Our Reigning Supreme Queen Willow Pill

After what seemed like a never-ending season of RuPaul’s Drag Race, Willow Pill (she/they) emerged victorious and claimed the title of “America’s Next Drag Superstar.”

“It was such a shock,” they admit. “I didn’t really know what to think when RuPaul said my name, and it’s taken months to settle in and for me to realize that I won Drag Race. It’s been a slow burn and not something that suddenly clicked, but it’s pretty insane.”

Originally from the Mile High City, our reigning champion became an instant favorite on Season 14 thanks to their quirky aesthetic, wicked sense of humor, and ability to constantly surprise the judges and audiences watching from home. Willow is proud to stand out for all the right and wrong reasons.

Additionally, she is also representing people who face lifelong illnesses and proving that a chronic condition does not have to limit you. Willow suffers from a rare but life-threatening disease called cystinosis, which impacts several parts of the body, especially the kidneys. 

In the middle of touring and basking in the fame and glory, Willow took some time out of her busy schedule to chat with OFM. 

Let me begin by asking, what do you hope to achieve during your reign as “America’s Next Drag Superstar?”

For a long time, I was like, oh, I want to do this project, that project, and all these crazy things, but I think I want to achieve some peace and joy during my reign. Unlike a lot of the other winners, I don’t have a lot of the energy reserves that some of them do. I just want to have some fun doing productions and take things slow, so that I can really put myself into these performances and enjoy them. I think for a while, I’ve been in a place where I haven’t enjoyed drag as much as I used to because I’m so tired, and I want to be in a place where drag feels like it used to when I was younger. I’m going to take my time, have fun, and spread some joy across the world.

Your finale performance of “I Hate People” was iconic and will always be remembered. How did that song come about?

For your final number, they wanted each of us to do something that had to do with our brand and our time on the show. We thought about maybe doing something along the lines of fun, trippy Willow Pill, but I thought, the thing that was most true to me the whole season was to always bring out surprise. So, why not go totally left field and bring out another surprise in the end? We thought about what’s going to be on brand for me but going to be shocking and add a new level to my persona. Then we thought, why don’t we just do something as crazy as “I Hate People?” Rather than having a number that celebrated me, I wanted to do a number spreading a little bit of hate.

Even more, you collaborated with Utica for your three-headed finale look. Was this your first time working with her?

Yeah, that was my first time working with her. I’m very thankful that Utica and I live in the same city now. When I came up with the idea for the finale, I thought, I really want to do this three-headed Hydra monster look, but who could I get to work on this? It had to be someone in Chicago because it needs to be very tailored and detailed. I was like, oh my gosh, I wonder if Utica has time, and thankfully she did. She was super excited about this project, and it ended up being the collab of a lifetime.

It will be interesting to see if anyone can top that next season.

I hope not because I want to be top dog in the end!

You’ve gone on record saying you’ve always been inspired by heteronormative and suburban characters. Can you talk more about that?

I think a lot of my drag started out with a lot of mom characters, suburban characters, and Christian characters because that’s what I was surrounded by growing up. I went to a private Christian school, an Evangelical mega church, so I was kind of surrounded by capitalism Christianity 101 all my life, and I think one of the most fun things to do with drag is just poke fun of people and take the piss out of something that’s more serious and a little bit sinister to grow up around. That was kind of my shtick for a long time, and I still like to dig into that every once in a while because I have those characters nailed down after hanging out with them for 18 years.

How would you say Willow Pill is constantly evolving as a drag artist?

I’m actually trying to find my next evolution and step right now. I think on Drag Race, I mostly showed the dreamy, trippy side of Willow, which was topical at the moment for me. Now, I’m trying to find one that’s based in a lot of queerness and almost a renaissance of finding out who I am and what I stand for. I mean, I just achieved my life’s biggest dream. I just became “America’s Next Drag Superstar,” and now I’m like, what do I do now? I kind of want to start going back, not back to the basics because nothing about me is basic (laughs), but back to exploring a little bit more of my soul. I don’t know what that means yet, but I’m very, very excited to find out.

