An Interview with the Drag Icon and Multi-Disciplinary Performer
Drag icon and multi-disciplinary performer Queen Priyanka has announced the release of her debut album, “Devastatia,” set to drop on August 23. Alongside the album release, Queen Priyanka will headline a fall North American tour, bringing her dynamic 70-minute show to 23 cities across North America. Dubbed the “AMERIYANKA Takeover,” this tour promises to showcase Queen Priyanka’s magnetic personality and stage presence. Tickets are available at https://www.thequeenpriyanka.com/
The announcement coincides with the release of her new single, “Shut It Down,” a dance track that exudes positivity and resilience. The song reflects Priyanka’s ethos of protecting her peace and forging her own path. Known for her confidence and authenticity, she has continually preached messages of positivity and acceptance throughout her career.
On “Shut It Down,” Queen Priyanka combines powerful percussion with grooving bass to create an energetic and captivating sonic experience. Her sultry vocals deliver lines like, “I ain’t wasting no time with you, Chittah-chattah, it don’t matter. Sorry, Imma shut it down,” against a backdrop of bouncing beats and exhilarating synths. The track is a testament to her resilience and power, reinforcing her unstoppable momentum.
You can listen to the song here:
Queen Priyanka’s career has been marked by breaking barriers and overcoming naysayers who doubted her bold, creative vision. Her debut album, “Devastatia,” promises to be a stunning collection of epic bangers and memorable visuals crafted with the help of notable hitmakers such as Grammy-winning singer and songwriter Scott Hoying of Pentatonix and songwriters Josh Cumbee and Damon Sharpe.
“Shut It Down” follows the release of Queen Priyanka’s single “No New Friends,” which celebrates self-love and resilience. The song’s chorus, made up of layered vocals, chants “no new friends,” emphasizing the importance of being one’s own biggest supporter. The accompanying music video, directed by D.W. Waterson and choreographed by Lady Gaga’s choreographer Richy Jackson, provides a glimpse into Priyanka’s double life during her early career.
In the video, Queen Priyanka explores the juxtaposition of her past as a kid’s TV host with her present as a bold drag performer. She shares, “The idea is that myself (in my closeted days) fall in love with this ‘dancer’ who in reality is the future me. Doing this video to this song represents me acknowledging that my dream came true!”
Inspired by Elizabeth Berkley’s transformation in “Showgirls,” Queen Priyanka captures the evolution of her persona from a kids TV star to a drag queen. The project, she explains, is about stripping back layers to reveal true vulnerability and chasing dreams.
I spoke with Queen Priyanka about what the future holds for her career, why she became a performer, and what motivates her as an artist.
Dolores Quintana: Could you tell me a little bit about what makes you Priyanka and what has brought you to this point as a performer?
Priyanka: I’m just such a fan of things, fan culture, super fan culture. I love going to concerts. I love celebrities. I love rooting for them online. I love creating fan accounts. I love all of it and then I took a step back, and I was like, why do I like this so much? It’s because it brings me so much joy. Music brings me joy. Entertainment brings me so much joy. This is what I wanna do with my life. That’s what I need to do with my life to bring people joy and happiness and like help them feel and be seen and heard, and the minute I started on kids’ television, it was my goal.
That’s when I realized I’m an artist. I’m not just this 9 to 5 entertainer person. I have a vision, and I have songs I want people to hear.
Dolores Quintana: I think that is the best reason to get into this line of work, into entertainment because you want to give something to people that makes them happy and entertains them. You were on RuPaul’s Drag Race, correct?
Priyanka: Yes, I was on, I was on season one of Canada’s Drag Race.
Dolores Quintana: Great. For the benefit of our readers, how did that go?
Priyanka: I won. I was the first-ever winner of the franchise, and it changed my life.
Dolores Quintana: Awesome. So you also were at Pride in the Park, and you performed. I was there, I saw it, and it was really, really a lovely performance. You had choreography, you were singing, you were dancing. It was terrific. So thank you. What was that experience of playing Pride in the Park like for you?
