Crowned in July, the first winner on the debut season’s finale of the competition show “King of Drag” (aka the first televised drag king competition) King Molasses’ sweet majesty is pouring all over the world as we speak. New Yorkers have two great chances to catch the King this month! [Cover photo: Beyond You Portraits]
Thotyssey: Hello, King! Thanks for chatting with us! Belated congrats on winning the first ever season of the Murray Hill-hosted King of Drag on the Revry network! Does it all feel real yet, or is it still like a cosmic dream?
King Molasses: Thanks for chatting with me! It feels like both? I’ve always been a bit of a space cadet, floating around the many worlds in my head. It’s truly surreal allowing the world to see how I travel through my dreams.
What was going through your mind when you were at the finale viewing party at 3 Dollar Bill, waiting for them to announce the winner… and they announced you!?
I went into the finale telling myself that this is just another night at work. That is not to minimize the magnitude of the moment – if anything, it was important for me to keep the moment in perspective. Winning the crown is one of many milestones I have set for myself in terms of my career as an artist, and the title of King of Drag is a victory for drag kings and things everywhere.
Now that you’ve had time to reflect on the King of Drag experience, what was your favorite part / moment about filming?
My favorite parts were sharing quiet and soft moments of touch with the cast and crew on-and-off camera. Brushing the dirt off Charles Galin King’s shoulder, crushin’ on Big D, and walking arm-in-arm with Dick Von Dyke and Henlo Bullfrog…watching that intimacy back really reminded me how special this experience was for my person. I’ve lone-wolf’ed this drag thing for a long time, and it was a true blessing to be reminded I couldn’t have made it here alone.
Drag is a surprisingly small and tight-knit community across states and even the continents, and the king community is even tighter. Did you feel like you knew, or at least heard of, most of your fellow contestants before joining them on set?
I knew and had been a fan of several of the contestants who walked into the Man Cave with me – several had been on my “fantasy” list of possible castmates, even (like Buck Wylde and King Perka $exxx). There were also several contestants I did not know, and it was an absolute treat becoming fans of their work.
Did you feel pressure in any way to be twice as good, twice as professional or maybe even twice as reality-TV-entertaining as your queen counterparts from RuPaul’s Drag Race, since King of Drag is no doubt the introduction to male-presenting drag for many viewers?
Certainly. That pressure, however, is not new to me. I’ve worked on cast as the only drag king alongside many iconic queens on various productions before KoD, and I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve walked into a dressing room or on a stage to sea of confused faces. They give the “what is this overdressed man in a hat doing here?” look.
I find the urge to prove myself to drag queens, audiences, and the drag market at large who undermine kings to be a fool’s errand. Misogyny and misogynoir are big systems, and I am one person. Proving myself as valid in the face of that “pressure” is an ineffective use of my time. I’d much rather love myself, and exceed my own expectations. That is hard enough.
But on the other hand, since the show was so new and was capable of becoming anything, did you maybe feel a bit loosey-goosey and free to play with your art and numbers?
I strive to break-form whenever I’m in drag. I felt the most free when I had the opportunities to show what I do best, which were doing the runway challenges and the finale lip-syncs.
The first season cast of King of Drag will have a shared experience that few other people on the planet can relate to! Do you think you’ll all be bonded for life in that respect?
Oh, yeah. I love every single one of my castmates and they’re stuck with me for life.
I understand that you’re from the DMV area, and you are the child of Nigerian immigrant parents. Can you speak a little to what your performance and style aesthetic is for those unfamiliar, and how your own drag journey began? Were there any specific kings you discovered early on that made you think “I can do this too?”
When I have to describe my work and style, I often say it’s spiritual – as in, I find work, play and praise to be in harmony with the physical and cultural neighborhoods that have shaped the world. I’m a kid who grew up in a Nigerian home in the black suburbs. I love and study visual art and media theory. I live in Chocolate City (Washington DC), where my parents spent their young adulthood. The practice of doing drag is a call to mindfulness – to be myself, and to be embodiment with all things around me. That’s how I look.
Do you have a favorite number to do?
I love all of my children equally.
We’re living through a pretty dark time now, particularly if you are a queer, POC or an immigrant. Being a renown Black queer artist from an immigrant family is extremely visible and important in this moment. What kind of message do you want to convey as far as that identity goes, in tandem with your role as an artist and as the new King of King of Drag?
The message I want to convey is not so much a message. As the winner of King of Drag and as a person in the world, I want to use my platform to be an example of how resistance and the pursuit of liberation must be grounded love and being ourselves to the fullest extent.
Where are your favorite New York performance venues, and who are some drag folks you like to see and work with while you’re in town?
Oh, y’all have so many good spots… but I do feel a certain tingle whenever I’m on that tiny Club Cumming stage. When I’m in town, I can watch Sweaty Eddie rip his heart any night of the week. And the femme fatales after my heart currently are Julie J (duh), Dev Doee, and Daniella Darling.
You’ll be taking part in one of the world’s best known drag festivals on Saturday, August 23rd at the Knockdown Center… Bushwig! I suspect this isn’t your first Bushwig, but how excited are you!? Drag Race icon Roxxxy Andrews and your KoD judge Sasha Velour will be headlining, alongside tons of local and visiting queens and kings and things!
Your suspicions are correct! I’m so excited to return to Bushwig this year as one of the closing acts for Day One. I have something really special in store for you all and I’m so excited to meet and watch so many drag legends (Miss Thick and Juicy included)!
Then the following Friday and Saturday nights (August 29th-30th), you’ll be on the La MaMa stage with Sasha Velour once again for the 10th annual celebration of her famous multimedia showcase, “Nightgowns!” That’s gonna be a weekend to remember! What do you love about Sasha as an artist?
Well, I love that Sasha keeps booking me… haha! What I’ve truly appreciated in getting to know and work with Sasha is how much of an artist’s artist she is. From small chats behind the scenes of filming KoD to just taking a walk after a show with Johnny and Vanya, I’ve truly enjoyed getting to know her as a person as much as I have admired her as an artist.
And “Nightgowns!’ This will be my second showing after my debut with Charlene, Nymphia Wind and Sapphira Cristal last year. To be alongside Sasha Colby, Kevin Aviance and The Illustrious Pearl for the ten year anniversary revue is exactly where I should be.
What else is coming up for you?
I hope y’all aren’t sick of me yet, because I’ll be walking in NYFW this year among some other special projects coming up this fall. Stay tuned!
And finally: what’s your favorite / most essential item in your drag bag?
Prosaide. The beard is fake, and has to get on somehow!
Thank you, King, and congrats on a great start to a new reign!
Check Thotyssey’s calendar for King Molasses’ upcoming appearances, and follow him Instagram and LinkTree.
Thotyssey 