Season 4 of Canada’s Drag Race recently kicked off and the the cast is showcasing a dynamic and diverse array of talent, including Montreal’s Sisi Superstar. While the self-proclaimed “goth bimbo back alley Barbie of Montreal City” has departed the competition, she did not leave without the first iconic catchphrase of the season (“Daddle Doo”)!, leaving her unique mark on the competition. I sat down to chat with Sisi post elimination and we dished about her time on Canada’s Drag Race, staying true to her own drag style, and her big plans for the future (including music and possibly a tour?)!
Michael Cook: Tell me about your Canada’s Drag Race experience overall?
Sissi: Well as you might have seen, I didn’t get the full Canada’s Drag Race fantasy that I had in my head. Overall though, I had a great time. I met so many good people, the staff over there is so much fun to work with, and overall everyone was super nice. I had a really nice experience, that’s for sure.
MC: You are departing the season first & you also developed your own catch phrase, which originated during the challenge when you said “Daddle Doo!” several times and it was truly charming. Are you the unofficial Vanessa “Vanjie” Mateo of the season?
SS: Period. You know, I kind of felt like that that might really be my moment. We see so many girls leaving the franchise with their heads down and literally broken. We have seen some girls stop doing drag after being eliminated. My love for drag goes so much beyond this experience and this show, I have been in love with drag for forever. I just wanted to make my mark and move forward.
MC: When did that love for drag first spark?
SS: I have a very big Club Kid background and going out in the clubs. I used to live in the suburbs and I would see all of these pictures of all of these club kids parties going on and I would just be like “this is me”! Even in high school I was dressing up, putting makeup on and I was very extravagant. I started little by little putting on looks, lashes, & lenses and Sisi was born.
MC: What was your first exposure to RuPaul’s Drag Race and when did you think it might be something that you could be a part of?
SS: WI started doing drag in 2015 or 2016, so there was not really an opportunity for me to get on the show. The second I saw that it was in Canada, I applied all four seasons. I got on on my fourth try.
MC: What was your rose and thorn of your Canada’s Drag Race experience?
SS: My high was to see that Denim was there and the friendships that I developed there. Just showing my sense of humor and my craft also; I know that it isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but I know that a lot of people related to my character and what I had to say. My thorn would be not getting my Drag Race fantasy and not being able to show all of the multi-faceted aspects of Sisi.
As we learned last episode, it was going to be the recording music challenge on the next episode and I am a recording artist. I write all of my own lyrics and it was a missed opportunity for me to not continue. If you don’t get the chance to do it though, you give yourself the chance. I came out with my single “DADDLE DOO! BITCH!” and people are going to see that I have other aspects.
MC: You’ve mentioned your Canada’s Drag Race fantasy; what is one thing that you think you would have loved to have gotten to show that fans would have fallen in love with had you gotten the chance to stay?
SS: I think just my realness and the fact that I am an original. I would have loved to have gotten to do the music challenge, that was a bummer to me; that is really what I was looking forward to. All of the looks that I’ve prepared were very elevated and fun, so that was hard too.
MC: Your drag was very referential to classic drag, but there was a very artistic, dark, and moody twist on your drag, is that fair to say?
SS: Of course. I feel like going into the competition was a very big challenge for me. The first categories were things like “gemstones” and “showgirls” and when I got the sheets with the categories, I knew that I would really have to adapt. I would have to put a step forward and stone as many stones as I could. Before the show, I had never stoned anything actually. I had never worn these long dresses that are hard to walk in and there was a lot of new for me; a pageant-y aspect that is not the basis of my drag. I am happy that I learned a lot actually.
MC: Watching the episode, the conversations on gender expression and sexuality were a highlight to watch during your werkroom discussions. What was it like to be a part of such important conversations?
SS: It was amazing. I think that it was really time for Canada’s Drag Race to go there. We have had trans girls before on previous seasons, but they were not given the go-ahead to talk about or maybe they were not fully comfortable talking about, I don’t really know the reason. This season it was very much full on like “let’s talk about it”.
MC: What do you want to do with the global platform that Canada’s Drag Race has given you?
SS: Like I’ve been saying to the girls on the show the whole time, I had a career before the show. I’m not just a bar girl, I have my own nights in Montreal, I have one of the most successful queer parties in all of Montreal. I am a graphic designer, a visual artist, I had my own art show it’s been ten years. If you look at my resume I have been very successful for a long time. For me, going on the show was me getting my foot in the door and getting more people to see what I do. I am going to have to do my own tour and make it happen for myself.
MC: What do you say to the people that think that there may not be a place for them on Canada’s Drag Race?
SS: Do it anyway. All publicity is good publicity. I knew that my drag and me as a person may not be as digestible as other girls. I knew that my way of thinking, talking and expressing myself would not necessarily be put forward, but this is just another step to go forward in my career that has bought me a lot of visibility. You still learn so much from it.
The more these kinds of girls go on the show, the more people will see the value in that. We’ve seen queens like Milk and people were like “what is she doing?” when she wore facial hair and people were shocked, but look at what is done after; they do a challenge where all the girls did a challenge with a mustache. It’s just a question of breaking the mold and moving forward.
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