Brazil stands out as the barn country of drag queens singers

If Brazil is the country of football, samba, Carnival and caipirinha, now you can add one more item to your curriculum: the country of drag queens singers.

In 2015, the then-unknown artist Pabllo Vittar launched on the internet the song “Open Bar”, the Brazilian version of the song “Lean On”, by Major Lazer, which quickly spread on video platforms and became a craze at that time.

The following year, another artist named Gloria Groove showcased her fierce talent with the song “Dona”, which also caught the public’s attention LGBTQIA+, always thirsty for listening to music that really portrayed what was happening within the community.

The two gained great visibility in the media, gave space to others like Lia Clark, Aretuza Lovi and Kaya Conky, who also released successful singles, until reaching Grag Queen, which still doesn’t have a successful copyright song on the market, but won the first musical reality show produced by RuPaul Charles, owner of the “RuPaul’s Drag Race” franchise, source of inspiration for Pabllo and Gloria. The final of the competition, with the result already announced in December, will air in Brazil this Thursday (13).

Grag Queen, character of the gaucho from Canela, Gregory Mohd, 26, signed up to participate in the first season of “Queens of the World”, shown on a TV station in the United States, and shared the stage with 13 other drag queens singers in search of the crown of queen of the universe.

In front of them were judges Leona Lewis, Michelle Visage, Trixie Mattel and Vanessa Williams who analyzed everything: costumes, hair, makeup and, above all, the vocal power of each participant.

“It was bizarre! I got in front of Michelle and at the time my brain crashed the system. I was trembling so much that the feathers of my costume were swinging like a feather duster”, he laughs, remembering the first performance singing “Rehab”, by Amy Winehouse.

“You feel the weight of the cucumber you’re going to have to peel when you’re facing them. Every time Michelle spoke well of me, I remembered a lot about Brazil. I said to myself ‘I know they [brasileiras] will like it’ and they will also feel complimented by Michelle. Said and done!”, he says, with an unparalleled joy for overcoming the judicious sieve of RuPaul’s right-hand man.

way here

Getting to this point is not easy, as the market is not so open to LGBTQIA+ singers and personalities. Manager Samy Elia has worked with great bands, such as Mamonas Assassinas and Charlie Brown Jr, and today manages Gloria and Grag’s career. He guarantees that the music market for drag queens is on the rise because there is a demand and shortage for this type of artist. Despite this, he regrets that prejudice is still a major impediment.

“The moment you show an artist’s voice to a certain radio station, you only receive praise. They show determination to play the song, but when you say that voice is that of a drag queen, people don’t move forward and don’t play the song.”

The obstacles are bigger because, in addition to having to show the artist’s talent, we still have the pre-judgment for being an LGBTQIA+ artist

Samy Elia, Artist Manager

Composer Pablo Bispo – author of great drag hits such as “KO”, “Indestructible”, “Sua Cara”, “Bumbum de Ouro” and “Coisa Boa” – agrees that homophobia is pervasive within the phonographic market. He states that the LGBTQIA+ artist always has to deal with prejudice and believes that meritocracy does not exist in this universe.

“It’s not easy, the market doesn’t help and sometimes we have to swim against the tide, but if there is a person who feels the vibration of the song, I’m sure others will. We have to be there to leverage voices”, he points out.

“The cis, straight, white artist with financial conditions will always be favored by the system. It’s much easier for them! That’s why we have to celebrate every victory. We always try to unite because when someone grows up, everyone goes along, because it’s a scene, a family where everyone can help so that everyone gets their space”, he believes.

Bispo even sees himself as an outlier within the community, as he is a male, white, cisgender and heterosexual and writes for LGBTQIA+ people. For this reason, he emphasizes that he knows exactly where he speaks and prefers to listen to what this population has to say. The composer says that, to write the great hits, he always consulted the future interpreter of the song to understand what she wants to express.

“All the songs I make have a study that we make together, whether with trans artists, drag or black women. I understand 100% what is happening musically, but to understand what the person went through, I can’t”, he explains.

“It is very important to know where I am and where I can hear. I’m here to hear the stories and try to put it into music, into poetry, always from my place. Our art is very collaborative. I don’t want to do anything alone.”

Overcoming stages

Drag queen Lia Clark, born in Santos, on the south coast of São Paulo, is 29 years old, has lived on music for five years and performs throughout Brazil, singing songs from her own repertoire. It started almost as a “joke”, when it brought together a group of friends to produce a song, record, take photos, develop a clip and release it on the internet. The song “Trava Trava” ran on social media and gained visibility within the LGBTQIA+ audience.

