Chiffon Dior: Hi there Laganja! Thanks for making the time to sit down for a little girl talk with me today! How are you doing?
Laganja Estranja: I am doing so well! I just got back from my first European Tour with my drag mother Alyssa Edwards, my makeup line with X-tar cosmetics just dropped on my website, and I am working on a new song with some popular underground artists!
CD: Yes, let’s talk about X-tar cosmetics! The slogan is “Where Nature and Beauty Collide.” It seems like that is more than just a slogan for the company. Talk a little bit about X-tar.
LE: I am so thrilled to be working with X-tar Cosmetics! My line of all natural, loose minerals eye shadows not only look flawless on but are also good for your skin. The company’s motto represents that these shadows are more than just a product, it’s a mission. Beauty is all about accepting your natural form and loving the skin you’re in, and with these products you can do that!
CD: What can you tell us about your new song?
My new song “Legs” is going to be a club-banger featuring the insanely talented Rye Rye! The beat is hip-hop but the swag is universal! I also have a new song and music video coming out around fourth of July with Krysta Youngs and Melanie Fontana called “Gold Grill BBQ“.
Photograph from HighTimes.com
CD: So I’m not sure if you’re aware but your first name sounds a bit like a slang word for whispers marijuana. I assume that was an accident?
LE: Not an accident at all! I am a huge advocate for legalizing cannabis! After a severe injury in college when I was dropped on my back during a dance lift, my chiropractor suggested I smoke marijuana for my pain. After several months of being stubborn, I finally caved in and tried the magical herb. Since then I have quit using all pharmaceuticals and only ingest legal cannabis. Marijuana not only helps me with my anxiety, but it also helps me keep a healthy diet and get restful sleep.
CD: Since we’re on the subject, in light of the new laws in Washington and Colorado, what do you think is the future of marijuana in this country?
LE: I think we are so close! Or at least I hope! People’s minds are slowly changing and becoming more open to the idea!
Photograph by Austin Young
CD: Switching over to a little show you might have something to say about, let’s talk some “Drag Race”! What turned out to be the biggest misconception about the show that you had going in?
LE: That it would be easy and I would win! Laughs I am just kidding, well kind of, but not really. I come from a musical theatre background so I thought surely I would be able to channel my inner child and werk it. However, after twelve years of studying dance professionally, I’ve realized it really is what I do best! And let’s face it it’s not “So You Think You Can Drag!”
CD: What has it been like watching yourself on TV as the show has unfolded? How true to your experience has what you’ve seen been so far? Do you feel like the editors have been fair to you?
LE: At the end of the day, it’s a television show and we all know that. I think the editors have an extremely hard job and I am very pleased with how I was edited in the end. Sure there are things that make me uncomfortable, but I am human being and we ALL make mistakes and say things we don’t mean out of exhaustion and hunger laughs. I am just excited to move forward from this experience, take what I’ve learned, and apply it!
Photography by Gabriel Gastelum
CD: What do you think is the biggest lesson you learned from the experience of being on the show? What is the biggest piece of advice you have for future queens on the show?
LE: I learned so much about myself from the show. I learned that I shine the most when in live performance and stage atmospheres and that reality TV was not really my cup of tea. I also learned how to laugh and not take what others say so seriously! My biggest advice to future queens is just be yourself, even if everyone thinks you are a fake or phony, never let your light dim.
CD: It seemed like early on in the season, Gia Gunn was cast as the villain by the fans and to a lesser extent the editors. Of all the people in the competition, you two really seemed to bond during the show. What more is there to Gia that the cameras didn’t pick up?
LE: Gia is a crazy, coo coo, cunt and I love her with all my heart. Sure she is outspoken, but beneath it all she has a heart of gold. I truly wish viewers got to know the girl I did because she is LIFE!
Photograph by Gabriel Gastelum
