Born out of the ballroom culture, Nikita Iman joined the cast of “Drag Race Down Under” as one of Sydney, Australia’s freshest faces. After conquering the Auckland, New Zealand scene, Iman is putting in the work in her Sydney community first, with some encouragement and advice from her drag sister Kween Kong. Iman and I sat down for a chat about her “Drag Race Down Under” experience and we dished about her emotional makeover challenge, her post “Drag Race” plans, and how her Global All Stars finalist sister has impacted her life and career.
Michael Cook: Tell me about your Drag Race Down Under experience…
Nikita Iman: It has been an experience! We filmed earlier in the year and we were expecting it to come out a bit earlier, so we all kind of forgot what happened when we filmed. The only things that were highlighted in our brains are the things that we did badly. I was really dreading some particular moments to come out but honestly, most of it I have really enjoyed. I am a really big fan of the show and I feel like if I was not on the show, I would be watching every episode. I would be watching every review, reading the comments and stuff like that. It has been crazy that people all around the world are watching and connecting to you in some way.
MC: Coming in with a perspective from the ballroom scene, we all know that Drag Race and drag itself is steeped in ballroom culture. Do you think that gave you a bit of an edge in the competition?
NI: Yes and no. There are obviously a lot of crossovers with ballroom, but I feel like with Drag Race it is very exaggerated drag vibes. Ballroom is kind of more head to toe glamour. Going into it, I wasn’t really as nervous because with ballroom it is competition kind of vibes. You are always going to a ball and always had that “game on” mentality, so I wasn’t really nervous going into the competition in terms of that aspect. Some of the girls were talking about something or had references and I didn’t know what it meant. I got on with everyone, but just with a few of the reference pools I was out of my depth. Like, “I don’t know what that means, I’ve never watched that movie” (laughs).
MC: What would be your rose and thorn of your Drag Race Down Under journey?
NI: The high would obviously be my makeover challenge. That was such an amazing experience to be there, do it, and learn and then rewatch it and experience everyones love for it. My runway for the one particular episode did not come out the way that I wanted it to, but it still came out quite nice.
MC: You could tell when you did the makeover challenge and even when you just spoke about it, that that particular challenge hit you directly in the heart.
NI: Thank you, I really appreciate that. I think that after the first day of filming, I really ignored the cameras, the cameras to me were not a thing that I always thought about. When I was having that heart to heart moment and getting to know Leuuis, it was nice to really just get to do that. When I was watching it back and all of my friends, partner and family watching it, I think that they thought that I was very much myself and very much still in that learning experience as well when it comes to my culture. I didn’t even remember crying on the runway, I was like “I had forgotten about that”.
It was my goal not to cry, and I think I ended up crying a lot, backstage and stuff. I think it was just really important to have that type of showcase on this show, especially Down Under because we have so many island queens. It was just nice to get messages from communities, people from back home, and people from the islands. It was really nice to be celebrated for something that I was not sure of my whole life.
MC: Having people like Kween Kong in your life probably helps you celebrate those very aspects of yourself that you speak about. What it is like having her be such an influence?
NI: I love Kween; she is my sister. Kween’s generation of girls is who taught me to do drag. For Kween, she is such an entertainer and such a performer. I am in awe of her every time I see her. Watching her see where she has come from and where she is going, someone who did not live that far away from me when we were growing up, along with the house mothers and trans women in my life, to watch them thrive, be happy and be beautiful..oh my gosh…
MC: What do you think you want to do next?
NI: They say that the work does not start about until the show is done airing, and I am like “Who do I talk to to help me plan out my next year”? I definitely want to highlight my ballroom and do more shows that integrate ballroom and drag together. I’d like to travel around Australia and New Zealand.
I think for me, I have always sort of wondered if I should transition from part-time to full-time drag and I think for next year, its about seeing if I can set myself up for that transition. I am still a new queen in the Sydney and Australia scene, so I really want to introduce myself to the girls around Australia. I think it is important to do your networking and community engagement first before you go over and take over. It’s just about finessing my perspective, the look, and the musicality that I love to do as a performer and then just take that on the road.
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