New Tour Features All Parts of Violet Chachki

After facing a setback last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, international drag performer and global fashion icon Violet Chachki is about to kick off the North American tour of her first-ever solo performance, A Lot More Me.

Beginning in Detroit August 21, this one-woman show is a spectacle of all things Violet—part drag, part burlesque, and part circus. Audiences can also expect sickening fashion ensembles, as well as a little bit of stand-up comedy. Chacki describes this production, which has been years in the making, as her ultimate dream and goal.

Since winning Season Seven of RuPaul’s Drag Race, Chachki has become known for creating sophisticated performances and entrancing visuals by blending striptease, aerial acrobatics, and fetish aesthetics while also distorting the gender binary. Expanding her reach and conquering the high fashion and beauty worlds, she was even named “Queen of Couture” by Vogue.

OFM had the opportunity to catch up with Chachki and talk more about the tour, her style and aesthetics, how drag was initially her form of therapy, and if she would ever compete again on Drag Race.

Congratulations on your tour being rescheduled!
I know! Oh my God, it has been insane. Part of me is thankful for the break though. I have been going for almost seven years now nonstop, so having a year off I think will definitely benefit me in the long run.

What can audiences expect from A Lot More Me?
The show has been a long time in the making. I first wanted to do this, maybe, three or four years ago. I had the idea to do a solo show of my own, and it’s really everything about me as a drag character. It is heavily reliant on costumes, wardrobe, and fashion. I am so lucky that I get to work with fashion houses like Moschino and Prada, and I’ve got some custom Christian Louboutin shoes, and there are some amazing costumers that I work with one-on-one. So, the fashion is a huge part of it.

Then, of course, I am known as sort of a burlesque performer, so that is another big part of it. There’s some neoclassical burlesque, some showgirl stuff, and a crazy fetish number that is brand-new in the show that I am so excited about. Also, I talk to the audience, and I think that is rare for my fans to see. I think I am known for my aesthetics, how I look, burlesque, and performing, but I don’t think my fans get to ever see me speak directly to them. To me, that is a very special part of the show. I have a lot of fun talking to the audience and interacting with them. Reading them and having banter. It’s funny because some nights, I really surprise myself with how funny I can be. Of course, I like to have a few cocktails during the show [laughs]. That definitely helps with my nerves, especially with public speaking.

I am also known as a circus performer, so we’ve got some amazing custom aerial apparatuses, and I am so lucky and fortunate to be able to tour and do aerial work because it is not easy or cheap. I like to think that the tour is the largest production value of a solo touring drag queen ever, and I wear that with a badge of honor, but it is a lot of work. I think once you see the show, you will realize how many costume changes and how many moving parts to a show there really are. It has been a learning experience for me, and I am so excited to bring not only my experience from touring the show overseas, but also the break I had to sort of refocus and re-imagine the show. Really deliver something incredible to U.S. audiences.

How much of the show did you end up changing from your pre-COVID set?
About half of the show is the same as pre-COVID. Luckily, we recorded the show beforehand, so we’ve been rewatching the footage and figuring out what works, what doesn’t work, and what can be better. I like to think that U.S. audiences are harder to please. In smaller cities overseas, people are just excited to go do something, but there is so much entertainment here, especially in major cities like New York and Los Angeles. Audiences are like, ‘OK, show me what you got,’ and I take that as a challenge. I love stepping up to the plate and rising to the challenge. Let me try to impress you and give you great entertainment. I want to give you a great show.

So, we are reworking some of the numbers, new costumes are being made, there’s some new choreography, and there’s new video content. For me, it is not fun unless there are some new elements going on. Every time I get in drag, I’m like, I need a new wig. I need a new dress. What am I going to say tonight? What is going to be the new thing that is going to get me excited to spend four hours getting ready.

A Lot More Me is your first solo show. What are you looking forward to the most about it?
Honestly, I like things being done my way. I am very particular about how I like things done. I have been in the largest touring drag show in the world, Werq the World, the largest touring burlesque show with Dita Von Teese, The Art of the Teese, and I have been a supporting role in so many other people’s visions. I see how they run their shows, and I’m like, I really want to have total creative control. As an artist, that’s the ultimate goal, right? To have total creative freedom over what you can do, what you are bringing to the table, and calling all the shots.

Like I said, I have been working kind of nonstop for seven years, so I have learned a lot. I think that’s the biggest thing I am really bringing to the table with this show. The experience that I have. Seven years ago, right after Drag Race, I had never performed on a theater stage before. I did not know the ins and outs of show business, theater, or how running a show worked. Now, I have all this experience, and I can apply it to my vision and have total creative freedom. That’s the most rewarding part for me.

What have you missed the most about touring and performing for live audiences?
Air conditioning [laughs]. I hate to say it because it sounds so trivial. I was touring during the pandemic, and thank God it’s over because now I can talk shit about it, but it was not ideal. The circumstances for touring during COVID are not ideal. You know that JCPenney at the mall on the outskirts of town with a bunch of other shops around it? That’s the kind of mall we were at. We were in those parking lots.

I assume you are talking about the Drive ‘N Drag Tour?
Yes, Drive ‘N Drag. We did Drive ‘N Drag Saves 2021, and we did a Halloween tour as well. Halloween was almost better because it was cooler, but I get very hot and sweaty. It is very difficult for me to do drag outside, especially with all the heavy costumes. So, it was definitely challenging, and it is way more inspiring to look out onto an audience and see a gorgeous theater packed with people, rather than a flashing neon JCPenney sign. I am just excited to get back indoors, and also do meet and greets. I miss having that connection with fans. It is so much more special and intimate to have those moments indoors with your fans wearing your merch. We really took those things for granted before.

Were you doing virtual events while locked down in quarantine?
I did a few things, but I am not tech savvy at all. Again, I like things done a specific way, and that translates into everything. When the pandemic first hit, everyone was sort of doing a living room drag show. I was like, how? I just can’t. I couldn’t bring myself to do it. We did a digital show, so I rented some space, and it was a lot of work to make sure that everyone’s tested and following the protocols.

It’s a lot of work to do digital events, but I am glad that we did what we did. I did a few little digital things here, some Zoom things, The Pit Stop, a couple podcasts, and we made it out alive. Literally. It is definitely not my favorite thing, but it was nice to see how everyone sort of interpreted the new normal on their own terms. I enjoyed watching queens live for themselves in their living room, go to a beach and do a video, or whatever it may be. It was nice to see who was pushing the boundaries and getting creative.

Since appearing on RuPaul’s Drag Race, you have become a leading drag and burlesque performer. How would you say the burlesque renaissance is married to the drag renaissance?
Honestly, I wish it was married to it a little bit more. The burlesque world and the drag world are very, very similar. Artists, independent artists, queer people, creatives. There are lots of drag performers who do burlesque, even nonbinary and trans people. There are so many parallels. I’ve done drag at burlesque shows, I’ve done burlesque at drag shows, and even the circus world, I am always merging everything together. I wish that the burlesque community sort of had a similar outlet to Drag Race. I really want some of these artists to shine in the same way that we as drag performers get to shine because they do shows the same way we do shows. You can go to your local burlesque spot and see a local burlesque show in a lot of these cities, and it would be nice to see similar audiences and turnouts that we get at drag shows.

Is it true that you originally were not supposed to be on Drag Race?
Everyone keeps asking me this! Did Trixie Mattel say something?

I saw several outlets report on it after Trixie mentioned it in her video with Gottmik!
I don’t recall ever being altered. I’m not sure where this is coming from, but I auditioned for Season Six, and I got a phone call saying they wanted to see my tape, but I did not get on. Then they called me for Season Seven immediately, and were like, ‘Are you auditioning?’ I sent them my tape and went through all the steps, so if I was an alternate, I don’t know if that was misconstrued in another interview or if someone else knows something that I don’t, which is very possible! Here in L.A., everyone sort of knows something about someone, and everyone tries to figure out the machine that is Drag Race truly works. I still don’t understand it, and I was on the show. There is still a lot to be left to the imagination as far as how the casting process works. I don’t think I was an alternate I mean, but how fabulous if I was?

