“I'm ready to share Alyssa Edwards again.”
After six long years, drag superstar Alyssa Edwards is back. Edwards is one of 12 queens competing for a spot in the international wing of the Drag Race Hall of Fame on “RuPaul’s Drag Race Global All Stars,” which premieres Friday on Paramount+.
While facing fierce competition from the other queens, Edwards announces that she has some unfinished business and wants to be crowned Queen of the Mothertucking World.
But why did it take so long? Edwards says it was because she trusted her instincts; but timing was also crucial. So when the opportunity to appear on Global All Stars came up, Edwards jumped at the chance. “I remember sitting there thinking, ‘I’m ready to challenge myself. I’m ready to show my art again,’” she says. “It was a chapter that felt like unfinished business.”
The show will feature 12 queens representing their home countries, showcasing their charisma, courage and talent on an international level. Edwards will represent the American flagship show. “This is where it all began,” she says.
Drag Race Global also includes Athena Leques (Belgium), Eva Lee Quinn (Philippines), Gala Faro (Mexico), Katie Scott Kloss (United Kingdom), Quinn Kong (Australia), Miranda LeBrau (Brazil), Nehlenia (Italy), Bethia (Canada), Soua de Muse (France), Tessa Testikl (Switzerland), and Vanity Finn (Sweden).
Edwards likens the latest installment of the franchise to the Drag Racing Olympics. Instead of entering through the classic workroom entrance, the queens emerge onto the main stage, giving them bright spotlights from the start.
This big platform is important for queens when it comes to representing their countries and their clothes, but some feel the pressure that comes with taking on this responsibility.
Nehlenia, a graduate of the second season of Drag Race Italia, admitted she was nervous. “Italian drag queens are not appreciated enough. We are not famous all over the world. We do not have the same opportunities. We only work in clubs. We do not participate in TV shows and premieres, so being here to represent my country and all my drag queen sisters could be the first time that an Italian queen can show the world that we are all the same,” she added. “Maybe I can be the voice of all Italian queens and ask for more.”
“At first, I was like, ‘Well, it’s like the last time,’” Scott Klaus admits. “But it’s not just Drag Race UK, it’s the whole UK. It’s a huge event, but that’s what makes it so exciting too. To showcase our drag work on this world stage is such an honor.”
Drag Race France alumna De Meuse has to deal with being from a country considered the fashion capital of the world. “It’s just a cliché,” De Meuse says, but of course that only adds to the pressure when it comes to putting together her outfits. “I’m just going to have fun because I have all this talent in front of me, and we can learn from each other,” she jokes.
Pythia hasn’t let her Drag Race Canada run her into any preconceived notions. “I’m going to have fun and move on,” she says, promising to present an evolved version of herself. “What happened in the past is in the past, and it served me at the time. This is the future, this is the present, and let’s create something new.”
