Drag Race Italia, the winner Elecktra Bionic: “And now I dream of Big Brother”

A vision born from a pink cloud: like this Elecktra Bionic, from the height of her 194 centimeters in height (excluding heels) has conquered the title of Italia’s first drag superstar. The catwalk of the 27-year-old competitor from Turin succeeded in the impossible mission of reaching an agreement between the judges of Drag Race Italia, the first edition of the Discovery + program (Priscilla, Chiara Francini and Tommaso Zorzi) born from the format of RuPaul, the special judge Ambra Angiolini and the public. Crowned winner in the sixth and final episode of the talent (broadcast on December 23), she is reached on the phone by Vanity Fair in the workplace, in the beauty center Nails & Beauty Lounge of Grugliasco, in the province of Turin. «Can I thank the owner Sara? – the performer shyly asks – She gave me the free hour in the midst of the frenzy of the holidays and I owe her a lot, as well as having taught me a trade over two years ago ». In the background you can hear the chatter of the customers: they not only wish her a Merry Christmas but also the conDRAGulations for the victory.The character of Elecktra Bionic was born nine years ago on stage, but in the meantime Mattia has alternated evening performances at work daytime (first make-up artist, then hairdresser and now nail technician). The victory, in addition to scepter and crown, allows her to become a MAC ambassador for a year and to create her own limited edition make-up line.

How many hours did you sleep tonight?
“A couple, maybe.”

Is it all the fault of the emotion?
“I haven’t slept for a whole week, which adds to the three months of waiting. We shot the last episode on October 1st, but we recorded four different coronations, so no one knew until last night who would really win ».

How did she organize herself for the viewing?
«Usually I see the episode with the colleagues at the restaurant, all divided into tables for a few people so as not to create crowds. And yesterday was no exception. My mother, who was fainting, started to cry and almost tore her hair when she heard my name, joined us. “

What did you feel?
«An earthquake. I was hoping for it but I didn’t expect it, I never took victory for granted. I put airplane mode on my smartphone, isolated myself from social media and ignored every message. I don’t know what happened, but on Prime Video the episode uploaded an hour later, so everyone knew the result except me. The heart was beating so hard it could have kept three people alive. ‘

Have your colleagues followed your drag path?
«Absolutely yes: they know my videos in drag, they’ve seen me do my makeup in the salon, because often after work I go directly to do the performances. The customers of the shop also know Elecktra Bionic and are very affectionate ».

Would you like to retrace the crucial phases of the final episode with us? He literally beat the competition with the Elegance, Extravagance themed catwalk look.
«All thanks to Jorge D’Glamour, the Piedmontese costume designer who takes care of my style: it took a month to create the dress for the show. It weighed at least ten kilos because it is not a shiny fabric: each stone was sewn by hand, one by one, to create that masterpiece of clothing ».

What do you think of the dress of the other finalists, especially Farida Kant, the costume designer from Salento?
“Farida Kant had a beautiful dress, but the vampire wedding dress from the semifinal raised the bar to such an extent that something stronger was needed. I feared her: I knew her before the competition and I knew it would be hard to compete with her, I respect her very much, but she has to let go and be more free. After the victory, in fact, I heard her and Ava Hangar cheering for me ».

Did you fear Le Riche?
“During the episodes of the program the judges have always said that Le Riche is the nerd, but I too did my homework. They asked me to become more elegant and to bring out the character and I took the opportunity of the Snatch Game to prove it ».

With her features, she will thank Mother Nature all day …
“Even the surgeon, however, when Mother Nature doesn’t arrive. If a tweak makes you feel better why not refresh it? For me it’s a way of loving yourself, taking care of yourself and overcoming some insecurity, obviously until you get hurt and risk your life. If you get your nose done with plastic 14 times then I say “Give yourself a break”, otherwise what’s the harm ».

Which help did you resort to?
«Some fillers to give volume, to have a softer chin, a nose, a more pronounced cheekbone, but it is cosmetic surgery and in January, as I always say, I do the” full service “. But do me the characteristics no, thanks. “

Have you always had a good relationship with your body?
“When I’m in drag I never have doubts, but as a boy I did. I don’t have a masculine body with broad shoulders, on the contrary I have a feminine butt and a bit wide hips. When I saw other men on the beach or in the pool, I felt different. In the mirror I saw myself as a hybrid, but doing drag helped me ».

Did she steal make-up from mom as a child?
«Of course, even if the roles are now reversed. I still remember her huge black cosmetic bag full of colored eyeshadows: she was as tall as Zanichelli. It opened in two but had a horrible quality, looking back on it today makes me shiver. “

How did you explain your passion for make-up?
«With great peace of mind: she has a gay brother, so she understood it for a long time, even if the drag phase frightened her at first. Today she is my number one fan, too much. She always haunts me with photos and every now and then I say “Drop me”. Once I failed the national selection of a beauty pageant and she started insulting everyone. When I won the finals in Genoa, then, I didn’t warn her, because I was afraid she would get angry in case of defeat ».

His grit comes from her, then. In 2018, outside a nightclub, she was attacked by two individuals who punched her, but she defended herself. What do you remember about that episode?
«They attacked me outside the club while I was in drag, luckily I’m agile. I never raise my hands, but I was pushed and had to defend myself. Disguised yes, but no fool. Those two made fun of me and beat me, so I beat them up and ran away. Then I filed a complaint against unknown persons ».