win, but it's another thing to see them continue to wake up every single morning and conquer the world. And I'm happy that it's me. I do not feel pressure at all, because I want this for every other South Asian, Asian, or brown person in the world, because I am living proof that you can be brown and you can win, period.

"I do not feel pressure at all, because I want this for every other South Asian, Asian, or brown person in the world, because I am living proof that you can be brown and you can win, period."

I remember when I first told my family I was going into television, they said, “You know, Mark, you have to be careful because you're darker skin.” And I don't know what came over me, but something inside of me was just feeling like it didn't matter. I didn't care. It wasn't important that my skin was dark, I just wanted to entertain people, to create entertainment for them to laugh and giggle and have a good time and escape their fucking lives. So, it's iconic, and the crown is not so heavy!

ALM: Thinking about your “Hello” lip-sync outfit that was a reference to your family, or your culturally referenced step down look in season two that is one of Drag Race’s greatest looks of all time, or even your song GUCCIYANKA that has Bollywood influences, I wanted to ask you why you feel it’s so important to bring your culture into your craft so proudly?
Priyanka: Taking all the things that I was so ashamed of, it feels like therapy. I honestly just came to this realization this morning that this all just feels like therapy because I'm pushing myself to be louder about it, because I was so ashamed of it up until I did, you know? And I feel lucky that now that I'm embracing it, this brown girl joy, and I'm becoming more comfortable with being brown.

I am mindful of that feeling, of that child, or those people who grew up around all these white people that would come up to us say things like “Oh, hey, what's your name?” and I'm like, “Oh, it's Mark,” and they go, “Are you sure it's not Gurdeep?” It happens to me. So now, I’m living with the intention that comes from this rebel inside trying to fight through these fuckers that have always been trying to get me. And it's so important to be so open about my culture because being brown is so beautiful, and people forget that.

An outtake from Priyanka's "DEVASTATIA" photoshoot.

Nick Merzetti

ALM: Speaking of your upbringing, do you think your experience growing up in white spaces helped shape your grit as an artist?
Priyanka: Because I watched my parents and grandparents and uncles all struggle essentially, but still work so hard no matter what, that's my foundation. That’s who I am. I'm the third out of four boys, when my mom had me she breastfed me for two weeks, switched me to formula, and then my dad stayed home, and my mom went right back to work. When my dad's dad died, he was 17 years old, and he got a job and financially supported his entire family.

I’m like, no wonder why I'm this way! It makes so much sense now why “no” is not an option for me. We have to do what we have to do for our families—and my family are my fans, my brown, beautiful, gorgeous, POC queer community, and also POCs who aren't even queer, who feel underrepresented. That's my family that I'm working so hard for.

ALM: And before we go into how hard you’ve worked post-Drag Race, I wanted to ask one more question on the franchise. Let’s say Drag Race India is announced. How important do you think a show like that would be, and would you ever host it?
Priyanka: I would only host it if I could co-host it with a queen that is in India, because that's so important. One hundred percent. I would do it though, and I would do it with a smile on my face, and I would have so much fun and I would kill it. Are you joking? Hosting television? I can host TV with my eyes closed! I love it.

And I mean, there's so many new franchises coming out, I feel like it's only about time that we get more South Asian representation in the franchise. A really good way to do it is where the only option is to crown a South Asian or Asian winner!

ALM: Literally what I said when I heard Drag Race Philippines was announced. No more Asian curses, they have no choice!
Priyanka: Yeah, now you have to crown an Asian girl! [Laughs]