A lot of viewers, and even some of your fellow competitors, didn’t see you as a threat at first. You were more of an underdog. Do you feel like you were being underestimated?

Yes, I was definitely being underestimated, but also, I would have private conversations with the girls, and I would say the majority of them thought I was going to win. I think that was a feeling a lot of us had in the back of our minds, but I became an early dark horse in the competition, someone that was initially underestimated, but people were talking pretty quickly being like, “This girl might change the track.” So, I think I was being underestimated, but I don’t think any of the girls were really oblivious to what was going on. I think some people thought, oh, is she really going to be able to surprise us again each time? I always knew that I was. 

Looking back, is there anything you would have done differently? Perhaps not wear flip-flops in your intro look?

No, those flip flops were the best choice I made! That really set the course, and I don’t think I’d change anything. I think everything kind of happened at the right time and the right place. Of course, I would have had some more fun with Snatch Game. That was one of the only times on the show where I really got caught in the moment, but I even learned from that. If I didn’t fail at Snatch Game, I don’t know if I would have had the fire to prove myself throughout the rest of the competition. So, I don’t think I would have changed anything. It was kind of the perfect experience.

Speaking of Snatch Game, did you have any other options besides Drew Barrymore?

I did. The only backup that I brought was Judy Garland and I’m happy that I didn’t because Jinkx’s would have blown me out of the water.

Do you have a challenge that was your absolute favorite?

My favorite challenge was the 60’s girl group challenge. That was right up my alley. We got to write and record our own lyrics, choreograph, and it was a group project. I love group projects. I think drag is most fun when you’re doing it with other people. As much as I love being a solo star, there’s just something about collaborating in drag that makes it more fun.

Now that two out of three Denver queens have won Drag Race, what kind of message do you hope that sends?

Whenever there’s a queen that’s not from LA or New York, I’m always rooting for them because I love the drag that’s in cities like Denver. If anyone knows me from Denver, they know that I started out doing little competitions and my show called Pillbox, which was mad, crazy, fun drag, and it’s just great to see queens up there who like to break the mold a little bit and play with people’s expectations. I think Yvie and I both did that well, and Nina did that fantastically the first time around. So, I hope it sends a message to not underestimate the people that come from the underbelly of the scene. 

It may be a little early to ask this, but would you be up to do an All Stars season if asked?

Yeah, it is pretty early to ask that (laughs). I’m not sure. Right now, my answer would be no because I love the way things happened the first time and I don’t want to mess that up, but you know, never say never.

You made your Werq the World debut earlier this year. How exciting was that?

It was so exciting! Werq the World is something every girl wants to at least try once. It’s like a bucket list sort of thing, and honestly, I was most excited to be on the bus with the girls. I know that maybe sounds like the worst part, but I love the summer camp vibes of everyone being forced together through a little bit of misery. I think it’s the best kind of experience.

And you got to experience this alongside Yvie. How meaningful was that for you?

Oh my gosh, it meant the world to me because I haven’t really gotten to see Yvie much while I’ve been touring the world. We did two shows together, but you know, when you do shows together, you see each other for an hour before the show, hang out during the show, have a few drinks, and then you both part ways and go onto the next city. You don’t get to spend a lot of time outside of the club together, so I was excited that we were doing this together. This was the first time in over a year that I’ve really gotten to spend time with her.

What are some future goals you hope to achieve with your drag career and platform?

I have lots. I would love to make some movies or short films, and I’m very interested in throwing some queer parties with big drag productions. I also just want to travel the world and have some fun. I want to go to cities, enjoy them, and feel their queer scene because that’s a unique experience that not a lot of people get.

Stay up-to-date and connect with Willow by following her on Twitter, and Instagram @willowpillqueen, or visit her official website, willowpill.com.     

Photos courtesy of Willow Pill