This Jersey She-Devil is leading us out of spooky season and into the next festive kiki: Sabrina Slayer! [Cover photo: Summer Eve Slayer]
Thotyssey: Hello Sabrina, thanks for chatting today! How was your Halloweekend?
Sabrina Slayer: It was actually fun! After all the Halloween gigs, I needed a time to just be silly, drink and have fun with friends.
Sounds very necessary! Your drag name actually evokes two heroines of the Spooky Season: Sabrina the Teenage Witch and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Was that by design on your part?
Thank you for clocking that; that was absolutely the intention! Growing up, those were my favorite shows — and I always had a fascination with witchcraft and vampires, so it seemed correct.
Are you a New Jersey native? And besides supernatural girlbosses, what were some interests you had that maybe put you on the drag path?
I am actually Peruvian! I moved to Jersey around 2020, and before that I was living in San Francisco for like a year. So basically I had to start from scratch twice! A lot of networking. I started drag in Peru back in 2016, and actually molded my drag after a lot of anime and horror references. Think of Sailor Moon villains, Cardcaptor Sakura, Sucker Punch characters and Jennifer’s Body. I always had a fascination with bad ass bitches that can kick your ass in high heels.
I actually just spoke to a young Peruvian Jerseyite up-and-comer, Ceviche! Are Peruvian Tri-State queens all on a text chain or something?
Lol, it seems like it! I know about Ceviche, but never met her in person. Something about Peruvian drag… we know how to serve, BB.
There’s a lot of beauty and drama in the culture that lends itself to drag!
How about Jersey drag in general: is that world a challenge to navigate? Its very spread out, and there aren’t really any specific gayborhoods in the state. But the scene in general is also growing at a rapid pace nowadays!
Jersey drag is very interesting. Like you said, there are not a lot of gayborhoods… and only so many bars where a queen can perform. Jersey City and Montclair are usually the places that pop up. It was a little difficult getting my foot in the scene. But as soon as some queens gave me a chance to showcase my skills, they saw I was bringing it! It became easier once I found my drag family here. Noa Peele and my daughter Summer Eve Slayer, we produce our own show now at QXT’s — and after that, drag just became fun again. It’s always a kiki. It’s fun to see how a place like Newark can bring audiences to see a drag show… so cool!
What’s your drag parenting style? Are you a Helicopter Mom, or do you keep the leash loose and let Summer run wild?
Oh, there is not a force in nature that can contain that individual, lol! Summer is my proud prodigy. She is honestly incredible; she has matured so much in these last years, and honestly taught me a lot as well. To me, being a drag mom is not much of telling your children what to do, but more so to let them experiment and guide them along the way. And I think I’m a pretty good mentor, if I do say so myself!
So as we shift out of the Spooky Season, we enter the next phase, which is… Thanksgiving drag? Is that a thing!? We’ll find out when you, Noa, Sabrina and other fierce drag performers present “ThanksLiving” on Thursday! What can we expect from that show?
Oh Mama! Something you can expect from our shows is definitely stupidity and giggles. I don’t know if Thanksgiving drag is a thing, but we can make it a thing. That’s what usually goes down in our shows. We always bring a different theme, different mixes, different outfits, and different girls from across Jersey. We want to keep it as diverse as we can, and give the chance to performers that usually don’t get the spotlight. But yes, definitely a good time… and a lot of stupidity, lol.
What else is coming up for you?
I look forward to more shows at QXT’s, of course! Its always a great time to produce and perform with my girls. Something I am working on is a makeup tutorial series. I am mostly known for my mug, so I just want to capitalize! And honestly, just to keep having fun doing drag… it’s always my creative outlet, so I want to keep doing it for as much as I possibly can.
Forever, hopefully! Okay, lastly: what’s the most essential item in your drag bag?
Okay, I’m gonna cheat and pick two. First, a drag queen should be smelled before she is seen… so I always carry my favorite perfume, Cry Baby by Melanie Martinez. Second, no one likes to see a mug that is shiny (not in a good way)… so I always carry my holy grail and secret weapon, my e.l.f. finishing HD powder. It fixes your entire mug; I cannot recommend it enough!
Thanks, Sabrina!
Check Thotyssey’s calendar for Sabrina Slayer’s upcoming appearances, and follow her on Facebook and Instagram.
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