The world is more colorful when drag queens get to be themselves and share their gifts. Kay Gorgeous is a Jersey-born and raised star. The ultra-talented drag queen can be seen everywhere around the Garden State, from corporate gigs to hosting sold-out pottery classes. I was able to chat with the talented Gorgeous over Zoom early on a Friday morning.
Hello, hello, Kay Gorgeous. How are you doing this morning?
Kay Gorgeous: Yeah, I’m doing phenomenal. I’m in drag. Don’t worry. I’m not tucked, so everything is aired out in its glory.
Love to hear that. It makes the interview even more special that way. Natural.
KG: Just let everything hang out. Let your hair down. Let everything hang.
Absolutely. The honesty is appreciated, and I hope you keep it up throughout the interview.
KG: Perfect. I plan to lie from here on out, though. I just wanted to be honest about it.
So Kay, I’d love to know how and when you realized performing and drag were so important to who you are?
KG: I started drag at a time in my life where everything went wrong. A breakup after a five-year relationship and the global pandemic. I saw an ad on Instagram for Miss Stanhope, a local bar pageant in Sussex County, New Jersey, and decided, “Why not? I have nothing to lose.” In a month, I learned drag and tied for the win with Belle Pepper, who’s now one of my best Judy’s in drag and mentor. It came down to a lip sync and she won.
Do you remember the song or you don’t want to talk about it?
KG: So well, the song was “Till the World Ends” and my world ended that day. But actually it really started.
That’s a good Britney [Spears] song. Yeah, of course. Great way to look at things.
KG: So I became a monthly cast member at the Stanhope House. Belle [Pepper] helped me get my first paid gig, it was more than my [regular job] paycheck. I thought, “Maybe I should try doing this drag thing more seriously than just kind of lip-syncing frolicking around a bar.”
How have New Jersey audiences been? It sounds like you’ve seen so many people throughout your performances.
KG: They’ve been amazing. The beauty of a New Jersey audience is that it varies so much. You have your bachelorette parties, queer folks, but also people who you would never expect to see at a drag show. I remember the Stanhope House; after I got off stage after the lip sync, they crowned Belle. I had this big burly biker coming up, he puffs out his chest all macho and says, “You were robbed. You should have won that. I wanted you to win.” Which was a nice surprise. That’s what I’ve learned through drag. You cannot judge a book by its cover. In the same way I wouldn’t want someone to judge me. You meet so many different people in New Jersey, that you’d never thought would ride for you. But they turn up and have a good time.
It’s great that you’re so connected to the audience. Who in the New Jersey drag scene has inspired you?
KG: Of course, Belle Pepper. I drag the way I do because of her. Another person who’s a big influence is Astala Vista. She’s so giving and kind. She’s created a whole company, Drag Queen Entertainment, with her fiance. They’ve made so many opportunities to do drag, and she once booked me for a makeup gig at Stony Brook University. She’s always had my back and looked out for me. Like them, I try to pass expertise to the next generation of queens. I wouldn’t be the queen I am today without all the help and kindness from more experienced queens.
So you talked about some of your style inspirations. Can you share any style tips with us? Because I’m sure you have plenty.
KG: I think my biggest style tip was, again, from Astala. To find something custom that represents you. I found an amazing designer and some local designers that work with me and help me execute my vision. The way I want to present myself. And now I have a team of people that help me execute the vision in my head. They help me be the person I want to be and bring Kay Gorgeous to life.
Tell me more about the “vision” you’re sharing with the audience? I’d love to know how you would describe your drag style.
KG: My drag, it’s similar to an alien that crash-landed on Earth and now trying to assimilate into society as a woman. I feel my drag’s very gender-fluid. There will be times when I’m dressed as a farmer in tribute to my first American ancestor, Great-Grand-Pappy Gorgeous. It’s a true life story of my great-great-grandfather, a farmer in North Dakota. I imagine him as a DL farmer… Oh, sometimes I’ll come out of an iron lung and perform “This Is My Life” as a tribute to where I see myself in the future. It’s just having fun with it. I’m not afraid to look silly. Yes, I love to be very gorgeous, but I want to have that contrast of, “What the hell is wrong with her?” That’s what I love about drag. You can create your own world in which you want to live.
Makes me want to come to a show even more now.
KG: Come!
It sounds fun that your drag can be beautiful, but also zany, fun and wacky. Cool you’re merging all of that together.
KG: I always think [my performances] are like the cartoons on Saturday morning that make no sense, but they have their own rules, and you just kind of accept that reality. That cinder blocks and pianos can be dropped from the ceiling and crush Tom or Jerry. That’s just normal. You don’t question it. My drag is the same. Where I’m making the new rules, and you’re tuning in on Saturday morning to watch. For at least those five to seven minutes. I have you, and you just come into my world, walk around my brain, and create my cartoon.
“I’m most known for is my “insurance mix.” I was annoyed that my old job as a paraprofessional wasn’t giving me insurance. I kept being sarcastic about it, making jokes. But then…..”
Amazing. You’re pulling from so many different worlds, are there any specific songs that you love performing or any mixes that are your favorite?
KG: Oh, I think what I’m most known for is my “insurance mix.” I was annoyed that my old job as a paraprofessional wasn’t giving me insurance. I kept being sarcastic about it, making jokes. But then I thought, “Wait, I can make a good mix.” I love parody. Made it all about begging for insurance from crowds. So people come to my shows with their insurance cards in hand, ready to give me their insurance cards when I start begging for them.
