The live-singing, mushroom loving hyper-queen was once famous fetus, is our current reigning Mx. Cheer, and a Miss Barracuda 2025 hopeful… Jess And!
Thotyssey: Hi Jess, happy March! I know you’re quite busy preparing for Week 3 of 4 of Miss Barracuda right now… has this been a wildly creative and productive time, or is it hair-pulling levels of stress?
Jess And: I would say both! On the one hand, I love being given a prompt and creating what is essentially a small, self-contained piece of theatre based on it! It’s very reminiscent of my schooling; my favorite class at the conservatory I went to was called Manifesto–at the beginning of the week you were given a prompt, and by the end of the week you had to have a short, original piece of theatre. On the other hand, I currently have four survival jobs… and just being in NYC is expensive. So it inevitably becomes a crunch for time and supplies!
How are the Miss Barracuda contestants getting along… is there any backstage drama, lol? Although “backstage” at Barracuda is a very vague concept!
Haha, you’re telling me! For evening gown, we all co-opted the bar as our dressing room! It’s actually been such a supportive group. There has been a comment or two about my gender expression, but I shut that down very quickly, lol. Overall, I would say the girls are really encouraging of one another–we even have a group chat started by the current reigning Ms. Barracuda, Egypt, where we troubleshoot any questions we have with each other!
Miss Barracuda has a broad range of creative challenges and themed looks: can you describe what you’ve presented in the first two weeks?
Sure! So for Week One the category was Swimsuit, and the theme was Produce. Amongst my friends I’m known for loving toadstools and mushrooms–mainly just because I think they’re cute! So for Produce, it seemed very on brand for me to choose mushrooms as my theme. Specifically, I chose an oyster mushroom–partially because it’s a type of mushroom you would find in a grocery store, and partially because I thought the way they grow upwards and outwards would translate well to an interesting silhouette.
For Week Two, the category was Evening Gown and the theme was Bluelight Special: Down the Aisle, which was described to us as anything you might find pre-packaged and on sale. My immediate inspiration was being in middle school and putting metallic gum wrappers on the backs of our calculators. The front of my dress was comprised of hundreds of individual metallic strips to evoke gum wrappers, with much larger swaths of the metallic fabric wrapping around the back to create the train. And then of course, I had a giant piece of gum as a headpiece, lol.
Slay! Miss Barracuda is the brainchild of New York drag legend and RuGirl Tina Burner, who serves as host! What’s it like to watch her work up close?
I feel like watching the big dogs perform is always a masterclass in and of itself! It’s definitely given me some ideas on how to better my crowd work and hosting abilities. Additionally, I really like the way Tina utilizes multimedia in her mixes!
We’ll get back to Barracuda in a bit, but first: can you tell us a bit of your origin story: where are you from, and were art and performance always parts of your your life?
So originally I’m from Cleveland, OH, and art and performance have definitely always been part of my life! Both of my parents are producers (my mom is a television producer and my father is an events producer), and one of my fun claims to fame is that the first time I was on TV was before I was born; my mom tested a new type of ultrasound machine live on air, when she was eight months pregnant with me!
OMG, a Star Before She Was Born! So I know you sing, were / are you a full on actor?
I am! I actually have a Masters degree in Theatre from The National Theatre School of Ireland, The Gaiety School of Acting. While my training was mostly rooted in theatre, in the past several years I’ve transitioned my focus to film and television. And I am still pursuing acting full time, in addition to drag and my four survival jobs!
Wow! How did drag come into your life?
I originally discovered drag when I was a freshman in college, but it came prominently back into my life over the pandemic in the form of Trixie Mattel and Katya Zamolodchikova’s web series UNHhhh. From there I started exploring the local drag scene in New York (once it was safe to do so again, of course!). I’ve never been content to just enjoy something, lol; if I love something, I have to be part of it!
These days we have a larger number of AFAB / “hyper queens” in the mix, but that’s probably still not what the average person thinks of when they hear “drag queen.” Has that been a challenge while pursuing gigs, accumulating fans and followers, etc.?
Definitely. A lot of people don’t view me as a “real”drag queen, whatever that is. I have seen other queens who have come up through the scene at the same time I have who have been afforded more opportunities. But as a person who was raised as / socialized female, I am no stranger to having to work twice as hard just to prove I am worthy of the same level of respect and consideration as my male counterparts.
Before Miss Barracuda, you did a number of big competitions: Mx. Rockbar, Red Idol (for singers), and a “hosting skills” one-off Mic Time at C’mon Everybody. And you won the Mx. Cheer crown in December! Do you particularly thrive in that competitive environment?
I do. A competition is a great opportunity for growth, both because it pushes your individual creativity, and because it exposes you to other’s creativity and work ethic which inevitably pushes you to work harder! But in addition to that, I compete so much because that’s where I can perform. Like you intimated earlier, it is a challenge to book gigs as a hyper queen. Frankly I’m not being booked very often, despite my positive track record in competitions. So while I do thrive in a competitive environment, competitions are a way for me to perform and to book whatever gigs I can; almost every gig I’ve had in the past year has been because it’s something I won in a competition, or because someone who was booking saw me compete.
I’m sure you don’t want to spoil what you’re actually gonna present, but can you tease us with what’s coming up in the next two weeks of Miss Barracuda?
So Week Three of Ms. Barracuda is a video challenge based on the TV show Shark Tank. I won’t spoil what product I’m selling, but let’s say I’m taking a more cerebral approach… as I am wont to do! The finale is the only week that isn’t themed; we’re just meant to showcase our talent. I’ll definitely be singing the house down (provided the mics at Barracuda are working that night, lol)!
Speaking of singing, you’ll be back with your Red Idol fam at Red Eye on March 27 for “Idolatry: Lady Gaga,” where the cast will be serving vocal tributes to the titular lady! How excited are you for 1) Mayhem dropping this weekend, and 2) this Red Eye show?
1. Very excited, and 2. very VERY excited! It feels like Mayhem is going to be a return to Gaga’s “Mother Monster” roots, which is when I originally became interested in her!
And this Red Eye show is going to be spectacular! The Red Idol team has really cultivated some of the best singers in NYC, so to have all of us together wailing under one roof will surely be giving full-on concert vibes!
Anything else you want to mention?
I would like to thank the established queens who have given me opportunities. While there are plenty who don’t take me seriously, there are a few queens who have gone out of their ways to give me opportunities such as Hibiscus, Suddenly Audrey, Rify Royalty, Castrata and Temple Grandé, to name a few!
Lovely! Let’s close with: what’s the most essential item in your drag bag, cosmetic or otherwise?
Oh, it’s for sure a variety of glues and glue removers! I always carry mini-tubes of E6000, Mastix P, and nail glue. And I always make sure to have nail glue remover, because that shit is painful to take off!
The struggle is real! Thanks, Jess!
Check Thotyssey’s calendar for Jess And’s upcoming appearances, and follow her on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube.
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