Yvie Oddly Ignites Power in Performance

Hailing from the Mile High City, Yvie Oddly is the innovative and revolutionary drag queen who captured the world’s attention after competing on the 11th season of RuPaul’s Drag Race and ultimately winning. Audiences instantly knew there was something unique about her, and in no way did she disappoint. Best known for her outrageous and unconventional looks, Oddly is a jack-of-all-trades who can give us anything from high fashion glam to spooky alien creatures. Not only is she a self-proclaimed weirdo who goes for the shock factor, we also cannot deny that she is fierce.

Since winning the crown and the title of America’s Next Drag Superstar, Oddly has not only made several contributions to drag and entertainment, but she has also raised awareness and brought visibility to artists of color and performers with disabilities. Oddly herself suffers from Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS), a genetic disorder that causes the skin to not produce enough collagen, which results in flexibility of the skin and joints.

Additionally, she wants to be the queer role model for LGBTQ youth that she never had. Because of Oddly’s work and advocacy, she was selected to be a Power winner for this year’s annual Power Gala.

OUT FRONT had the opportunity to catch up with Oddly to talk more about being a Power winner, as well as upcoming projects such as a new album and Halloween show.

Hi, Yvie! Thank you for taking some time to chat with me. How does it feel to be a Power winner?

Honestly, it’s a trip, and it’s very full-circle. I still remember being a closeted teenager and stumbling across my first ever OUT FRONT Magazine at my grandparents’ house, and it happened to be, I believe, a Power Issue. That was, like, 2010, and I was still in high school, and that was my first introduction to the fact that there were queer people out at large who apparently had a community and were making big moves to shift and better it.

So, it’s a trip to know that, like, almost a decade later, I am getting to be part of the force that hopefully helps another queer kid experience the feeling of being home.

There are several reasons as to why you were selected to be a Power winner. You are a RuPaul’s Drag Race champion; your contributions to drag and entertainment, bringing visibility to people of color and those living with disabilities. Did you ever think this is where you would be in life?

Not in a serious way. You know when you get really angry, or when it’s not going your way, and you’re like, ‘Oh, I’m going to grow up and they’re all going to see!’ Like, that’s the closest I ever could have been. Like, ‘Oh, they’re all going to see; I’m going to be an actor.’ Did I ever think that I was going to be a full, out-and-proud, queer drag queen face-to-face for so many different communities? No way.

What is your definition of power?

My definition of power is just realizing the influence that you have in the world and the lives around you in every aspect of your existence and your ability to change that, your ability to use it and hopefully build a world that you want to see. Power is something that we all innately have in us. It’s just about believing in the power that you do have and using your potential to its fullest.

You have made such a significant impact in representing Denver and its LGBTQ community. What more would you like to do?

It’s kind of hard because my long-term goals are very strange right now in this coronavirus, lockdown-riddled world. I ultimately want more people within this community to feel like they have the power to make changes in the world, to do bigger things, and to feel some shred of value. I feel like we sometimes get lost in the jumble of our everyday lives, and it’s hard for us to see a bigger picture and see the things that we could be doing. So, that is my real hope. That more people within the community that helped raise and sculpt me are able to feel their impact in the world.

When I interviewed you last year, you talked about how you felt invisible a lot the time. I am assuming this is no longer the case?

Not unless I want it to be. That’s the beauty of wearing a mask and hat outside of my house [laughs].

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Since your time on Drag Race, do you think we are now seeing more weird/alternative queens who like to do their own thing?

The thing is, I think that there have always been plenty of us. I can’t even claim to be the first of Drag Race. I do think the more representation anybody gets in any form, the more exposure that brings. So, while I wouldn’t say it’s, like, my fault that we are seeing more [alternative] drag, I think I helped fortify a wall of strong, queer artists and the interest of people who have maybe never thought about things from our perspective before.

How excited were you for Priyanka to win Canada’s Drag Race?

Ah! So excited! I was super Team Priyanka. I try to stay as unbiased as possible when I’m watching the seasons and just, like, feel out who is doing very well in all aspects of the competition. Like, who’s got a level head, who can handle all of this responsibility and pressure, and Priyanka is checking all the boxes. When she got crowned at the end of the day, I gay cried on the carpet.

Do you plan on watching Drag Race Holland?

Yes, I do. I’m an addict. I love Drag Race. I love getting to see queer people in this light and majorly exposed. I am supportive of all of my sisters. I am excited for Holland.

If asked, would you ever compete again?

I mean, the smart answer would be no. Like, my track record is amazing right now. I’m one for one, but I would totally do it just because I’m a glutton for punishment [laughs].