Priyanka: What a dream to be able to perform for all those people in Los Angeles to perform on that kind of stage and have my name in big lights and perform my own original music. I felt incredible and it felt right. I feel like I was right where I was supposed to be performing for all my fans and making new fans. It was incredible. Definitely a core memory for me.
Dolores Quintana: That’s awesome. What is next for you?
Priyanka: I’m going back to LA in November for my Devastatia World Tour. I’m performing all summer long. I’m one of the first ever drag queens to play Calgary Stampede. I’m also playing Ottawa Blues Fest and all these really big music festival plays leading up to my album coming out in August. I have another single coming out soon called “GUCCIYANKA.”
Dolores Quintana: All that sounds fantastic. Tell me a little bit about your new single.
Priyanka: I can tell you is that it is one of the most highly anticipated collaborations that I’ve done. What else can I say? It’s gonna be a banger. My inspiration behind it was Gay Bohemian Rhapsody.
Dolores Quintana: You already have a single out right now, correct?
Priyanka: Yes, I have two. I have a song called “No New Friends” that I wrote about loving yourself and being friends with yourself first before you worry about anybody else because that’s important. We often forget to love ourselves. I have a song called “Shut It Down,” which is about when you begin to love yourself. What ends up happening is people then see your success and confidence as their failures, and they start to infiltrate your system and make you feel insecure. It’s about shutting down all that stuff to make sure that you stay on top of you. You first, your heart first, your love, and your joy first.
Dolores Quintana: Do you have any upcoming television shows that will be coming out soon?
Priyanka: I’m on two shows. Oh, my goodness. We just won a Critics Choice Award for best reality show, for “We’re Here.” which is wild. I’m a winner, baby. Then, I will have a show coming out called “Drag Brunch Saved My Life.” We’re filming it this summer, and we’re going to go into restaurants and let drag brunch to save the restaurants because drag saves everything.
Dolores Quintana: That’s really exciting. I know your appearance at Pride in the Park was connected to “We’re Here,” where you went to Tennessee to show people what drag really is. What was that like?
Priyanka: It’s illegal in Tennessee to do drag. Anyways, arrest me, whatever.
Dolores Quintana: What did you find out when you went to Tennessee? Is it different from what people might assume it is like there?
Priyanka: Oh, no, it’s all true. It is even worse. I really feel for the people in those small communities because they don’t have a voice. They’re used to hiding. They’re closeted. There’s no encouragement to live out and be proud. But it’s not only in Tennessee, and it’s not only in Oklahoma, there are problems everywhere. When I did Drag Con in 2023 in Los Angeles, there were protesters outside. So it’s everywhere. But we’re not going anywhere.
Dolores Quintana: That’s the thing right now. You are very correct, and I think it’s something that people need to know, even though Los Angeles and California are thought of as places that are more progressive. There’s still some of that kind of thing going on here.
Priyanka: Absolutely. Because drag and queer voices are louder and prouder now, but people are used to us living in the closet. So nowadays, they’re like, wait, there are successful gay people now? They want people to be quiet, they want people to go away, they want the past that they’re used to and they’re comfortable with. I think that’s what made them so angry, but you can’t erase us.
Dolores Quintana: That’s right. So, is there anything that you would like our audience to know? Something that’s close to your heart or, or something you would like to tell, particularly, maybe young people who are, you know, coming up and trying to figure out who they are and their life, What would you say to them?
Priyanka: I think that it’s always important to know that you know exactly who you are, and if there’s any doubt in your mind, it is because society is telling you to doubt it. When you think about the power of drag and what drag actually is, when you think about somebody like me being able to sit in this interview and be a person who is talking about their success, that’s because I’ve listened to my voice. I’ve listened to my power, and I am everything that society told me not to be, so follow your heart. Your heart knows exactly what you want, and know that it might feel very isolating, but you will find your family. Just be gay.
Dolores Quintana: I’m curious: what does drag mean to you?
Priyanka: Drag means joy and escapism to me. I remember going to see drag queens before I started doing drag. Watching them live so fearlessly and just do whatever they wanted to do made me realize my power. It made me feel inspired and included, so that’s what it means to me.
