This should not surprise the person whose name Ruaaul loved said to have taken home Drag race uk Season 2 crown. But when we heard that Lawrence Chaney announced the UK’s next drag superstar, we were shocked just like him.
After a season, we finally know whose World of Wonder web series belongs to. Showcasing her cunning, uniqueness, nerve and talent, Lawrence Chaney struggled to make it to the top, and now she has the crown to show.
What does this mean for scottish queens
Lawrence made it clear throughout the season that Scottish drag is a completely different world from British drag. But she thinks it will win Drag race uk Season 2 is not yet for him, but people stand him on the way. “When I won, I can’t help but think of all the queens who raised me, you know…. For me it felt like a success story, not just my own But also for Scotland. “
Leaving behind a good laugh
At the end of the day, Lawrence hopes they will look back Drag race uk Season 2 brings just one good laugh. Whether you are escaping from the current political climate, epidemic or just her daily life, she hopes that people will turn up in her winning season to make her laugh.
“I want my legacy to be that no matter how bad the world is, whether it is socially, politically and even during an epidemic, I want people to remember that if I can see it and laugh Can I joke, I want everyone to laugh with me.
You can read the full interview with us Drag race uk Season 2 winner Lawrence Chaney down.
How did drag start in the first place?
This is a very funny story indeed. So I was a big fan of Cher, not all of us. I saw that Cher had this new film Burlesque. And I just loved the soundtrack, I loved the music, I loved Cher’s costumes in it. And I watched it one night, and popped up a title: “Welcome to Burlesque Cher Live”. I wanted to see if she was alive or going to do it live.
But then I clicked on the video and I like “What is Cher doing at once, doing this song?” What’s going on? “And it turns out it was Chad Michaels, not Cher. And I remember thinking,” Wow, who’s Chad Michaels? I need to know who this person is, they are amazing! “Then I found out that Chad was on series 4 drag race And I just started watching, and became obsessed with it.
Being 14-15 at the time, I was still in the closet and was really nervous, really shy and very awkward. I remember that a lot of children in school bullied me and I did not have many friends.
So, to watch this show where like everyone else, well they were sisters who are different from TV dramas, and see people at the top of their game, doing really well and being proud and relationships and Talking openly about marriage and all, it was really really inspiring and I never stopped watching.
I remember playing with makeup and stealing my mom’s black eyeliner and I tried to make myself look like Cher, then Lady Gaga, and it’s just like progress. Then I found out that Sharon Sui was coming to Glasgow, and then I went to the drag show at the age of 18.
I remember that I went out of drag and I felt like I got lost in drag. I realized that something was missing. The next time, Jinks Monsoon arrived in Glasgow and I dressed up as Little Eddie, his character he did on the snoo game.
And I really just never looked back. I felt very empowered, and that’s really how it started. I was a fan of this show, and started getting dressed up as these RU girls. And then it developed into my own character, and I was able to incorporate my sense of humor that way. You get to see the world, or to see the scene, or to see your community, and find the way you fit into it, and then do your work and navigate around it.
Why did you audition? Drag race uk, And what was your reaction when you were cast?
So I auditioned for series one Drag race uk. Again, I have been waiting for years to go on the show. I just love the show, I love RU and I love this show. So it was no mind that I wanted to go to the show.
I never sat around and waited for the show in the sense, I was always very inspired to be on advertising campaigns in Scotland and on TV in Scotland and that’s all you know. I am not sitting around and waiting for RuPaul to choose me, I think he will have to choose me, because I am at the top of my game here.
So it was not just a mind that I would keep trying until I climbed on it. So when I finally got it, I mean I was crying, I was happy, I was sad, all these feelings. You don’t know why you feel them, but you do that, and I was just over the moon.
I am very proud of the work I was finally paying. So a lot of celebratory drinks, and then the real work had to kick. Like “let’s fix these runway lochs, let’s think about what my game plan is.” Let us put our best foot forward. “
Throughout the season, you made it clear that you are doing this competition not only for yourself, but for all Scottish queens. Why do you think Scottish drag is a completely different world from the rest of the UK community?