I’ll make sure to bring my insurance card when I come to see your show. I would love to know: what are fun facts about you people may be surprised to learn?
KG: Oh, a fun fact about me is I used to be a total jock all through high school. The varsity level. I also used to be a street dancer. So that’s where I learned how to perform. All through high school and middle school I was obsessed with America’s Best Dance Crew. So, my dream was to form a dance crew and join it.
Did you have a name for the dance crew?
KG: It was Untamed Skill because we were rough around the edges, but we had skill. I knew what I was selling. I used to dance at the pep rally… and my earth science teacher said, “You need to meet my son, he dances like you. So do his friends because Randolph has a dance program.” And he introduced me. All through high school, we would go to parking lots with a speaker or whoever had a makeshift mirror in their basement, and we would just dance. I learned how to anticipate and move to all these hip-hop beats and music. That mentality inspired my performance because you perform for the other dancers in the room. It’s the same way with drag queens; the audience is great. I love them, but I want to impress the other drag queens. If you impress a drag queen, to show them something they’ve never seen before…that’s my motivation.
That’s a great way to stay motivated, by seeing your peers and wanting to impress them. Moving forward, what are your plans for the future? Drag Race in 2025 or 2026?
KG: I would love to, but I also think the market’s very saturated with Drag Race. If it happens, I’m all for it. Before that, I want to make this my full-time job and put all my heart and soul into it. I’m also an educator. So my mornings are that, and I love that career, but it’s tough. I would love to make Kay my full-time thing ’cause I feel most alive as her. I love being able to create safe places for our community, especially the small town areas that need it. My goal is to be able to set up more shows and opportunities to showcase queer talent. Especially now more than ever.
We can come together, feel safe, and forget about all the worries in the world for a moment. Connecting with other venues and other people that are like-minded is amazing. Just having a place where queer people can congregate ’cause that’s what I always wanted as a kid.
“It’s just a beautiful thing. I want the best for Newbury Pottery Studio. And I just can’t wait to see the show grow.”
That’s amazing. I’d love to know about the current one that you have coming up, the Newbury Pottery Studio. [Boonton, New Jersey] Your “Drag Your Ass to Pottery Class,” is an amazing name. Tell me everything. How can people sign up?
KG: It is phenomenal. You can sign up for it on the Newbury Pottery Studio website. It’s such a phenomenal business in general because they allow people to come as they are. You can become a member of the studio. If you enjoy pottery, you can get a membership. They give you a punch code so you have access to the studio and a safe place to come be yourself. To be queer. It’s just a beautiful thing. I want the best for Newbury Pottery Studio. And I just can’t wait to see the show grow.
I mean, pottery is always great, but to have the drag element is so unique. It’s cool what you’re doing.
KG:: I love it. The best part is that they’re ally down. They’re both hetero identifying themselves and still advocate, “No, we see a need for this. We want to make a difference in our community and show our community that this is a safe place.” Now that we’re bringing drag to New Jersey, it’s just amazing. They’ve become good friends. I’ve even connected with a friend, who now identifies as queer, that I went to school with. Now we’re on the other side and making stuff and creating these spaces.
I’d love to know if you have any advice for anyone looking to start drag. What advice do you have for anyone looking to step into your world a little?
KG: I say do it. Have fun. Just go for it. Don’t worry about being polished. In my first performance, I didn’t wear a wig. I looked like a man in a dress sprinting around a bar. But it worked out that you all have to start somewhere and let the growth elevate you. Also, what I tell all new queens when they start out is, don’t be any old drag queen. I think you should be the drag queen you want to be.
Be authentic to yourself. Make art from your perspective. Because the most powerful thing we have as artists is your perspective because no one’s lived your life. No one’s walked in your shoes. No one knows what you’ve been through. Now, create what inspires you and what you get excited about and put that on the stage. Cause no one has your experience. And everyone’s going to go up because if you’re happy and you’re excited about what you’re presenting, it’s going to translate to the audience.
Great advice, positive and encouraging too. I hope whoever reads this feels empowered. How can we continue supporting you and your art and everything about you?
KG: I guess the best way is for you to follow me on Instagram. That’s always a good place to start with drag queens. The generic one at KayGorgeousQueen, K-A-Y. Yes, I’m extra. I make you spell it out. I’m not going to spell that for you because I am a dyslexic queen.
I would say keep coming out to shows. Keep asking venues if you want a drag show. Because if you’re supporting other local queens and normalizing that, we’re moving toward a collective understanding that drag is not a scary thing. Drag is not something harmful. We’re entertainers and we’re here to entertain. I promise you, we’re a lot more entertaining than the generic trivia host at your nearby bar. We’re professional talkers, professional entertainers. Drag is a means to help businesses, bring in clientele, and create safe places for people who don’t feel they have a safe place. Whether that’s gay, straight, bi, trans, or nonbinary; it’s for everyone. It’s art, and art is meant to be consumed by everyone, and drag is an art form. If you just support one queer person, you’re supporting us all. It’s the butterfly effect.
Very true. And again, very inspirational. Thank you for your time.
New Jersey may not be well-known for drag queens, but rising talent like Kay Gorgeous is helping bring our state the attention we deserve. Other famous New Jersey drag queens include Luxx Noir London from East Orange and Carmen Carrera of Elmwood Park. With a steady rise in acceptance of our community (and the fabulous events we’re able to put on thanks to drag performers), queens are helping make us seen and our impact known.
