Eva Serration– a popular queen from Manchester first appeared on our radar as a last minute addition to the bill supporting Ben DeLaCreme on her Birmingham leg of the Eat Sleep Drag Repeat sponsored tour.
A bit of digging on social media showed some incredible looks and left us excited to see what she would bring to us and we were not disappointed. This previous fire performer certainly set the stage alight in Birmingham.
With a clever mix of strong looks, nods to popular culture and politics with a bit of shock and danger, Eva will pull out all the stops to get the crowd eating out of her hand. Using all the skills in her suitcase, you will be left not only entertained but educated too.
DragAdventures were lucky enough to catch up with the talented Eva Serration not long after her star turn in Birmingham. Let’s delve a little deeper into the mind of this indescribable performer.
Dragadventures: When and how did you get into drag? Can you describe your “drag journey” for us?
Eva Serration: Well one can trace it back to tales my sister would regale about how I would wear her dresses when I was two. I have no memory of it but photos exist.
Saying that I’ve been working in the entertainment industry as a fire performer so I always had an interest in makeup. I had toyed with performing in drag. My original idea was to be the world’s worst ladyboy called ‘Ming Inn’ but never had a solid concept to run with.
I had a few friends who were obsessed with Drag Race. I enjoyed the few episodes I watched with them but never really called myself a fan. (I only started watching Drag Race regularly a year after starting drag) But they introduced me to the local alternative drag scene which showed me what drag as a medium was capable of. At which I knew I had something to offer.
DA: How did Eva Serration get her name?
ES: It was actually taken from a line of dialogue from ‘Hellbound: Hellraiser II’. Also, it gave me the tagline ‘I put the Asian into evisceration’ (if you don’t know, it means to gut and disembowel) I found that as a horror queen it gave me more to play with than the glamour side.
DA: Who are your inspirations in regards to drag and performances?
ES: Obviously, I have Sharon Needles to thank for paving the way for horror queens though I have branched away from the more horrific style of performances (usually saving it for Halloween). I have to credit local queen Beyonce Holes for showing me a drag show can be political and tell a complete story when she performed at Cha Cha Boudoirs.
DA: What sort of things can someone expect from an Eva Serration show?
ES: Not dancing, hair flipping or death dropping that’s for sure! I love dancing but I find choreography a chore. So I compensate by telling a story through soundbites songs and sound effects. Usually veering on the side of horror, comedy or politics. I try to make it an audiosensory experience. Usually, I have a lovely male boy prop who dies horribly at the end. Often as a result of karmic Misandry.
DA: Who are your favourite local queens that you recommend?
ES: We have a great diverse range of queens in Manchester now. Anna Phylactic and Cheddar Gorgeous have done much to inspire a more abstract art style of drag within the community that bleeds through to this very day. Sometimes literally
DA: You have some very distinctive looks on your social media. What is your favourite or definitive look?
ES: I think my Babadook look put me on the map (before Netflix made it a gay icon) but I think my favourite look would have to be my Black Queen look. Though in terms of impact I think Theresa Dismay might be my defining moment.
DA: If there was a RuPaul’s Drag Race UK, would that be something you would want to be involved with? What challenge would you love to see on such a show?
ES: No, I love performing but I don’t think I can cope with a) the amount of stress that goes into making a reality TV show or b) the scrutiny of millions of people around the world. I love the Talent Segments of the show that allows the queens to showcase their hidden talents that the usual challenges don’t afford.
DA: Is there anyone you would like to work with?
ES: So many, I’d love to trade barbs with Bianca Del Rio, Air Guitar with Adore Delano, do a classical opera with Thorgy on Violin and maybe choreograph a baton routine with Chi Chi Devayne (without those shoes). But to be honest, would prefer to build something with local queens and help elevate each other.
DA: Have you ever worked with someone and had a fangirl moment?
ES: I was a last minute addition to the bill supporting Bendelacreme in Birmingham recently. I had planned to go see her already but she wasn’t playing Manchester anytime soon. Was so buzzed when I got the call to join the bill. She was a dream to work with. Friendly, complimentary and just open and honest. And proof you really don’t need to win drag race to validate yourself. Looking forward to seeing her again.
DA: It seems that recently, the drag scene has exploded. We have RuPaul’s Drag Race, two award-winning drag-themed musicals in the West End and a thriving scene in the cities. Why do you think drag has grown in popularity so much over these past few years?
ES: The impact that Drag Race has had on popular culture in the past few years cannot be overstated. Drag has been around for eons but drag race and the explosion of social media has meant that every queer person feels like they can express their queer gender identity in a safe space as well as creating a bigger demand for queens as a lucrative entertainment prospect in both queer and mainstream spaces. It’s done much to normalize the novelty of a man in a dress to a point where the aim is to find the people behind the beaten faces as well as driving diversity and a way to elevate and expand what the medium can do.
DA: What does the future hold for Eva Serration?
ES: As long as Theresa May is in power there will always be a need for Theresa Dismay. But personally, I will always strive to augment my skillset to become a better artist and performer. But in this uncertain age with the threat of War and societal and environmental collapse who knows? Maybe I’ll be a creature who will thrive in the Apocalypse?
Thank you to Eva Serration for taking the time to answer our questions and giving us a little insight into your aesthetic. Please check her out in the future if you are lucky enough to be near to a show she is in. You seriously won’t be disappointed, I know I wasn’t!
Be sure to follow Eva on all social media’s below
Instagram:@evaserration/
Written by contributor Nathan Warren
