She isn’t a fashion queen, but this season, nobody has stepped on that runway like Diamante Merybrown. The latest contestant to leave the second season of Drag Race España, reggaeton runs through Diamante’s veins – as she stated in the Meet the Queens.
Originally from the Dominican Republic, Diamante came to Spain when she was 11 years old. Every time she stepped onto the runway, she made it count. In the Talent Show, performing her single CHOCOLATE, she reminded us all that a well-done lip-sync is more than enough to get you through.
On this week’s episode, we had a crossover with RuPaul’s Drag Race UK. Choriza May, the beloved alumni from season three, was the guest judge and delighted viewers with her great comments. The queens had to present three looks inspired by the 10th, 20th and 30th centuries in Spain, with Drag Sethlas achieving her first win.
“I’ve been in six wonderful episodes, and have had a great time,” Diamante tells us in this interview. We also talked about her unforgettable looks, while she reveals the negative side of being on Drag Race and addresses controversy of being too competitive: “Maybe I’m the only one who speaks out her mind!”
Diamante, could you tell us a little about your relationship with the LGBTQ+ community in the Dominican Republic?
I came to Spain when I was 11-years-old and I haven’t been back since, so I don’t have much of a relationship. But now, I’m trying to get in touch with it. Recently, I participated in a Dominican podcast and we were talking about the situation of the LGBTQ+ community there. It’s really sad, because they are fighting for rights that we have long achieved here. It saddens me, the fact that I am so privileged because I left. They are fundamental rights and everyone should have them without fighting for it. However, I have always said that I’m very proud to be Dominican and that my roots mean everything to me. I’m planning a trip soon to delve into the current LGBTQ+ culture and the drag scene there.
What was going through your mind during your elimination?
I saw it coming. I was very happy with what I had done in the challenge. But that day, I felt that the program was spinning at a different speed than me. Also, I came from a lip-sync before, and I could compare the first lip-sync with the second. In the first lip sync, I was feeling confident. In the second one, I was worried about the whole situation. At a certain point in the lip-sync, when they were about to say who’s going home, I thought, ‘You’ve come this far, you’ve been in six wonderful episodes, you’ve had a great time.’ When Supremme said “sashay away”, I broke up because I was thinking about all the work I’ve done and the people who have supported me to get there. I wasn’t crying in disappointment, but because of how proud I was of my journey.
What is Diamante’s best feature?
The way I step on stage, definitely. For me, the stage is like my natural habitat. Taking a microphone on stage and starting to dance, that moment is what it is all about. I love makeup, dressing up and pretty outfits, but there is nothing better than going on stage and interacting with people. I feel that my job as a drag queen is to be able to entertain.
The Bogeyman is, without-a-doubt, one of the best looks of the season…
The Bogeyman is a figure that exists in almost every country; a person who, if you misbehave, comes and kidnaps you. The idea was given to me by my drag sister Luna la Bruja, from my drag house (Drag Reign). She is a true drag monster, the only real drag monster in Spain, if you ask me. For the Day of the Beast runway I needed her help, because my drag is nothing like that. The idea of making this bogeyman so disturbing was to show as much versatility as I could in the competition and go completely grotesque. When I wore it in the workroom, everybody was gagging, but until you see it on the runway, you don’t realize how strong it is.
Also, that one inspired by the Córdoba mosque was great.
We were told to prepare looks for the 10th and 20th centuries for the ball. As it was a ball, I knew we probably would have to make a third one there. We had the option to do independent looks, but I personally prefer all three looks to be related in some way. Talking to my boyfriend we thought, ‘Spain, the 10th and 20th centuries are completely different.’ Initially, we cut back on art and it was still too big for me, and then we came up with the idea of choosing architecture.
Is there any look that you were especially excited to show, and you couldn’t?
Yes, my tribute for migrant women. When I arrived in Spain, most of my friends were from migrant families. I have always respected these hard-working women, women who leave everything behind in order to seek a better life for their family. When we came, my father, to whom I’m eternally grateful, came to pursue his dream which is to cook. My mother, on the other hand, had to leave university to come. She was in the last course of psychology. My mother gave up on her dream so that my brothers and I could have a better life. So I made a white gown symbolizing that blank slate to write a new future after arriving in Spain. Then a cape that, on one side, has the flag of Spain and on the inside it has the flags of all Latin American countries.
In the last episode, the other contestants make comments in the confessionals that make us believe that you are very competitive. What are your thoughts on that?
We all went to compete, and that seems normal to me. You’re going to a competition. You have a goal that you have to reach. The only thing that depends on me is how I do in the competition. So when it comes to doing a lip-sync, for example, which was the situation we came out of, I’m going to give it my all and Onyx is going to give it all. Also, we have to be aware that from the moment Onyx leaves until I clean the mirror, a long time has passed. When I finished the lip-sync I was affected, but when I cleaned the message, I mentally said, ‘You had to do it, you did, now focus on the competition again.’ My intention was that nothing would affect me or take away from my ultimate goal, which was to win. I don’t think that’s incompatible with establishing personal ties. The entire cast, we get along very well. Am I competitive? Yes. Did I go there to win? Yes. But I think I’m not the only one. Maybe I’m the only one who speaks out her mind.
Can you tell me one positive and one negative aspect of the Drag Race?
One positive thing is learning. No matter how bad things can happen, you can learn from everything in life. Negative, the economic instability in which one lives afterwards. Because the investment is very large, and it is difficult to recover.
What is your favourite moment from the series?
The musical, La Llamadrag, was my favourite challenge. I love the film, working with los Javis was a very pleasant experience and my sisters and I did an incredible job.
Who would you like to see win?
This is complicated. The competition is tough. So far, to be fair, the show is Sharonne’s. But at the end of the day it is a competition, and the one who plays the best game wins. Sharonne is a professional from head-to-toe and she does everything perfectly.
What is next for Diamante?
We are already starting to prepare to go on tour [El gran Hotel de las Reinas]. Also, I’ve released my single CHOCOLATE. Music is something that really catches my attention. If not this year, maybe next year, I’d like to put out more stuff. I’d like to focus my career on music and reggaeton.
Drag Race España S2 continues every Sunday on Atres Premium in Spain and exclusively on WOW Presents Plus everywhere else. Subscribe via: https://uk.wowpresentsplus.com
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