Oh, Canada! Season 2 of Canada’s Drag Race delivered Canadian Drag Excellence from killer runways, to sickening lip-syncs, a few moments of drama and more.
Ahead of last Thursday’s finale in which Canada’s Next Drag Superstar was crowned, Shadow and Act caught up with the top three queens– Kendall Gender, Icesis Couture and Pythia.
We’re excited to share this chat ahead of our interview with the winner, which will be coming later this week.
Kendall Gender on being a queen of color in such a diverse season and drag as activism.
“I think that that’s the most beautiful thing about Canadian culture and Canadian drag is that there is so much diversity. We look and see so many different backgrounds, nationalities, skin colors…all that kind of stuff. And it was really amazing to be a part of that on season 2, because there was just so many different mirrors of each other. And it was quite spectacular to be able to connect with people on that cultural level. I know me and Kimora [Amour] had quite a few moments, talking about specific things and having different opinions on it.”
Gender also talked about a quote she heard earlier that day that said, “You can’t be what you can’t see.”
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“That really resonated with me. I just think it’s so spectacular,” she continued. “And I think that visibility is so integral to success and just humanity in general. For me, drag and activism have always really gone hand in hand. I think that it’s really the way that drag started. It was people really hitting the ground running, or hitting the stilettos running, if you will. And I just think that it’s something that was, it was just integral to me coming up in the drag scene because I just found it so important. And I think that this platform will just be able to take that to the next level. I want to be able to take fundraisers into different cities and create different opportunities for visible minorities, and all that kind of stuff. And that’s truly what I will continue to do with my drag, I’ve always done with my drag and yeah, I just want to keep on going and spreading the light.”
Pythia on being an immigrant on the show
“To me, it’s been super important to be on this show in the first place,” said the Grecian queen.” I’ll take you back to season 1. Basically, when season 1 was announced, I applied immediately and it was pre-pandemic. And when we were backstage with multiple people and queens, in Montreal, we were talking about it and we were like, ‘Yeah, I applied, I applied, etc.’ And a lot of them scoffed and looked down on me, and they were like, ‘Why do you want to be Canada’s Next Drag Superstar? You’re not even Canadian.’ And honestly, I got so insecure when I first heard that, I just, I didn’t understand what the f**k that meant. I was like, “I am Canadian. I belong here. You know what I mean? This is Canada, we are all immigrants.” So when I talk about, on my social media, about being an immigrant and how important this is to me, this is what I mean.”
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She continued, “I’m not saying this for oppression points, and I’m not saying this for any other reason, other than the fact that a lot of people don’t see us as Canadian individuals. And immigrants are so hardworking with people, and we have literally worked ourselves from the ground up. Literally, I came here in this country with my mom, my dad and my sister with one suitcase of clothes. And so it’s super important to me to be able to represent this sort of identity through Canadian drag. So this is what I would love to represent with the crown going forward, is just that we’re all equal and we’re all Canadian, and we’re all just as valid.”
Icesis Couture on what she hopes to do with her new platform
“For so long, I truly told myself and believed that my voice didn’t matter, that I had nothing of value to share because of the way that I was brought up, and because of the things that I’ve gone through,” the Salvadorian-Canadian queen told us. “And now, with this platform, my voice does matter, and the things that I do and the things that I share are important and can help people. So my message truly is, I just want everyone to be okay, I want everyone to know that they’re not alone, that there is a safe space for everyone, and that you really truly can make it on the other side. My story is not anymore special, any different than everyone, Kendall and Pythia have also gone through terrible things in their life. And we’ve all come out on the end.”
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Couture wants people to find inspiration from their journeys.
“I just, I really just want anyone who is putting themselves down or going through a hard time to really know that it does get better,” she continued. “And people make fun of that saying and say that it’s cheesy, but look, it’s so honest and it’s so true. And life is so beautiful, the art of drag is so beautiful, that you are important and you are needed here on this earth. And we are here, the three of us are here to show you, that the world is beautiful. The world is fun, the world is amazing. And I think all three of us, in general, have such an amazing voice that can be shared with the younger youth that is coming up. And I just, I think this is an amazing top three and you’re welcome [laughs].”
The finale of Canada's Drag Race' is streaming now on WOW Presents Plus.
Watch the full interview below:
