One-on-One with ‘Drag Race’ Season Three Winner Raja

It has been almost 10 years since Raja rose to fame as one of the most iconic and creative queens to ever grace the stage of RuPaul’s Drag Race. Proving time and time that she was a force to be reckoned with, her long legs, flashy features, and edgy style ultimately got her the crown.

Raja originally made a name for herself in Hollywood as a renowned, L.A. drag performer and a makeup artist for celebrity clients like Adam Lambert and Tyra Banks. Since winning Drag Race, Raja has remained actively engaged in the drag scene, performed and toured around the world, forged her way further into makeup artistry, and is one of the faces of World of Wonder’s Fashion Photo RuView.

Most recently, Raja started a brand-new podcast with her Season Three sister Delta Work called Very That, and teamed up with Barefoot Wine, along with Drag Race favorites Manila Luzon, Raven, and Eureka O’Hara, to design four original looks that celebrate the past, present, and future of the LGBTQ movement.

The kind of impact Raja has made is significant, and we can only image what else she has in store for us. While vacationing in sunny Palm Springs, she took some time to answer some questions for OUT FRONT.

Hello, Raja! Thank you for taking some time to chat with me. How have you been doing during these unprecedented times?
You know, I am on social media, and I follow what my friends are going through. I barely see any people because I really want to take this seriously. It’s a pandemic, for God’s sake. It’s a word I haven’t used like this in my lifetime, and I’m 46 years old. So, I’m not messing with that. I take it very seriously. The trouble is, I’m a Gemini, and I love kind of butterflying around the globe and working, and it breaks my heart that I can’t do that right now, and I fear that it won’t be a part of my life for the next year. I really hope that our country starts to take it seriously. I am hoping for the best, but I am extremely fortunate to still have work in whatever ways we are doing things now.You, Raven, Manila, and Eureka collaborated with Barefoot Wine in August to honor the past, present, and future of the LGBTQ movement. Can you tell us more about that?
Yes! I think it was a great idea because each of us have very differing opinions on drag and how we live our lives, and I am very proud to be a part of it. First of all, let’s put this at the top of the list, I am a wine drinker. I might be a “wino.” I drink wine a lot. I love it sparkling; I love it red; I love it all. So, when the project came up, and I was told it was Barefoot Wine, I was very pleased because I love Barefoot Wine. In fact, a year ago, right before around the time I went on Drag Race, I was traveling around with Adam Lambert as his makeup artist; the tour bus was always fully stocked with Barefoot Wine because Adam apparently had cut from the company. The entire tour was sponsored by Barefoot, and it was all Barefoot all the time.

Years later, I never thought I would be so involved with their company. I like this storyline of us representing the past, present, and future of the LGBTQ movement. At first, I was like, ‘Why do I have to be the past? Is it because I’m older? Is this an ageist thing? You all are assuming I only remember the past [laughs].’ Honestly, I do remember the past, and I remember it vividly. My design for the fabric that was chosen for me represents a time of the AIDS crisis here in America. I came back to the U.S. in 1984 as a 9-year-old boy, and I remember seeing it on the news, hearing it referred as gay cancer, and hearing about all these people dying.

Then, as I became older and started to explore my own sexuality and my own life as a gay male, or as a non-binary, they were right in choosing me for the past. I am the old gal. I think it’s appropriate because I do remember that time, and I still remembered it through the 90s, and up until recently, I still have friends who have died of AIDS or complications to HIV.

AIDS was a big part of my upbringing as a young gay, queer kid. The conversation is so different for 18-to-19-year-olds now. When I was coming out at that age, we had to be careful. There was no PrEP. So, it moved me in many ways because this is something that I have experienced and seen first-hand. I feel very proud to be able to represent that period of time in LGBTQ history.

Did your design also represent chosen families?
Well, I would assume that all of them represent chosen families, but I am not sure who specifically was assigned that. Mine was mainly focused on the AIDS crisis. I would assume if we are talking about gay and queer history, that would also refer to chosen families because that is a core part of how we live as queer people. There are things that you just sometimes don’t or can’t share with your blood-related family.

What do you think the future of the LGBTQ movement looks like today?
I am very hopeful. Like I said, I am 46-years-old, and I am around a lot of gay or LGBTQ youth. I am in the conversations they are having, and I am very, very hopeful and encouraged because they are smart and a lot more in tune with all the different segments of queer life I would have never been able to express. Like non-binary and gender fluid, those are all things and terms that relate to each other.

This generation has created and found words to express how they feel inside, and I am encouraged by it because I can see that the future is a lot [more] educated. I think the work that was put in by myself, my elders, and my queer idols has now finally come to fruition. I don’t know what the future will look like, but I am hopeful and excited by it. These kids aren’t messing around. They are out there fighting and screaming in the streets, and I love it. I am encouraged.

You have always been known to create and design impeccable looks. Where do you draw a lot of your inspiration from?
Oh honey, am I allowed to say my ass? [Laughs]. I just pull it out. I am a sponge of culture. I love music, history, fashion, traveling, so I base everything off what I see. I couldn’t tell you the exact specifics of where I find inspiration, but I find it all over. That’s what inspiration is supposed to be. Everything that is around you.Is there a story behind the conscious decision to go gray with your hair?
Yes! I don’t want to keep repeating it over again, but I am of a certain age. I was an Asian kid at one point, and we are pretty much known for being prematurely gray. Our parents stressed out so much! But I just wanted to show the pride of my experience. I visually wanted to show my role as like the hippie, the older girl.

I am proud of my journey, and should you be, too. So, growing my hair out gray is certainly its own statement, and it certainly is a lot easier. My hair grows really fast because I am Asian, and just keeping up with my roots and covering it up, dying my hair black for many, many years–it was hassle. Now, I am just letting to go and letting beauty be what it is. The gray has been fun; I’m cool with it.

It has been almost 10 years since you won your season of RuPaul’s Drag Race. How has winning been positive in your life?
Never in my life did I think I would be in this position. You know, a winner of essentially a game show on television and having the platform and recognition that I have. Looking back, it has been wonderful. I am glad that I did it. I was unsure of it at the very beginning because the show was in its early stages, so I wasn’t sure how it would affect my career. People 10 years ago weren’t looking at reality stars as the stars they are now. That’s the difference. I am happy to be a part of it.

If you are looking at all the Drag Race girls, I am one of the few winners out of all those people. I do realize that is a special thing, and I never take it for granted. I love my connection with people and the fans. I love that technology has given us social media so that we can have this reach. So, I feel it has been a positive experience for me. I have learned so much about drag and people, and the child version of myself never expected that this would be such a thing. I am very blessed.

Related Article: Yvie Oddly Ignites Power in Performance

Did you ever think Drag Race would become as mainstream as it is today?
Hmm, that’s tough. No, not at the beginning. I was on Season Three; I didn’t know what to expect from it. I expected it to definitely give me some visibility, and that is all I expected out of it. In fact, when I went on Drag Race, I thought I was going to only win $50,000. Instead, Ru announced to us after her first hello, hello, hello, that we were getting $75,000.

So, I didn’t go into it for the money. All I really knew was that this would give me a ton of publicity and visibility, and I wanted people to see me at my best. Especially my family. I wanted them to see me looking beautiful because, for a very long time, this was sort of a secret. I mean, my family is Christian; they’re not Evangelical, but we grew up with that religious spirituality.

So, I wanted to show this side of me to my family and the world. I was also the makeup artist on America’s Next Top Model right before I went on Drag Race, and I knew what it was like to be on reality TV. I knew the power that it had, and I knew what the behind the scenes of that sort of production would have. I knew it had power; I just didn’t know how big it was going to become. Glad I won though!

If asked to compete again, would you?
That’s a toughy too because they better do it soon. If there is going to be an All Stars for winner, they keep talking about it, or fans keep talking about it, they better ask me soon because as I am getting older, my patience is getting real thin. I might have to be the bitch on that. So, they better get me in a good mood.

Since Drag Race, one of your biggest projects has been hosting Fashion Photo RuView with Raven. How did the idea of that series come about?
That was a World of Wonder idea. They were building their online presence and there were a few shows being done at the time, and they asked Raven and I to start this sort of Fashion Police show. At first, both of us didn’t take it seriously. If you watch the very beginning episodes, Raven’s outfits were just T-shirts with bikinis printed onto them. If you remember that far back. So, we weren’t really taking it that seriously. We thought it was funny, and we thought of the terms “toot” and “boot” right on the spot. Raven said to me, maybe if we don’t like something, we should boot it. I was like, that’s a fun idea! If we like it, we should toot it. That’s a better idea.

So, that just kind of stuck, and we were able to kind of play with that and find our way through it. Now, it has become pretty damn iconic because everywhere I go around the world, people ask me to toot and boot their looks at meet-and-greets. They’ll do it in Australia, England, South America, so people are watching it, and I am very pleased by it. I think that is one of the reasons why I am still quite visible, and it is fun. Raven and I have known each other for a long time. I watched her start her career in drag, and I am going to continue to watch her flourish and influence in the way that she does. When we get together, it’s fun times. Even during COVID time when we are shooting it all on our phones and Zoom, that friendship that we have had for so many years just always comes back. That’s our time. We just sit there and cackle like little baby witches.Out of every outfit you have seen, what are some fantastic looks that will forever stand out in your mind?
Oh god, that is a tough one There are some good, good ones. Violet Chachki’s season finale, all of those looks, and then when Violet Chachki came back with all the cockroaches on her head and the crown. Everything Sasha Velour, I am a huge Sasha Velour fan. I love Yvie Oddly; I love Crystal Methyd. There is just so many. Like I said, there have been a lot of us, and there are a lot of us doing looks. Those are just a few that stick out in my mind. I like the weirdos.

I want to ask you a question about Raven. The Drag Race fan community have been calling for her to be crowned now that Tyra Sanchez has quit drag. What are your thoughts on this?
I don’t really care. I don’t think she really cares, either. I think we have all kind of moved on. It would be a nice sentiment, though; it would be a very huge statement. I also know Tyra. She and I have had our own interactions, if not arguments. I know James Ross, and I have spoken with him, and even in the times when we disrespect each other, I still respect that kid. I have high hopes and hope that things get better in his process. He has good intentions most of the time. So, I don’t feel like the crown should be ripped away from her. I think Raven has her crown, and it is much bigger than the competition itself. She is in a very important position taking care of RuPaul now.

The crown is the crown, but in the grand scheme and the grad picture of life, it’s just a crown. I looked at my crown every day, and I’m like, should I break this up like in that scene in Mean Girls and just keep a piece of it? It is ultimately not as gorgeous as, like, The Vivienne’s or Chad Michaels’. They were also given a scepter; I didn’t even get a scepter. I got $75,000 and a wire crown full of tinsel. So, what is the crown? I think it would be a cool sentiment because Raven certainly did deserve it on many occasions, so it would nice just as a symbol, but it is just a crown.

Do you have any music projects in the works?
I do! I am not that Drag Race queen who puts out the album right away. It’s not like I’m trying to put out a “WAP” single. I put them according to mood, according to budget, and when I feel like it. I feel like doing music, I really do it for the music video. I like helping produce those moments because I like to be resourceful and find the most creative people to create something huge. So, I do have something coming out in the fall, and it is a song I am really, really excited about.

Related Article: Jaremi Carey: ‘Your Vote Matters’

Before we wrap up, are there any other upcoming projects you would like to mention or plug?
Well, for the first time in a long time, I have a new website coming out that will be selling some merch and letting people know what’s going on outside of my social media. It’s a home for all Raja things. You know, my scheduled appearances, whenever that happens, but really, the merch idea is something that I think about often because I see so much in art and I become friends with these different people around the world.

They create such beautiful fan art, and I would love to share my appreciation for them and the work that they do through merch, T-shirts. I have a stack of tarot cards that are coming out designed around my image. So, we are just loading up the site right now. All the artwork on the actual merchandise are done by illustrators and fan artists who I have gotten very close to over the years. I trust and love their work.

The launch date of Raja’s website is TBD, but in the meantime, stay in the know by following her on all social media platforms.