A performer who reinvented herself to become a staple of live singing drag in NYC, Hassan is making our March musical via the return of a popular competition and a new original album.
Thotyssey: Hello Hassan, glad to catch up with you today!
Hassan: Hi my darling! I’m so excited to do this with you!
I last saw you in person about two months ago, competing at Metro’s Queer Talent Show.
Yes, we had a blast. It feels good to venture out to Brooklyn more often; the energy there is truly unmatched.
She’s mainly an Astoria girly now.
She always has been!
But she still shows up everywhere! For instance, you were the Red Idol singing competition’s second cycle winner at Red Eye.
I did win! I think it was my signature red lipstick that did the trick, lol!
That experience was truly so magical. I got to showcase different sides of me, and truly build some of the most wonderful friendships in that competition. There were 19 of us when we started, and it was so fierce. I felt inspired by all of the talent and worked so hard to be the best version of who Hassan the drag queen is on that stage. I remember telling one of my best friends, Lita Desire, “I’m gonna win this” before competing… and baby, that was the gospel truth!
It also allowed me to be vulnerable and talk about some of the harder things I’ve had to go through in my life in and out of drag, It was such a supportive environment.
To address that drag journey: way back in *gasp* 2019, we interviewed a clean shaven baby queen who was a flight attendant by day named Valerie BaDanza, fresh off of an Astoria drag competition! Do you remember her, lol?
Lord, here we go! Yes! I do know Miss Valerie… and to put it in short, I swallowed her like Kirby swallows those characters in Super Smash! That’s what I did. I think the pandemic allowed me to really dissect where I wanted to be in my drag, and I realized that I wanted to express myself as Hassan the drag queen. I chose to be a bearded drag performer because there wasn’t that many at the time, and live singing as well. I experimented with different styles of bearded drag… and ultimately, we got to finally be the Bearded Beauty of NYC!
Every few years there is some sort of criticism from within the drag community about the moment’s drag aesthetic that causes a local commotion, and recently on a drag podcast there was some commentary on bearded drag that bristled many furry divas n NYC. Did you feel any certain way about that, or about folks who don’t “get” bearded drag in general?
I think as a society, we are taught to hate on something we don’t understand. The “bearded lady” was emphasized a lot in circus acts and sideshow culture back in the 19th century. There is also a female saint that had a beard named Wilgefortis; legend has it, she was in an arranged marriage and she prayed so hard she grew a beard. I find that fascinating that it’s been around for so long. To me, a bearded fierce drag queen like myself is a sign of gender-fuckery. I am clearly not a female illusionist, but I am the fiercest feminine energy that breaks through despite what the twink of the week says about my art form! People like it, they book it, so I am going to keep on doing it!
What have you learned about yourself and your drag since you started performing as Hassan?
I think the biggest lesson I learned was that the person matters just as much as the persona. My drag as Hassan taught me to be more authentic, while still doing high-level drag. It taught me to appreciate the masculine energy of having a beard and playing with androgyny without feeling like I needed to look or sound a certain way — that I could just be. It also made me appreciate the fact that I am different — and even in my own spaces, if I’m not particularly received well at first, they’ll love me cause I love me. Girl, It took a lot for me to get to that point.
I also used to hate my name. I grew up in Colombia and moved to NYC in 2002, with the name Hassan. There was so much hatred and racism then that it was such a culture shock. I learned to embrace the fact that my name is unique to being a Hispanic person, and that I embraced the beauty in my name. It isn’t something I should ever be ashamed of. That, to me, is drag.
You’ve been hosting Royal Karaoke at Kween in Astoria on Wednesdays for a while now. What’s the key to being a good karaoke hostess, what’s you’re favorite song to sing as a host, and what is secretly the song people do that makes you say to yourself “if I hear this one more fucking time, I’m going out the window?”
I fucking love karaoke; I’m one of the rare singers that do! I think the key to a good karaoke is feeling the vibe of the crowd. Sometimes it’s all 90’s, Broadway, sad songs, or sometimes people go rogue and get plastered to songs they don’t know. I think it takes guts to go up and sing in front of people — so anyone who does it is truly fab!
I will say whenever someone sings anything Taylor Swift, it makes me wanna gauge my eyes out. But if they’re giving me money, I’m gonna get my drink refilled and take a selfie, lol!
And when it comes to doing my numbers in between, I like to shake up the vibe to something completely different. It keeps the night fresh, and people get engaged. I also do mixes — so if it’s a lot of ballads, I will do a full on mega mix and shake what my mama gave me.
This Wednesday, you’re bringing your own singing competition, Singing Kween, back for a four week second cycle starting this Wednesday! Tell us about what this show is like.
It’s preliminary rounds, and then the finale has the winner of each round compete in a smackdown for the crown! I am so excited to do this because it really brings in the best singers (mostly from the Astoria area), and brings the community together. I can’t wait to see the passion that comes with competition, from a judging standpoint! A huge shoutout to [Kween bar staffer] Sergio for his amazing work in helping me produce this competition. I want to see more drag performers go out there and Sing, Kween!
I also see that you and Pissi Myles are gonna be Marti Gould Cummings‘ guests for the Big Broadway Drag Brunch at 54 Below on April 4th! That’s very prestigious!
Can I tell you how much I adore Marti? That level of activism and true stage presence is something that is so special and rare nowadays. I’m so honored to have such talented friends, and I love doing that show. It’s my third time being invited back, and I can’t wait to show the girls that I am, in fact, a theatre queen too! Even though I’m in my pop-star era!
What else is coming up for you?
I am going to be releasing my EP! It is called After the Flowers; it is my homage to the lessons and experiences I had in my 20’s. Everything from loss, heartbreak, sex, queer joy, all of it. I have a music video dropping too, very soon! More details to come, but I am working on a fierce EP release party!
It’s been a long time coming for this project, and I’m so happy to finally bring it to life. After the Flowers has been three years in the making and even has its own documentary, which will also be released soon. That was produced by my amazing editor and friend Sofia Media (not the drag queen, lol), and she followed my journey through the loss of my mother and how much she inspired me to pursue drag and also write songs that will one day outlive me. It truly has been a labor of love, and I’m so happy to have this be something I can showcase.
Very exciting! Okay, lastly: who are you rooting for this Drag Race season? Hopefully it wasn’t Athena Dion, lol!
I love Myki and Darlene — so if there’s a tie, consider me a witch! Love those two and their humor. I love when a queen goes out and knows they’re an idiot, even when they’re polished AF. Athena is a fierce queen… but I think some people are just not good at Drag Race.
Agreed! Thanks, Hassan!
Previously: On Point With: Valerie BaDanza (12.5.2019)
Check Thotyssey’s calendar for Hassan’s upcoming appearances, and follow her on Facebook and Instagram. Screen their music across multiple platforms.
Thotyssey 