Just because June is over doesn’t mean that Pride is! OFM got to catch up with the lovely and vivacious drag performer, Jam Eden, about her experiences in the drag community and what it is like as a Denver Pride and Aurora Pride performer. Jam is a nonbinary transfemme who is paving the way for a new generation of drag artists.
Who is Jam Eden, and what are they all about?
Oh my gosh, Jam is just a little flame. She gives us a little time traveling alien. She’s as if someone in the early 2000s was partying really hard and got stuck in some weird time jump and just started jumping through the decades and through everyone’s television screens.
When and how did you find your inspiration for drag?
So for me, the first time I decided I really wanted to get into drag was when I went to this club that is now closed. It’s technically my home bar back in New Jersey called Lucid, and at the time, I was sneaking in, and I kept seeing all these drag shows. And I was like, I love that! One day when I went, they had an open stage so anyone could come up and perform. So I thought, that’s cool! I was like OK, I’m gonna come back and do this. So I did it, and it was like Halloween, and I painted myself as a cow and wore a cow print bikini and thong. I went and performed, and from then on, I was like, I need to do this like every week.
Are you excited for Aurora Pride? Is this your first time performing at a Pride event?
I am so so excited, but it is actually not my first time performing at Pride. I actually performed on the Denver Pride main stage in June! I am in a couple of drag families, The Haus of Androgeda and also The Haus of Wynters. When I first started doing drag, it was with The House of Andromeda, and there were three of us performing as a group. Now we have a fourth person who we love with all of our hearts. Ever since the four of us have been together, we’ve been talking about doing, like, a circus number where we’re all clowns with this big campy number. We finally got to do it for Denver Pride, and seeing all the things you sat around talking about come to life, after the months of practicing and performing together, bouncing ideas back and forth, and to see that as a finished product was so freaking cool. I am so excited to show this number to Aurora Pride too.
What does Pride mean to you?
So for me because I’m trans, and the whole Haus of Androgeda is also trans, it’s just, like, being authentically you in any way you can. I’m proud of my skin, my body, and my hair. Sometimes I even wear my natural hair in drag. That’s what pride is, to me. It’s just letting it all out no matter what other people might think, you know?
What do you wish other people knew about drag?
That drag is not always just big earrings, giant hair, and a man in a wig! You know? That’s not only what drag is all about. There are drag creatures and drag aliens and drag things that you wouldn’t ever think of or would only ever see like in your nightmares.
What’s next for Jam Eden, and what do you hope to accomplish with your platform?
I definitely want to take it out of Denver and Colorado specifically. I want to be able to go everywhere and show everyone what Jam Eden is. I want to give that experience to so many people in so many different audiences. And the bigger the audience, the better. I put a lot of hard work into what I do, and at this point it’s taken up my life since I’ve started it. So much money and so much time and energy and tears and blood and sweat I have put into it, and I just want to pour that back out into the world. And don’t make existence political. If you’re gonna push, I will push 10 times harder.
Is they’re anything you want to share with all of your fans and followers?
I like to tell people Jam like jelly, but not like marmalade.
You can catch Jam Eden performing Wednesday nights at Charlie’s Denver and their upcoming performance at Aurora Pride on August 5!
Follow Jam Eden on Instagram @jam.eden.wynters to stay up to date on their performances and events.
Photo courtesy of Myron Chicas. @chicasman_art
