Amya Kunt Embraces the Darkness

Amya Ku Nt is a queen who has been taking the city by storm with her unapologetically dark and real performances. Winning Weirdo in December was an affirmation of how much Denver values performances that dare to be different and touch on important issues. She is never subversive without a purpose; her name isn’t just meant to be a punchline. It’s an allusion to the ball scene and the concept that bringing c*nt to a drag performance is positive. We sat down with Amya to talk all things weird drag in advance of her Winner’s Circle performance.

Name: Amya Ku Nt 

Instagram Handle: @amyakunt

Pronouns: They/them

Gig: Dark realness.

“I like a lot of dark aspects of things, kind of sci fi, witchcraft, occult stuff, and I like looking at different influences of creatures and demons or folklore creatures, like fairies or any kind of gothic romantic pieces. I’ve always liked beauty and darkness, so I kind of pull a little bit from the goth scene, a little from the punk scene, a little bit of an anarchy kind of vibe, and really just make sure to just allow myself to express that.”

Quotable Queer:

“I would like drag to be an expression for anyone regardless of gender identity, sexual orientation, race, any external circumstances. I would love drag to just be a place for people to escape the daily life stressors and hassles that everyone goes through and have a safe space and forum and to feel safe, accepted, and validated. I really don’t like the subcategories of drag, like hyperqueen, cis queen, dancing queen, whore queen; I just want drag to be all-encompassing and a way for people to express their emotions. I would like there to be less of an expectation on what a drag performance is and have it be recognized and appreciated more as an art. No art is he same; you don’t go to an art exhibit just to see one type of art.”

What you can expect: Bold, important, artistic expression.

“I try and only do things I love that make me happy, or do things I wouldn’t have done before. I’ve been challenging and forcing myself to do some acts that make me uncomfortable, and I’ve learned that in being uncomfortable, I’ve actually gotten recognition from people I’ve secretly wanted recognition from but would never go out and vocalize it, so I am really empowered to go out and do some out-of-the-box things.”