The Drag Horizon Award was one of the most popular new awards in the 2015 WERRRK.com Year End Awards. The award given to a bright young star on the drag scene and was won by the fabulous Phaedra Phaded! Our own Head Diva In Charge, Chiffon Dior was on hand at Pieces Bar in New York City last weekend to present Phaedra with her trophy and got observe her photo shoot with WERRRK’s East Coast Photographer, Jenn Witek of Jenn Witek Photography. We are very proud to share these amazing shots that Jenn captured of Phaedra and we have a new interview with her that Chiffon conducted as well! Congratulations Phaedra!
Hi there Phaedra! It was so good to get to spend some time with you last weekend. How are you doing today honey?
Well hey kween! It was splendid spending time with you this weekend. What a blast! I’m doing great actually getting ready for a fundraiser benefiting autism I’m performing in.
Oh wow, promote that a bit before we get started please.
Well it’s a gorgeous night where all the proceeds will be going toward the Autism Research Center held by my close girlfriend Julie Atherton. They’re calling it “Queen Night for Autism”. It feels great to give my time to a great cause I love doing benefit shows.
Well look at you having both style AND substance! Do you feel like doing charitable work is an important part of being a queen?
Absolutely. I feel as being an entertainer I shouldn’t use my talents solely for self profit, but to share with others, make them happy, and give back to my community or a greater cause than just being able to pay my bills! *laughs*
Let’s go back in a time a bit to a time when you were younger and didn’t have to worry about things like bills. What is your first memory of drag growing up?
Easy. I was 16 and I snuck into Axis Nightclub in Boston and was exposed to the virus that is now known as Drag Queen but at the time I was just like, “cool….people do this in public and not just wear their mom’s nightgowns and perform Tina Turner songs in the mirror when their home alone?”
When did you decide you wanted to be a part of the drag world?
I think I’ve always known I want to be part of it I just didn’t know how until one day I said fuck it let’s do it and now here we are. Now I have a trophy that’s pink plastic just like my lips.
Yasss! Thank you for doing the shameless promotion for me! You were voted the first ever WERRRK.com Drag Horizon award winner. We created this award to recognize the achievements of some of the young, up and coming queens on the scene. The readers of WERRRK selected you from a field of ten amazing queens from across the country. What did that recognition mean to you?
Everything. As an artist I take what I do seriously and I put my absolute heart and soul into my craft. To have any sort of recognition is so validating to me because it’s a struggle to get noticed nowadays seeing as though there’s so much talent out there and a challenge to find a stage to perform on sometimes. To stand out is my goal; I’m not the sort of person to “blend in” nor be “ordinary”. I hate when you see the same damn cut crease out there and the same schtick so I keep my looks fresh and ever changing. I’m thrilled to have been given this platform by the readers of WERRRK and showcase my year of transformation and growth! Thank YOU!
Where did the name and character of Phaedra Phaded come from?
WELL since we’re friends I guess I can let you in on the secret that is my name and character… Trust me it’s not that exciting as I’m building it up to be haha . Well, I chose Phaedra because it’s my favorite Greek name (shocker, I’m 100% Greek). Phaded came from my first night out in drag. I just went out as Phaedra. I felt so slick like I was Cher or something! I was wearing a beautiful Badgley Mischka flowy, white Grecian cocktail dress.. Cinched to the heavens! I had soooo many cocktails bought and given to me, OH and it was New Years Eve, by the time I had to pee I went to the bathroom to uncinch and do my lady business, when alllllll the alcohol I consumed hit me at once! No one warned me if you corset and drink a lot it hits you harder than if you don’t. Needless to say after I used the facilities I planked on the bar. No I really planked on it in this WHITE Badgley Mischka cocktail dress (planking was big at the time by the way Phun Phacts with Phaedra), woke up to ring in the New Year, fell back asleep, woke up to hear Shannel from season one of drag race tell me and I quote, “You look like a young Taylor Dane”, left the club, fell in the middle of the road, and got lifted by (someone?) back to my hotel across the street. Woke up the next day to my drag droppings all over the bathroom floor, woke up on the bathroom floor, lipstick smeared, runny mascara, looking pretty pathetic honestly and my good Judy came to me as I’m struggling to get my ground to move as fast as I can to check out before 11am, he says to me, “man, you got pretty drunk huh?” My response, “yeah, I was Phaded”… And that’s how I got my last name.
Oh my aesthetic/character is basically a blowup doll mixed with a MILF. So pretty much a whore.
What do you do think makes Phaedra stand out from the crowd? What are you bringing to the scene that is unique and special?
I think I bring fresh looks, paint, and a different outlook to performing. I don’t do just one type performance. I dance, act I can do camp, spoken word and I’m always learning and at the moment I’m taking a few hobby classes I can apply to my performances. I’m a risk taker and I am always hungry for new opportunity. I’m kind, not afraid to speak my mind, but first and foremost, I am humble; I’ve come a long way from where I started and all the hard work I’ve put into what I do speaks for itself I feel. Oh and I’m pretty funny, all of my friend think so. Get it. Friend? That’s one. That’s a joke, you can laugh.
What kind of goals do you have for yourself as a performer as you move forward with your career? What is on your proverbial drag bucket list?
1. Get my own night or onto a night as a show girl. Being a gypsy is hard and I’m in a new city. I’m still trying to ground myself but like I said I’m hungry, I’m talented, I know what I can offer and I’m not settling until I get what I strive for.
2. Drag Race why not.
3. New pads *laughs*
Can we talk for a minute about that wondrous Deven Green-Gaga mashup that you did at Pieces? How did you come up with the idea for that one? How challenging is it to do that much spoken word in a number?
That’s one of my signature mixes! It literally came to me one day because I was wondering if Phaedra could be that blonde bimbo MILF what would she perform and how. Spoken word in drag is always funny in my opinion. Mashing your mouth to someone else when it’s a song is easy but add spoken word to the mix you add a totally different element no one expected and it keeps thing fresh and fun. Deven Green has been a HUGE comedic inspiration to me (not to mention a beauty inspiration too! CAN WE TALK ABOUT THOSE CHEEK BONES!!!!) *sighs* I found her Brenda Dickson spoken word dub and instantly fell in love. Had to learn it all cover to cover and incorporate it in my mixes.
Well the crowd at the bar sure seemed to love it. Speaking of crowds at the bar, where can people see you do your thing and stuff money in your panties?
Like I said I’m a gypsy so I go where the wind takes me! BUT I will be at Dixie Normous’ Show at Anthony D’s in Milford, Connecticut March 26th! I’m at EGO Providence, Rhode Island Thursdays and Saturdays and you can ALWAYS stay up to date with my bookings and what’s going on with me on social media: Instagram/Twitter/SnapChat – @PhaedraPhaded and Facebook – Phaedra Phaded
Thank you so much for your time tonight Pheadra and congratulations again on winning our first ever Horizon award! We look forward to seeing how things unfold for you in your career. Do you have any final words of wisdom for us tonight?
Thank you the honor! I promise to make you proud. If I could leave with one note of wisdom, well, my feelings would best be expressed in a dramatic monologue from the made-for-tv movie portrait of a teenage centerfold, starring miss Lori Singer from Footloose….
It excites me, daddy. Don’t you see? I like it when the men look at me. You try to keep me trapped here in this small town…Like a little animal. But I am bustin’ out, daddy. I’m gonna see the world, and the world is gonna see me. They’re gonna see all of me, daddy. All of me, all of ME! Look! Look!
Oh, and don’t ever let anyone dull your sparkle. Fuck anyone who tries to and sparkle on.
