In this new season, 12 new contestants will fight for the title of Spain’s Drag Superstar – two more queens than in the first season. The opening episode premieres 27 March on ATRESplayer Premium and WOW Presents Plus in international territories.
After being hailed as the best-rated international version of RuPaul’s Drag Race on IMDB and touring around Spain last summer, Supremme de Luxe has returned to look for the queen who will take the reigns from season one champion Carmen Farala.
Accompanied by Javier Calvo, Javier Ambrossi and Ana Locking as jury panel members, Supremme will also host more special guest judges – and here we emphasize the word ‘more’ used on the press conference to describe this season: “More spectacle, more humour, more chapters, more queens, more talent, more top guests, more charisma, and more involvement of the jury”, as stated by Carmen Ferreiro, director of entertainment programs in Atresmedia.
In this interview, Supremme spills the T on how drag artists have been treated by contractors and explains why we’ll never see her competing in any international spin-off of Drag Race, such as UK vs the World. She also celebrates the success of the show and reveals what the queens in this second season have that we didn’t see in the first one.
Bring back… mis chicas!
Hey Supremme, how are you?
Very well!
I suppose that being the host of the show has provided you with a turning point in your career?
It has had a great influence, because fortunately a lot of work has arisen as a result of this visibility. I have been offered to do more things on TV and in theatre. This weekend, for example, I am doing Holy Camp!, which is a theatre play created by Los Javis (Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi), a musical that has been running in Madrid for years. In other words, I am very well because work has emerged in good conditions and good proposals. All of a sudden, I don’t see myself doing just Drag Race as they have seen that my profile can also work in other formats. I am very happy with all that.
How has it been on tour in Spain, with the whole team of artists of the Gran Hotel de las Reinas?
The good thing about tours is that you get to meet the audience. Also, you get to know each other better. There was a good atmosphere, we had a great time. I’ve been doing theatre since I was 13 years old. Having the opportunity to spend a whole summer on tour is a real privilege. I love theatre. Whenever I go on stage as it’s still unmounted, it feels like entering a temple. I have a lot of respect for the theatre and they are places that are very important to me, because all my life I have wanted to act in it. Having the opportunity to be able to act in very large theatres, which have been visited by very famous actors and renowned names is a pleasure, and I am very happy to be there every afternoon. Also, the audience was engaged, all performances were sold out. All this considering the current difficult times. We are still emerging from a pandemic and people do not always have money for leisure and culture.
How has the contest impacted the Spanish drag scene? Have the working conditions for artists changed?
Unfortunately not, and that makes me very angry. I’ve been asked before, and unfortunately the answer is still no. I wish I was wrong, though. There are more proposals and general interest in drag, but the work conditions are not improving. Maybe only for some of us who are lucky enough to be more exposed. Since I have been on the other side for so many years, it hurts a lot. I will try to do everything in my power to improve the conditions. But it is difficult, we have to improve the stages, lights, dressing room and wages. If you demand a certain level, you need people to be able to afford it. Many artists are professionals. We want to live from our work, not the work to be just a complement. A lot has to be done, not just in drag, but in the art scene in general, and unfortunately it’s not just in Spain. According to what I hear from my colleagues, in other countries it is the same situation.
What has been the impact of Drag Race on Spanish society?
Theatres that did not use to bet on these type of shows have dared and seen that there has been a positive result. It is also important the fact that the show is still on TV, which gives a lot of visibility. As for me, I have been in many TV shows without having to refrain from being myself. And that is a good thing. You go to a TV show to talk about a topic, not necessarily about drag or the queer community. It’s important that we can access all kinds of spaces.
What is, in your opinion, the main difference between the two seasons of the contest, or what is most interesting in this season that we have not seen in the first?
There is a lot of talent. Although the queens in the first season also had it, the ones in this season are hugely talented. They are incredibly serious about bringing diverse proposals, since they already knew how they had to work. They have been great contestants, accepting the evaluations and critics and incorporating everything that was told to them. Furthermore, they have worked with a lot of discipline, knowing that it is a job in which they have to give everything. As viewers, you are going to enjoy their hard work a lot.
On social media, it has been discussed a lot about the impact that being in a competition like Drag Race can have on the mental health of the contestants. How is that behind the scenes?
There are always a lot of opinions going on in social media. Although they can affect you, that does not mean you have to let them change your life. I do know that our queens are being taken care of very well. The psychologist who works in the program is available if they need help or need to talk. At the end of the day, when you expose yourself, everyone has an opinion and that is part of the game. This is something you have to count on when you agree to do it, be it as a contestant, as the hostess, or as a jury. The whole world is watching and talks about it. You just have to do the work and try not to let that affect you. All I can say is that the producers are well aware of that and that psychological support is available for whenever there has been a critical moment.
Will we ever see Supreme on an international spin-off, such as RuPaul’s Drag Race UK vs the World?
No! I don’t see myself, tandems in general don’t attract much attention to me. I do not think my profile would fit in the program. I have many years of career behind me focusing on doing certain things that I like and want to continue doing them because that is what I am good at. I want to continue with my music and maybe do more theatre. I am sure there are more queens coming out of Drag Race who could do a much better role than me in a competition.
Season two of Drag Race España premieres Sunday 27th March exclusively on WOW Presents Plus. You can subscribe via http://uk.wowpresentsplus.com
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