“Glitter is thicker than blood” for Canada’s Drag Race finalists

The year two finale of Canada’s Drag Race is close to and 3 contests keep on being: Icesis Couture, Pythia, and Kendall Gender.

Iccesis Couture from Ottawa introduced the style this period, winning the two of the style and design worries. Montreal-centered queen Pythia served campy theatrics and won the Rusical and makeover challenge in episode eight (nevertheless amazingly not a design challenge, thanks to Icesis). Kendall Gender who hails from Vancouver, brought bodysuits galore and charisma, successful the Brook Lynn Hytes roast problem in episode seven.

This Thursday night will determine Canada’s upcoming Drag Celebrity, successful a $100,000 funds prize together with elegance materials from Buyers Drug Mart.

But for these queens it doesn’t subject who wins. They price the household established from this show and the influence designed with their platform. All 3 say they would be just as joyful if the other gained.

We chatted with the last a few about their journey in a year that’s full of appreciate, susceptible times and solid runways to boot.

Ramona Leitao: How do you truly feel staying portion of the best three?

Kendall Gender: It feels spectacular. Incredible. Demonstrate-halting. Under no circumstances right before viewed. Entirely special.

Icesis Couture: Proper.

Kendall Gender: It feels quite proper! I feel we have been all doing work so tricky for so several many years to get to this stage. And it really feels like our goals have last but not least arrive real. Particularly the fact that we received to do this for the duration of a pandemic. It was surely not a little something that I envisioned to happen. And making it all the way to the end is just so magical. I come to feel like I’m in a dream sequence.

Pythia: It is so surreal, getting aspect of the display that we have been looking at for so extended, way in advance of I even arrived out. Again in large university, we watched year a few and four [of RuPaul’s Drag Race]. I didn’t know what these individuals ended up. Is this a risk for me in the potential? So it is super surreal now that we actually are in this placement. It’s a super, tremendous complete circle moment.

Ramona Leitao: Was that some thing all three of you were being anticipating, being together in the prime 3?

Icesis Couture: At the time the episodes went on, I definitely felt and knew that I would be beside Pythia and Kendall. I would also like to throw Gia in there. And I consider that it’s a consensus concerning all of us that we actually considered the leading four was heading to be us.

Kendall Gender: I believe that reunion moment shook us all up. We all form of thought that the best four is heading to be the very same as in the finale. And it’s just going to be a reunion initially, and then boom, it’s going to go into the finale. So that component was a zinger. They definitely tripped us out but that’s what you signed up for.

Ramona Leitao: Pythia, you in no way had to lip sync for your existence up till that previous episode. What was likely by way of your mind when you had to lip sync not only after but twice.

Pythia: I was pretty worried. I designed it this much to the reunion and we’re just going into the finale and then I can just do like a lovable minor lip sync amount and with any luck , win. But no. They were like, “Surprise! We’re likely to see you carry out on countrywide tv.”

It was genuinely annoying because my drag is really theatrical. When I pick out to complete on levels I have the help of a costume, prop or selected story. I don’t actually automatically just choose a music and hear to it and perform. I admire persons like Icesis and Kendall. I’m shocked at what they can do. I can not do that. I’m additional of a theatrical individual. I’ll make a little something more campy and funny. I’ll pull out a dildo from my pants. You know what I mean? I was pretty frightened. And to [lip sync to] “racacacaca” new music. I was like, “I never know how to do this. RuPaul? Like what?”

Ramona Leitao: Yeah where by do you pop a dildo out in that music?

Icesis Couture: You should have.

Kendall Gender: You must have.

Ramona Leitao: Kendall Gender, on and off screen, you’ve been incredibly vocal about advancing human rights, no matter if it’s by way of your fundraisers, or just currently being loud and proud on social media and also by your appears and layouts. I needed to know why you obtain it essential to use drag as a type of activism.

Kendall Gender: I think that drag and activism are so interlaced from virtually day 1. I didn’t genuinely even know that it was an choice to be a drag queen without getting an activist. I experience the expectations in my intellect, ended up just like “You have to be a chief in the community, and you have to do it.” It just felt pretty correct for me. It turned so integral to who I am as a individual and what I want to existing to the globe.

I get so substantially positivity from getting capable to uplift other men and women and demonstrate noticeable minorities or marginalized communities that there is illustration out there and there is a room for absolutely everyone. It warms my full soul to be capable to get to do that. And it is been so awesome and impressive to have this platform. You are pretty much pushed into the stratosphere of this massive drag race planet. And I experience quite lucky to be ready to be a catalyst for for this type of surroundings.

Ramona Leitao: With this system also, there’s been a ton of vulnerable times that ended up shared. We have seen it, especially during this period. A person of the most significant susceptible times was that prom episode, when you, Icesis, opened your coronary heart to your daughter, Michaela. I needed to know if you can tell us a bit more about how it felt being so vulnerable in that minute, and what type of effects you assume you experienced in sharing that story.

