Bones didn’t expect to win RuPaul’s Drag Race UK Season 7. In fact, the whole thing still feels a little surreal.

“Watching Drag Race growing up, and even when Drag Race UK started, it never felt like an achievable thing,” she said in a recent interview with Blavity’s Shadow and Act. “Like that is top, top realm of drag.”

“It’s not fully settled in yet. It’s definitely settled in a little bit more than the other day, but I’m still coming to terms with it. Because it’s crazy, you know? It’s the dream for so many queens. So to actually achieve it and it be real, I’m like, ‘OK.’ I need to keep reminding myself, keep pinching myself.”

Bones entered the season with a reputation — not just for being fierce, but for being “The Queen of Soho.” It’s a title that comes with pressure, even if most people outside of London’s nightlife scene didn’t know her name before the season aired.

“I definitely knew that there was going to be an eagle eye on me because of this competition. And especially with something being like The Queen of Soho… if you haven’t been to Soho and you haven’t seen a drag show, you probably don’t have a clue who I am. So it all sounds fake anyway. It is all made up.”

“But I just had to remind myself that it was like, no, no, no, this is just what people call me. This is not something that I’m trying to prove. I’ve just got to carry on, kind of work with it. You know what I mean?”

Finding her light — and her runway moment

Bones came into the season excited to hit the runway — literally. Fashion, movement and presence have always been her strong suits.

“I was really looking forward to my runways. I really was. And I love walking to a beat, as we’ve seen a lot on this show. I love walking to a beat. And when they play that music, they pump it really loud. So it was where I felt like I shone because it’s where I kind of light up. That’s where I kind of do my best. I love to present an outfit or present a vibe or tell a little story of whatever I’m doing that week.”

“So yeah, it was like no matter how I do in the challenge, at least I know I can stomp a runway.”

The competition itself brought challenges, but it also gave her space to grow — and a chance to rewrite her own narrative.

“I definitely had a full redemption moment when it came to the season. And definitely a rollercoaster, but it taught me a lot of things. And probably the most was to just believe in myself a little bit more.”

“You never really go into the season thinking, ‘Oh, I’m going to have to deal with this,’ or whatever, but I think as it was starting to come to light, it was like, ‘This is just something I need to work through to reach the end goal,’ for sure.”

Bones took the critiques seriously — and even wanted more of them.

“It’s getting that acknowledgement from Ru anyway. And that’s what I think I was most kind of upset about being safe in the first week, because that’s what I was really hoping for — even if I was in the bottom, to hear what Ru had to say.”

“After that week, there was only one more time that I wasn’t in the top or the bottom, so I was always getting critiqued. But that’s kind of what I looked forward to even when I was in the bottom because I wanted to hear what she had to say. And I always asked her advice as well. Production would say to you, ‘This is your time with Ru.’ So I made sure that I got the most out of it that I needed.”

Redefining her place — and clarifying the rumors

Bones’ premiere look made an impression — and in her view, probably deserved more than a “safe” placement.

“No one should ever come out in the outfit I wore in that first episode and be safe,” she said. “What a way to [inaudible].”

Reflecting on the rest of the cast, she pointed to the variety of drag that the season showcased.

“A lot of the queens obviously are full-time drag queens… we’re all workers, we’re all doing it all the time, pulling our audition tape together of some nights out that we’ve had or whatever. So that puts you in a certain position.”

“I think it was very well-casted in the way of the amount of drag that was on display. I mean, from Sally [TM] to Paige [Three] to Catrin [Feelings]’s drag, to then to Silllexa [Diction]’s drag, there was kind of no… I think the closest comparison that could be made is probably me and Paige, but we then at the same time still do different types of drag.”

“On paper, you would think we were very similar, but once you actually see us in the competition, you’re like, ‘Oh no, they’re different.’ If you’re from the same area, you usually end up looking the same. That is how it works. It’s like, ‘Oh, that’s how people look there.’”

With the win now under her belt, she’s focused on using her reign to push drag forward.

“I think the crown and the title is just confirmation for me to carry on doing what I’m doing. Kind of the love of fierce drag and the productions that we put together just outside of Soho now and outside of the UK is really what I want to do with my reign.”

“Queer entertainment more than ever is being put asunder, so I think it’s more important than ever that we’re putting ourselves in places in front of people and saying, ‘Look at this. It’s fierce. You can’t not like it.’”

Bones also addressed the confusion some fans have had about her connection to Krystal Versace and the Haus of Versace.

“It’s my mom that sends me [posts] being like, ‘They’ve said that you’re Haus of Versace,’” she said. “I’m like, ‘It’s fine.’”

“No, so the Haus of Versace already existed. And in my eyes — I don’t know the technicals of it — it’s Krystal [Versace], DeDe[licious], and Krystal’s daughter, Imani, in the Haus of Versace. We kind of meet in the middle… as a group, we are the Heavenly Bodies family, which is the show that we all did.”

“Krystal and DeDe kind of came into our group that already existed and then we created one big supergroup, but with little sections of the Haus of Versace. There’s me and Flesh, there’s others… you know what I mean?”

“So Haus of Versace is associated with, or comes under the umbrella of, the Heavenly Bodies. It was a couple of people that then joined on with another couple group of people and we made a big supergroup.”

Looking ahead, and dreaming bigger

With the UK crown secured, Bones shared a lineup of five Drag Race winners from around the world she’d love to compete alongside.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. So Envy Peru, for sure,” she said. “I mean, I had no chance stood next to her. God, that mug is incredible.”

“But yeah — Envy Peru, Venus, Canada, and… let’s go somewhere else. Spankie Jackzon, Down Under. I love Spankie Jackzon.”

She also included Le Filip from Drag Race France.

“I’ve known Le Filip for quite a while and I know that she’s a fun party girl, so she’d definitely be fun.”

Her final pick? “I’d have to say Krystal Versace.”

Error.