Armed with live vocals, sharp humor and genuine outrageousness, Philadelphia door goddess Martine just became the first preliminary winner of Crystal Envy’s Diamond Race. Could the finale crown be next? [Cover photo: Chavel].
Thotyssey: Martine, hello! Thanks for chatting today! Do you have a bunch of Spooky Season looks planned for the month?
Martine: For this month, no… but for the rest of the year, yes. But in all seriousness, I do plan on turning some scary looks. I love playing with the idea of Halloween as a theme; ya know, pumpkins, vampires… all that kinda stuff.
It never gets old! So you are a Philly based queen… when you’re in town, where can folks usually find you performing or just hanging out?
I love this city, and what it has to offer. I just moved to the Italian market area – so exploring that part of town, perusing the outdoor grocers, or finding a sweet treat for myself. I like going to the Barnes Foundation — really excellent collection of Soutine, Matisse and Cezanne. Next door is the Rodin (the largest collection of his work outside of Paris) I have a tattoo of his sculpture “The Three Shades” on the right thigh.
Every Friday, you can catch me as the official door girl at Franklyn Bradfords for “$5 Fridays” hosted by Little Piece: five dollar cover, five dollar drinks, priceless clitsperience.
What’s the key to being a successful door queen?
Being hot, and knowing how to count to five.
Are you a Philly native, by the way? And did you grow up with an interest or background in fashion, performance, etc.?
I’m originally from northern New Jersey (Italian by proxy). My mother was very crafty, always sewing my Halloween costumes and perfectly hemming everyone’s clothes in my family. I loved performing and being on stage. My only reference for fashion outside of a Kohl’s catalog was Americas Next Top Model. I’d take the blankets in my room and walk around like I was working a runway, and was convinced that Janice Dickinson would be obsessed with me and that we’d have playful banter during deliberation when I was inevitably the first “male” to be featured on the show.
How did your drag journey actually begin?
Well, after a treacherous couple of years in undergrad for music, I was feeling defeated creatively. I took to drag because it was a combination of everything that I loved about visual and performance art. It was something that I felt ownership over, rather than to be given a role or song that a professor thought would be good for me.
I was drunk in a bar in upstate New York — Binghamton to be exact — and saw a drag queen. I told her I was interested in doing drag, she offered me a tip spot for a Pride party, and the rest is herstory.
She was Binghamton born! How might you describe your drag today?
Looks, I’m slay. Numbers, I’m also slay. To be honest, I feel like my drag references love, art, humility, the human experience, the subhuman experience. My numbers and looks reflect that.
Every day is a slay, but perhaps the slayest day was this past Wednesday, where you won the first round of “Crystal Envy’s Diamond Race” at Paradise in Asbury Park! Congrats! What was that night like, can you describe what you did that got you the win, and what inspired you to sign up to that competition to begin with?
Thank you, and great question caller. The night was truly just fun for me. I was nervous leading up to the night, but when I got there I was like “wait, I fucking got this.” I was grateful that judges and audience understood my POV as a performer. It’s nerve-wracking performing in a new area where people don’t know you! To get the win I just did myself, I sang, I made people laugh… and clearly that was enough!
I was on a lil’ drag hiatus, and I was like, “if I come back to drag, I better do it in a big way.” When I saw the ad for the competition, I was joking about applying to [fellow Philly queen and “Diamond Race” contestant] Allyria Everlasting (jokingly, because I genuinely thought I was not going to get picked) and she kinda gave me the push to apply! Thank you to my big vagina sister for always believing in me, and being a beauty and true light to the Philadelphia drag community. Really a big inspiration to me.
“Diamond Race’s” next installment is October 22nd, and will be Halloween themed! Any spoilers for us?
I wanted to scare the Jersey Girls… so I’m dressing as Ariel Versace. That’s all I can say for now.
Stream “Coin” by Ariel Versace.
She’s plugging all the drag music today! Do you have anything of your own streaming?
I do actually have a song called “Heartscream” on Spotify that I released in 2022. I wrote it about a boy who broke my heart; he gave me a Turkish Royals cigarette, and it was over for me.
Is there anything else you wanna mention?
Come to “Crystal Envy’s Diamond Race” every other Wednesday at Paradise in Asbury Park New Jersey.
Follow Juntos on Instagram. Juntos is a community led, Latine, immigrant organization in South Philadelphia fighting for our human rights as workers, parents, youth, and immigrants.
Donate to Broad Street Love, an excellent resource. They provide responsive service offerings to bring Philadelphians closer to the stability they need. They offer guests a daily meal, alongside other essential services.
Excellent causes! Okay lastly: who in the drag world would you team up with in order to survive a zombie apocalypse?
RuPaul. I know that man has a fully stocked bunker on his husband’s fracking farm in Wyoming that we can chill at ’til everyone is dead.
Brilliant! Thanks, Martine!
Check Thotyssey’s calendar for Martine’s upcoming appearances, and follow her on Instagram. Download and stream her music across multiple platforms.
Thotyssey 