A bundling image of all things pink, cute and sparkly, Starburst the Drag Queen has burst onto the drag scene representing Kawaii overload. She was a Bratz Race contestant, which she went on to win, and no wonder, as her looks are envious and gorgeous. I managed to schedule a chat with the super talented queen.
Kirsty Bright (KB) - What made you choose drag?
Starburst (S) - I think as a queer woman, drag is a very empowering art form, as you can embody femininity in a very strong, extreme way. Which really pushes gender boundaries, it’s so hyper-feminine that it becomes masculine and gender ambiguous, and that’s what I love about it!
Also, I just really love how everything can be so extreme, big hair, excessive makeup, extravagant dresses, long nails etc and the level of creativity that can be explored through drag is unlike any other physical art form in my opinion.
Inspiration and fashion
KB - Do you have an inspiration with your looks?
S - Well, it does depend on the look but generally speaking, I’m heavily inspired by Japanese “Kawaii” (cute) culture and Harajuku fashion. Specifically, sweet Lolita, decora, fairy Kei etc. I like to really push those fashion styles to the extreme!! I’m also really inspired by toys, 80s, 90s references, various Tumblr aesthetics such as kidcore among many other things! Queens around me also serve as pretty big influences in both my life and drag, my friends are really huge influences when it comes to my drag!
KB - What inspired your drag name?
S - I’m not too sure actually, I was trying to come up with something that wasn’t stereotypical and that sounded super cute! I love starburst candy because it’s colorful and really yummy, and It also reminds me of a shooting star in outer space which I think is pretty neat considering my drag style is quite ethereal and alien-like.
KB - Do you think drag is getting more attention thanks to drag race if so is that a bad thing?
I think that this is both a positive and a negative, but so are most things in terms of exposure in mainstream media but as they say, no publicity is bad publicity!
The future
KB - All-time favorite song to lip sync to?
S - This is a really hard question, so I don’t think I can give one answer!
I would have to say anything by Kyary pamyu pamyu (and Jpop in general), music by that poppy and anything gaga (especially art pop! I could literally perform the whole album on repeat for 24 hours I love it so much.)
KB - What would be the dream goal i.e. Performance, shows etc?
S - I think just like many drag queens the goal is drag race (obviously knowing that it will never happen) because it provides so much exposure and it’s such a crucial platform for drag as a career, other than that, in general, a more conceivable goal is being able to book gigs on a relatively regular basis.
To keep up to date with Starbursts lookbooks, her Bratz Race outfits, and upcoming lookbooks. Follow on her social media platforms.