Some fans and Drag Race alumni are getting frustrated that All Stars is recycling queens, that the show is not giving other, deserving alum a second chance. What is your opinion on this?

I feel like Drag Race is kind of stuck because since it has grown as big as it has, it’s been pushed to this place where people do expect to see multiple seasons and want to see all these queens.

They want all of this every year, but that also kind of strips us of the ability to allow people some time and breath away from the show to work and build on their careers. But, like I said, I’m an addict. I’m going to watch it until the show is no more. I do think it would be interesting if they could try some different aspects of a competition, or try and reformat it. Change is good; it’s the lifeblood of our art.

I would like to ask you about your new album, Drag Trap, that is set to release on October 23. Can you tell us more about the concept and inspiration?

Over this last year, touring, traveling, and getting to live out some crazy-ass, childhood dreams, I was always challenged to think of what else I would like to do and what else I would be saying in the world.

A lot of what I kept coming back to was all the raps. I would just write little pieces of raps during all my travels, I think halfway to help cope with all of what was going on, and then halfway just because I’m a word nerd. I like to write all these little word plays. While in Vegas, and even more during lockdown, I had so much time to work on projects that I traditionally wouldn’t be able to with a traveling lifestyle.

So, I decided to devote all of my energy to finishing a full album. Drag Trap is essentially based on just this last year and everything that I have gone through and felt. I see so many more queer musicians now, specifically in hip hop, than I ever did growing up, and I want to continue to carve out that space where I want to do my best to leave a footprint.

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The title track is already available to listen to. How has it been received?

There is a lot of support, which is really nice. I’m sure there are plenty of people who don’t like it and don’t think I should be making music, but I wouldn’t know, and I don’t care. I hope to see more people listening and more people enjoying it. Hopefully I will break down more walls in things that people thought queer people were not capable of.

What do you hope people take away from your music overall?

Honestly, I just hope that people get whatever they need to get out of it. The album itself is a little all over the place. The sounds, the moods, the feelings I experiment with, so I just hope that if nothing else, there is one song on there that somebody really relates to and feels like it was written just for them. Because these were all narcissistically written for me [laughs].

You are also one of the featured queens in the docuseries RuPaul’s Drag Race: Vegas Revue. What was going through your mind when you realized you made it to perform on the Las Vegas Strip?

It was actually like a waking dream, specifically because that is something I had never even pictured myself doing. Like, I have always dreamt of being a performer at some level, but Vegas just seemed like this place where you only made it if you were, like, a stripper or popstar. So, getting to be one of the first drag queens to help carve out a path on the Strip, it’s next level. Then also, having that documented so more people could see the amazing project we were doing. The drama was just, like, the cherry on top.

Yes, we see a lot of drama happening on screen, but how much more is happening behind the scenes?

You know, those cameras did a pretty good job of catching basically everything. All the major plot points. I think they got all the good stuff. They might have missed somebody chipping a nail or something very minor. Derek borrowed my brush, and I never got it back!

Unfortunately, the COVID pandemic put the show on hold. Will you be involved with the full run once it starts back up again?

If they’ll have me! It was definitely one of the more interesting and unique things I have gotten to do in my time as a Ru girl. So, I would love to play it out and see where it takes me. It was fun.

The pandemic has taken a toll on millions of entertainers and artists. How have you been coping during these times?

It’s kind of like what I said before: drag is the art of transformation. So, when everything that you are used to suddenly disappears right before your eyes, I just had to do what I’ve been doing my whole career, which is stop, pivot, and continue to ask myself questions of what do I want, what do I want to be doing, how can I creatively pay my bills?

I feel like it’s just about focusing on what you want to be making in the world. If nothing else, all the playing fields have been sort of leveled with the fact that nobody is really out touring or doing anything crazy. So, just dream up ideas and put them out. Right now, I feel like there is no better time than ever to have a voice as an artist.

Can you tell us more about the Drive ‘N Drag Halloween show that you will be involved with?

Yes! I got to do the original, Drive ‘N Drag series this summer, and it was really cool because it just feels so good to be performing again and getting to interact with an audience. Doing a live show with all the safety implemented, but I am very excited for Halloween because it’s like a semi-Christmas for me. It’s a third birthday. The fact that we are going to be doing one in Denver means I can just go full-out for the Mile High City.

Before we wrap up, is there anything else you would like to mention or plug? What’s next?

Hmm, stream Drag Trap; catch me on Vegas Revue; I’ll see you all when I’m live and in person for the Drive ‘N Drag. Follow me on social media, and check out my OnlyFans. You know, all the regulars!

Photo courtesy of Yvie Oddly