Scottish drag is very low. I think that’s partly, you know, what to do with the lack of representation and drag race. But again, it’s not just drag raceMistake. When you look at the Scottish drag community, there are very few queens that have gone viral. You know, these Instagram models are like Hungry who is an amazing makeup artist and queen.
None of us are in its heart in the mainstream world or there was any article or anything like that on it. So I think we found it really hard to find our voice. I think that in general, it is not just a Scottish drag thing: it is a Scottish thing. Like, I love Austin Powers And one of my favorite characters Austin Powers Fat bastard.
But instead of getting a Scottish person to play it, it’s just Mike Myers playing the characters. We have a history of whether we should get a Scottish man to play that role? No, we’ll get someone for a funny accent and they won’t do it. “Therefore, we are naturally never before for anything.
So for me, when I came on the show. This was, apparently, the boast element of “Yes, Lawrence”, you did it! U get drag race“As well as winning, it is” Oh my God! You won! You did it! “When I win, I can’t help but think of all the queens who raised me, you know.
Or the people who directed me throughout the season, and told me that when I was winding up, or told me that when I was being stupid or when a joke didn’t land well or when I was struggling, it made me Taught to do this. , We will give it to you, you need it, and when you are in front of our coach you will need to say, not so. To me it felt like a success story, not only for myself but also for Scotland.
You have a lot of highs and lows this season. For you, what was your highest high, and lowest?
My highest was definitely the “UK Hun” RuRuvision Song Contest with the girl group. And the reason for this was that I had the highest level because I never thought I could do it. And initially I struggled with, you know, I struggled with lifting choreos and I struggled to sing.
Imagine that you have never recorded a song before. I remember being like, “How does Madonna manage this?” And I realized at that moment, this advice was given to me by RU and Michelle. In Rasik, he said, “You’re not bad. You think you’re bad, and he’s holding you back.”
And then I brought it back and I said, “Well, yeah, maybe I’m not bad, maybe it takes me a long time to get something up.” So instead of trying it once, “Nah, nah, can’t do it.” Luckily, it got stuck. And you know, we all had a lot of fun in that challenge.
My least. . . . You know that I really struggled mentally throughout the competition, and I feel bad because me and Ellie [Diamond] Really good friends, but I think the lowest downside was the reasoning we had, because no matter what was wrong, did I need to start an argument on a running order? Probably not.
But what you were here to do, you are being tested at every level, you are getting mentally or physically drained. Even your friendliness, they are being tested against you. But like Ellie said on the show, she advised me that I should get advice on how to drag. I just thought in my mind, obviously Ellie has not screwed up on me, because we always had it, we always pat each other’s back.
We always got ready together, we’ve always done loads of things together, so I guess it wasn’t expected that it hurt any more. I think that was the only time I saw myself, and said “Lawrence you are the product of those bullies in school right now.” Being this badass kid, you know, I have loyalty and my friends are loyal to me.
But you are basically vindicating those bullies, that they were able to bully you because you were just arguing, not adding anything to the conversation. You’re getting upset. Don’t get me wrong, it’s okay to be upset, but on national television when you’re being filmed, it’s probably not the best thing. So, glad I and Ellie are friends later but no, it was not my best moment.
What do you expect with your heritage Drag race uk is?
I want my legacy to be that no matter how bad the world is, no matter how social, political and epidemic, I want people to remember that if I can see it and laugh and Can make a joke about it, then I want everyone to laugh with me.
That’s how we are together. How do we go through these situations. Looking at it, rolling it over your head, what’s fun, and then going, “Okay, this is a big bad world. But let’s laugh at this part and this part. You’re really breaking it, because We all need to laugh now.
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Can hold on to you Drag race uk Season two on BBC iPlayer in the UK and on WOWPresents Plus in the US and other select territories.
