A darling of DMV drag, Kris Rose will no doubt bloom in New Jersey’s Diamond Race next month. [Cover photo: Clavel]
Thotyssey: Kris, hello! Thanks for chatting today! How is summer treating you so far?
Kris Rose: Thank you for this opportunity! Summer has been intense in terms of the weather. But a lot of my time and energy has gone into working and preparing for Diamond Race!
I have a bunch of questions to ask about that! But first off… you are from the DMV area, right? Is that where you are now?
Correct! I currently reside in Baltimore, Maryland. And I’ve lived here for a little over three years now.
What’s the drag scene like down there?
It’s kind of hard to explain. There’s a good mix of a bunch of different drag and performance styles; there’s definitely a lot of alternative and creative minds out here.
For me personally, its been a bit hard to navigate. I’m not incredibly booked here in Baltimore. I’ll get a booking here every other month, but for the majority of this past year I’ve been getting bookings down in DC. And now I currently hold a title down there as well.
Mx. Slay Them is the title! What was that pageant experience like, and can you describe your winning talent or look?
The experience was lowkey crazy. The prompt for the runway presentation this year was “Pokemon,” and we were all assigned one. I got Mega Gardevoir, and we had two months to prepare our entire package. These past couple of years I have been trying to come more into my sewing abilities… which has been a little hard for me. But I had purchased a base corset to build everything off of, because this is only the second outfit I had ever made from scratch. I feel like it paid off pretty well.
As for my talent, I did a roller skating routine… and its safe to say that it’ll probably not happen again.
Sounds amazing! Overall, how might you describe the sort of drag you like to do today as far as looks, numbers and vibes go?
Conceptual and campy. I love numbers that are pretty wink wink nudge nudge when it comes to physical comedy, but I also like to do lots of theatrical numbers. And I always love to perform to pop music, mostly Lady Gaga.
What were the skill sets and interests or influences you already had while growing up that may have put you on the drag path?
When I was younger, I really liked to draw and paint. Growing up, I was always told that I had a really unique imagination. And then around middle school, I found out about cosplay and was like, this seems cool. Funnily enough, when I found drag my first impression of it was very off putting for quite some time. But then I eventually gave in and got around to watching Drag Race–it was Season 6 at the time–and my mind completely changed. That’s essentially when I knew this is what I wanted to do… and 11 years later, I am competing in a competition hosted by someone who has been on Drag Race. It’s so surreal.
What made you want to partake in Crystal Envy’s Diamond Race, the first installment of which will be going down at Paradise in Asbury Park on August 12th? I think you’re probably going to be the farthest traveling commuter in the competition!
I am indeed the furthest competitor, and there’s honestly a few reasons. 1) I’m super competitive. Since moving here to the East Coast I have competed in seven competitions thus far. Diamond Race will be eight, and I’m in another pageant that’ll be taking place in the middle of the season as well. 2) I love being put in a creative headspace, since I’ve been performing for a while at this point. When I am booked for a regular show with no theme or anything, I always catch myself thinking what am I gonna perform, what am I gonna wear? But with competitions like this where there’s a guideline of what to wear and what kind of thing to perform to, it helps fuels me and push myself to be a better entertainer. And 3) Why not? You know?
How fun was it to shoot the promo looks and videos for the season, by the way?
It was definitely a lot of fun to film everything for the promo, but also fairly nerve-wracking. I was definitely nervous walking in, and potentially not knowing anyone and nobody knowing me. And I’m glad that wasn’t the case. I had known Dezi from online interactions beforehand. Same with Cupid. Tiffany I had known from her iconic Blue Diamond number. And everybody knows who Samara is. Everybody else I was fairly fresh to, and vice versa. It was also nice to kick with Dezi afterward and get all the dirt on the other competitors!
It’s gonna be a fantastic season! What else is coming up for you… you mentioned another pageant?
As of right now just focusing on preparing for Diamond Race. The other pageant I’ll be partaking in is MX. SO Baltimore, which will take place in mid-October at the Baltimore Eagle.
The only other thing I’d like to say is that for anybody who sees this, wig orders on my Etsy shop are open and 15% off for a limited time. And for anyone who may potentially want some free wig(s) from me, I am holding a raffle where all you have to do is tip or donate any amount greater than $5 from now until October 14th, and you are automatically entered in the possibility to win one double stack wig or two single wigs of your choice from my Etsy catalog.
What a deal! okay, lastly… you mentioned in your Diamond Race interview segment that you are partially named after Kris Jenner (the other part is simply the flower). Can you make a case for why Kris is the best Kardashian, lol?
I can’t help any Kardashian in a situation of “who is better than who.” But she’s definitely a kooky, fun mom and crazy when needed. She also, to an extent, loves taking care of her girls… and I just connect with that. I also need everybody to keep in mind that I’ve never seen an episode of Keeping up with the Kardashians a day in my life. I just think Kris is cool from what I’ve seen through media clips, lol.
Thanks, Kris!
Check Thotyssey’s calendar for Kris Rose’s upcoming area appearances, and follow her on Instagram and Etsy.
Thotyssey 