If Drag Race never happened, what path do you think life would have taken you?
When I auditioned for Season Seven, I remember being like, ‘OK, this is it. I am either going to get on this show and make this my full-time career, or I am going to move back to New York and go back to school.’ I remember telling myself, ‘Something’s got to give. This is either what I’m doing, or it’s not,’ and I remember putting all my energy, effort, and creativity into my audition tape. I worked so hard on this.  They are really complicated audition tapes, and they ask a lot of you. I remember putting so much work into the one that got me cast.

Then I remember being in New York visiting friends, and I was actually there doing Scarlett Envy’s show at this bar called TNT. That’s how I met Scarlett Envy. So, I was visiting and staying with my friend in Brooklyn, and he is good friends with Scarlett, but while there, that was when I got the call from Drag Race saying that I had gotten onto the next round of casting. It was surreal because I was at that fork in the road. I am either doing this or going down a different path. I was definitely going to do something.

Do you stay in touch with your Season Seven sisters?
I do. I would say I probably talk to Katya the most. We both live in Los Angeles, and we have a lot of mutual friends. Especially now. I’ve introduced her to some of my friends, and they became closer than I originally was with them. I was really close with Fame for a while, but she moved to Switzerland with her stunning husband and dogs and living her best fashion life. Pearl, as well, is living her best life touring and traveling in this stunning RV.

I feel like there should be a reunion or something. Like, where are they now? It was six years ago, so everyone has sort of gone down their own path. Oh, and Trixie too. I did The Pit Stop with her and her podcast, so I see her around town. I feel like my season was really stacked as far as the cast is concerned. Everyone is sort of a drag superstar in their own right. Ginger is back on All Stars, and everyone is such a strong queen. It’s great. I am proud of my sisters.

Within the last year, we have received a plethora of international Drag Race franchises. Have you been watching any?
I have watched the UK, and I started to watch Australia, but I got a little bit distracted. Australian drag is a bit hard for me to digest. Not to throw shade at all, it is definitely a regional style. I love Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, but it is not my favorite style of drag. I can appreciate it for being regional, and it’s the same thing with Thailand. I appreciate the aesthetics of Drag Race Thailand. I haven’t gotten around to watching Spain or Holland, but there’s just so many to keep track of! God forbid I would ever call someone the wrong name. It’s a lot to keep track of, and I applaud the super fans that do it. Even the American seasons, there’s, like, five seasons a year now. It’s hard to keep track of everything, and I don’t know how the super fans do it.

There is speculation about a winners-only All Stars edition. If asked, would you come back to compete again?
I used to say that I would come back and compete, but I don’t know anymore. It changes. I am constantly evolving, and I have so many interests in life that involve drag, and a lot that don’t involve drag. If they ask me, it just depends on where I am at in my life and what that look like for me. Drag Race is a lot of work. It’s the hardest thing I have ever done, for sure. It is such a mind game, and you have to sort of step into a literal matrix.

It takes almost a month to deprogram your mind from playing the game. It’s a lot on your mental health. We have seen a lot of contestants in the past who’ve had problems after the show. You have to be in the right mindset and headspace, and I don’t think people talk about that enough. Of course, I would love to go on and slay the game, be gorgeous, milk all my fabulous fashion connections, and kill the runway. I’m not afraid of losing because I think, now more than ever, everyone realizes that it is a TV show. At the end of the day, there is no way to truly test who the best queen is.

When I won, I felt like it really did mean something. It felt like I’m the best queen in the world. However, as the show evolved and switched over to VH1, we have seen time and time again where the most popular queen or the most booked queen is not necessarily the winner. It does change and you can go back. Look at Trixie and Katya. They were on my season, and they lost. Trixie lost big time, and she is now one of the most successful queens working in the industry. So, it is not necessarily about being afraid of losing if I went back. I think it’s just a TV show and it’s meant to be fun.