The artist remembers that everything was the work of partnership and her previous networking as a DJ that helped her to have space among the hits in the disputed São Paulo night, always asking her colleagues to play the song. In the first few weeks, he performed for free at nightclubs and wondered why he continued, already believing in a possible failure.

“My first song was like, ‘Shall we have fun? Make a song? Shall we make a clip?’ It was not possible, we had no reference, no one believed. It was fun between people, between friends”, he recalls.

Today, Lia is a personal friend and partner of all the drag queens that are on the rise in music. The artist points out that the rise of Pabllo Vittar pierced the community bubble to become one of the biggest LGBTQIA+ icons in the world. And she is not wrong: the owner of the hit “KO” has more than 20 singles released, including in partnership with international artists such as Major Lazer and the Mexican Thalia.

In addition, the popularity of Brazilian drag queens also exceeds all expectations. RuPaul has always been considered the most popular drag queen in the world, a true deity within the community. The years passed, the internet dominated all spaces and today, those who have more followers on social networks have more visibility and this raises more money.

To give you an idea, currently, RuPaul has 4.3 million followers on Instagram, while Pabllo has almost tripled, 12.2 million followers on the same social network. In addition, she has just been confirmed as one of the attractions of Coachella, one of the most important music festivals in the world.

Pablo Bispo, as a musical partner, highlights the vibrant moment that Brazilian drags are going through in terms of visibility around the world. He says that not only the numbers, but also the success stories prove that there is no more fertile barn for drag music than Brazil.

“Each new generation opens new doors. The Grag Queen just won a reality show. She is already part of the second generation of Brazilian drags and has already won a giant program in the world. This is very important because we can see that this is really a strong, popular scene that moves people. Gloria also recently partnered with Iggy Azalea and won a reality show singing and playing other singers. The world is watching us.”

And, speaking of Gloria Groove, she prefers to point out that, before the singers, there were a large number of drag queens who performed on the stages of nightclubs, facing challenges, even the repression of dictatorial governments, and who opened the doors to the others like Nany People, Silvetty Montilla, Dimmy Kieer and Veronika, as well as others who ventured into authorial music in the mid-1980s and 1990s.

“They are great divas who paved the way for us to be here”, highlights Gloria. “I see how the presence of LGBTQIA+ artists in the music market is still something that challenges, breaks barriers and moves structures. We move knowing that each achievement of mine is a collective achievement”.

Asked which drag queen of the new generation deserves to be highlighted for their musical talent, the owner of “Bumbum de Ouro” does not hesitate to answer Grag Queen. “She’s one of the greatest artists I’ve ever seen. It fills me with pride to see her trajectory in a world competition and to prove that we Brazilian drags are specialists in charisma combined with many talents”.

Grag also confesses a mutual crush and admiration for Gloria. “It’s my sister, my mother, a labelmate and we’re even closer, I’m loving this friendship, this exchange. She has impeccable artwork and visuals, she composes very well. I’m a big fan, bitch, I’m a card-carrying groover”.

The awakening of drag art

The rising music market arouses the curiosity and interest of those who have never worn women’s clothing or stepped onto a stage to sing. The composer Bispo believes that this is the most opportune moment for new drag and/or LGBTQIA+ artists who want to launch their musical career because the country is more open to discover the art of the night.

Bringing more names to this universe means adding more strength to the community and, who knows, taking away from Brazil the title of “country that kills the most LGBTQIA+ in the world”

Pablo Bishop, composer

For the songwriter, drags need to be at the top, along with other LGBTQIA+ artists, for there to be resistance. Prejudice has been increasingly fought, according to him, as the pioneers have already moved millions of people and now it is possible to watch drag queens in prime time on all TVs, in advertisements, which has contributed to other artists having more representation.

“Successful as a drag queen in the most homophobic country in the world is not an easy task,” laments Gloria Groove. “In this trajectory, we are fighting daily for validation and recognition. What I can assure you is that it is very worthwhile to work on something that is transforming the structure of society on many levels. Communicate with people’s lives, be an example and mirror. The result is extremely gratifying.”

Lia Clark indicates that to start a drag queen career is to be “yourself”, a unique artist, and to believe in yourself. “That simple. I always think about the beginning of my career: who would believe that a black fag, drag queen and doing funk would be able to have a career or would be able to have songs known by everyone? I’m only here because I was the one and only Lia Clark. So be you, look inside, understand yourself, know yourself, know your truth to put it out. People will fall in love.”

Grag shares the same opinion.

“If you want, wear a bandana, don’t wear a wig, wear a mustache, don’t wear eyelashes, do your musicality. Being different is cool! There is no one like you. So, celebrate your difference, your authenticity, because at some point or another you will become the queen of the universe or something that is too big for you. You just believe it.”