Icesis Couture: In the beginning of the display, there was driving the scene discussion between me and generation about what I was and was not snug with talking about. I originally did not want to converse about it, not since I was ashamed of it. But just since I have labored so tricky for so numerous several years to alter what happened to me into a thing good. I didn’t want to give that problem that occurred to me consideration in a damaging way. I place myself in that frame of mind after working so really hard.But when I stood there with Michaela and I saw that appear in her eyes, the exact same glance that I had, when I was likely by way of all this, and I felt like I was by itself, I knew that was the best time to share my tale with her and with the entire world. I know there are so lots of youngsters and so a lot of other individuals who feel particularly the very same way that I did, the way that Michaela did. If me sharing my tale is going to enable just one particular person not damage themselves, or just one human being to know that there are other choices, that there is a light-weight at the conclude of the tunnel, then me currently being uncomfortable for that a person second doesn’t make any difference. In the extensive run, I’m truly aiding people and I consider that is the most crucial thing.

I have gotten so a lot of messages from persons stating that “I went by means of identical situations,” “I’m currently in this scenario.” Just viewing some kind of conversation or representation for psychological health issues truly provides them hope. No matter of what the consequence of the demonstrate is, that on your own is a major adequate prize for me.

Ramona Leitao: What would you say was your greatest takeaway in the course of your time this season?

Kendall Gender: I feel I think for me, it was not staying so difficult on myself. I feel that when you’re in this pressure cooker that is Drag Race, you really don’t have connection to your loved ones. You never have everything. So at times the judges’ critiques hurt you a small bit. But then right after leaving and currently being in a position to mirror on it a little little bit much more, I just have a diverse perspective on it.

Icesis Couture: I have worked seriously, truly tricky to be snug with the man or woman that I am. I thought it was established, primarily at my age, pushing 35 and getting the oldest lady on the clearly show. I thoroughly assumed that component of my everyday living was absent. And to be on the demonstrate and realize that all these inner thoughts that I experienced when I was youthful are nevertheless there and that it’s all right to be myself. I’m meant to be below. I’m meant to do these things.

Pythia: Coming from where by I come from, in a really conservative, Greek Orthodox place, I in no way actually felt like I would at any time belong in any space. I in no way truly observed everyday living for myself, for the reason that I could not establish with what I was looking at around me: the family members, the men and women, the way they dressed. I under no circumstances considered that I would be capable to exist in a entire world in which I could do what I want and people today would appreciate me for who I am simply because I was usually taught that this was sort of an abomination and improper. But the reality that I’ve satisfied these persons and they have changed my lifetime, and they have become practically like my spouse and children, is the most significant detail for me. I have often reported that glitter is thicker than blood.

Kendall Gender: I enjoy that.

Pythia: I really feel like the clearly show genuinely confirmed me that there is this sort of a electrical power that we have as queer men and women and drag artists to unify and come to be a support procedure for just about every other and a serious family members. They’re my loved ones and I enjoy them so significantly.

Ramona Leitao: So heartwarming. Now I sense bad for asking my upcoming dilemma.

Kendall Gender: Oh no!

Icesis Couture: Go for it.

Ramona Leitao: Why do you feel you’re Canada’s upcoming Drag Celebrity?

Kendall Gender: To echo what we had been just declaring, I think that any of us would be an amazing representation of Canadian drag. I consider that we all convey a ton of extremely special perspectives and outlooks into the Canadian drag scene. For me, in individual, I believe the purpose why I am the upcoming of Canadian drag is because I have spent so much time trying to develop an uplift to the total local community. I really believe that that I will continue on to do that, in the course of this reign, if you will. That Kendall reign will not let up. I just feel like I had to get a minimal rap.

Icesis Couture: All 3 of us would just be so joyful if any 1 of us gained. We truly signify that. That is not just us accomplishing interviews and saying that. We actually love each individual other and every person. We all have a thing comparable and we all deliver a little something distinct.

For me, notably, I come to feel like I have labored so difficult. And I just come to feel like I was just born to do drag. Drag has virtually adjusted my daily life for the greater. And I want to show the entire world and I want to clearly show everyone how exclusive and existence changing drag genuinely is.

Pythia: I sense like we have touched so lots of men and women, all about the environment, not just Canada. My DMs are so swarmed. I are not able to even open up all the messages that I’m getting from queer groups, people coming out to me and stating they’ve by no means witnessed anyone like me on tv just before and how their dad and mom are watching this clearly show. I’m sure it is the very same for both equally of them, they present such a diverse part of drag.

I experience like us representing Canada as a top 3 is just so impressive and important because we depict these types of diverse elements of drag that the world requires to see. If magically, that crown goes to me, I come to feel like it’ll just validate these emotions for me as an immigrant becoming in Canada, and feeling like I’ve never had a section in this country just before.

This job interview has been edited for length and clarity. Check out our movie with Icesis Couture, Pythia and Kendall Gender beneath.