Can you talk more about how drag is an escapism and form of therapy for you?
Of course. When I was first starting, it was extremely therapeutic. I needed an outlet because I had always been, I don’t want to say bullied, I am not a victim by any means, but being feminine and gay is not the easiest thing. Even in our own community, there is a stigma about feminine people, and I had always felt this thing from everyone being like, you’re not doing things right. You’re acting weird, you’re being feminine. My mother would be like, ‘Why don’t you have any guy friends? Why are you acting like this? Why are you wearing this?’

Then I come out thinking I found my tribe, and it’s the same thing from gay men being like, ‘I’m not attracted you because of this and that.’ Then it’s like, let me just take all of this and channel it into being hyper-feminine, really owning that space, and rebelling against all these notions that strength looks one way or acts one way. That there’s a right or wrong way to be a gay man, a straight man, a woman, or this and that. I think that was how it became therapeutic for me. I got to own my femininity in a powerful way and have a sense of freedom.

You really do become another person and you can escape. Temporarily, you get to enter this alternate reality and get away with more things while feeling free and liberated. At the time, I was only 19. I was going out and being let into the clubs and bars, drinking, and I got to immerse myself in queer nightlife and build a community. I think I went through three different drag mothers. I was going and seeking out a community, and I found it. I found it in other drag queens who have gone through similar experiences as me. Being a sissy or femboy, then finding drag and as therapy and embracing it. Realizing that it actually makes you special and unique. You can harness that power.

It has really become a passion, career, and creative outlet, but as a younger person, it was absolutely therapy for me. It was my escape. I was working at a pizza shop as a cashier, then I would go out at night and become this other person. Turn into a glamorous goddess. To go from a pizza shop cashier to this celebrated, ideal woman, it was very powerful.

The influence of fetish fashion and art is also a staple of your aesthetic. How do you find beauty among fetishes?
I love extremes—silhouettes, shapes, shine, pattern, texture. I think all those things are sort of the basis of design, and fetish has all of them at once. It is sort of like an overload of aesthetics, and you get to have all the extremes at once in a really beautiful, elevated, and sex positive way. That is something that I like to celebrate in my performances as well. Being sex-positive, playing with gender, and playing with roles, and how it can change.

Even in a BDSM relationship, you have a sub and a dom, and you kind of have a gender binary parallel there as well. Blending the masculine and feminine and the sub and dom, it all becomes intersectional. I do that in my touring show as well. I am lucky enough to be partnered with one of the world’s leading sex toys, sex positive brands, Lelo. Talk about luxury and self-pleasure. They have, like, 24 karat gold plated butt plugs. It is the upper echelon of self-love and self-pleasure, and again, that goes back to what drag means for me. It’s about sex-positivity, self-love, self-pleasure, therapy, all those things.

As an outspoken advocate for gender inclusivity, what more do you hope to accomplish with your platform?
This is a tough question because I never started out doing drag wanting to be an advocate or be on the front lines of some sort of political, gender, or transgressive movement. Like I said, I started drag as a self-healing, self-love, therapeutic thing that was sort of my own personal safe space and escapism. That is sort of how I look at it. I don’t like to think too much about heavy stuff when I am in drag because it doesn’t exist when I’m in drag. There is an escapism and this parallel universe where everything is already correct and right. Of course, that is not the reality at all, but for me, that’s sort of the point of drag.

I just exist unashamedly and take space up as a queer and gender-nonconforming person as publicly as I can, and I think that is the best thing I can do as an activist and ally to our trans brothers and sisters. Be as visibly queer as I possibly can. Whether that’s in a beauty campaign, at the Met Gala, on my YouTube channel, on my Instagram, whatever that means. Distorting the gender binary as publicly as I can in a beautiful and elevated way is really the biggest form of activism that I can do.

Before we wrap up, are there any other upcoming projects or anything else you would like to mention or plug?
I released a new single on July 30 with Allie X. She is singing as a featured artist, and single is called “Mistress Violet.” The video is out, and it is beautiful, stunning, gorgeous, and I just hope more and more people see it. I will be showing it at all my shows as well. It is incredible, and I am looking forward to it.

Connect with Chachki by following her on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. Visit her official website for updates and tour information.  

Photos Courtesy of Ryan Croxton, Albert Sanchez, and Franz Szony