Are you ready to become acquainted with royalty? Today’s artist is not only a fabulous queen but the empress of the universe! Novaczar is the perfect blend of androgyny, glamour, and musical talent – all of which was showcased on the recent run of the debut show Queens of the Universe. Following the show, Novazar released her musical war cry in form of the single Empress, so with this, we had to grab her for a chat. We talk Queen of the Universe, musical inspirations, the power of drag, and more!
DA: Welcome to DragAdventures, Novaczar! We’re super excited to welcome you to our corner of the internet and can’t wait for our readers to get to know you better. Speaking of – who is Novaczar?
Novaczar: Who is NOVACZAR you may ask! Well, my drag persona is NOVACZAR, Empress of the Galaxy, and I am a drag artist living in Brooklyn, NY. I’ve been trained in musical theater for the past 15 years and have a Bachelor of Arts from Columbia College Chicago. Prior to my time at Columbia College, I attended the Governor’s School for the Arts in Norfolk, Virginia. I like to marry my love for musical theater with my inspiration of androgynous icons such as Leigh Bowery, Boy George & Klaus Nomi. I am also inspired by the street art of Brooklyn to create looks that are never the same. I pride myself on originality and conceptual pieces of art. When in Novaczar’s presence, expect the unexpected.
DA: How did your drag journey start and is there anyone in particular who influences you? What characteristics does Novaczar have that you would love to have in your off-drag life?
Novaczar: My drag journey started when I went to my first gay club in Virginia Beach called “Ambush” and saw my very first drag queen. I was at first a little turned off to the idea of drag, but once I met a queen who dabbled more on the androgynous side of drag, and be-friended her, the rest was history. She let me watch her get ready and invited me to her gigs all of the time and I slowly started to dabble myself and I had never felt more alive. Sasha Velour (winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 9) is my biggest drag inspiration. Sasha made me want to take drag seriously. The way she breaks down societal gender norms and brings a sense of true theatrical magic to the art form to me is completely unmatched. NOVACZAR is definitely a lot more confident, gregarious, and all-around more grounded than Noah is. NOVACZAR is definitely my superhero and somehow when I’m in drag, all of my insecurities seem to fade away and I become a much more powerful version of myself.
DA: Since you just ‘landed’ in our part of the universe, let’s talk about traveling: is there any destination you absolutely still want to go to? And, if you only could bring three things in your suitcase, what would those be?
Novaczar: I’d LOVE to travel to Amsterdam, Australia, Brazil, honestly anywhere and everywhere in the world. I want to see it ALL! Three things I would bring in my suitcase would be my steamer (for my voice, icy hot for my aching muscles, and cortisone 10 for my skin!)
DA: We first saw you competing on ‘Queen of the Universe’ (which is now airing on Paramount Plus!). How was your experience on the show? What was the highlight moment for you and is there anything you wish you’d known before signing up to do the show?
Novaczar: Queen of the Universe was definitely a life-changing experience and something I will never forget. Working on the show was a huge learning experience for me in so many different ways. It was pretty incredible to see how many moving parts and how many people it takes to make the “TV magic” come to life. The crew was unbelievably accommodating and amazing to us on the cast. I got close and still talk to a few of them actually. As for the biggest highlight for me was definitely welcoming 13 worldy sisters into my life. That to me is so special and I am so grateful for each and every one of them, we’re all still pretty tight. Something I wish I could’ve known before signing up for the show was to choose a better song for episode one so I could’ve maybe lasted a little longer!
DA: On the show, you had to create a look and performance that showed off who you are. Tell us more about the look you chose – was there anyone or anything in particular that inspired you?
Novaczar: The look I chose for episode 1 was inspired by Boy George! I wanted to start with a black and white color scheme that transformed into color. Think Dorothy from “The Wizard of Oz!” I then wanted to make sure my look started with a more masculine silhouette and then transformed into a more feminine fantasy!
DA: Would you consider being on the cast of another competition show and how would that show have to be set up to interest you?
Novaczar: I would definitely love to be cast on RuPaul’s Drag Race one day! Honestly, any chance to be on TV again and show more of my art to the world, I am here for it!
DA: You recently released your song, ‘Empress’. We know you’re not only a singer, but also have a background in musical theatre – how did you get into the realm of the performing arts? And, if you could perform in any musical theatre piece you chose, which one would it be and why?
Novaczar: I started doing musical theater when I was in third grade and I did an amateur community theater summer camp for kids. That then turned into staying with that company year-round. I then auditioned for an art high school called “The Governor’s School for the Arts” in Norfolk, Virginia where I graduated as a fourth-year senior from the musical theater department. I then got my degree from Columbia College Chicago as a BA in musical theater! As for any musical, I’d want to perform in the answer is and always will be DIANA in Next to Normal. I had the honor and true privilege of playing Gabe when I was a sophomore in high school. This show centers around a dysfunctional family, which is really close to my heart because that’s how I grew up. The rock and roll score also very much fits into what I can do with my voice and the music simply never gets old to me.
DA: ‘Empress’ is definitely a queen’s battle cry and shows how strong and fierce Novaczar is. We loved the sound and the aesthetics of the music video! How long did it take you to put together the concept and what was the most fun part in the whole creation process?
Novaczar: “Empress” took about a month to conceive in its entirety. We honestly didn’t have much time because I wanted to drop the single with a music video the day after my elimination episode. The most fun part of creating “Empress” was getting to shoot with my best friend in the whole entire world. We truly connect on multiple levels but when it comes to my creative visions, he seems to really understand what it is I want the final product to look like and he does everything he can to make it happen.
DA: While we’re on the topic of aesthetics, we HAVE to talk about your Instagram. The looks you create and showcase are so conceptual, and chock full of artistic creations. The themes range from artsy to androgyny – which is fair to say you are a varied artist. Out of all the looks you’ve put out there – which is your favorite and how do you go about the design and the actual process of making the look? (Also, our favorite is the ‘It’s Devil’ look).
Novaczar: Out of all of the looks I’ve put out into the world, or have to say my all-time favorite look is my promo look for “Queen of the Universe!” I just remember everyone on set being like “WOW!” When we were shooting it and I had never felt THAT fierce or powerful in drag. When it comes to how I create and conceptualize my looks, it ranges from so many different inspirations. Sometimes I’ll see something another artist has done and try and put my own spin on it, sometimes I’ll do a reincarnation of a previous look I’ve done, sometimes I get inspired by maybe a wig or headpiece I made or am having styled, sometimes it’s a piece of mural I see on the streets of NYC. I always try and strive for something different from the last look I did to keep things fresh and exciting!
DA: Talking of intergalactic, if aliens from a faraway galaxy landed on earth tomorrow, which three songs would you play for them so they could get to know your music style more? How would you explain your musical inspirations to them?
Novaczar: If aliens invaded earth and wanted to know my musical inspirations, I’d definitely play “Hunger” by Florence and the Machine, “Defying Gravity” from Wicked, and “Misery Business” by Paramore. I would say my taste in music always stems from powerful feminine power ballads with a mysterious rock undertone.
DA: Coming back to music for another moment, what’s heavily played on your music playlist right now? And if you had to, what would you rather: Listen to your least favorite song all day or not be able to listen to your favorite song for a whole year?
Novaczar: Right now, I have a massive “DIANA the musical” obsession so that’s literally on repeat. I would definitely want to not be able to listen to my favorite song for a whole year for that leaves me room to listen to other stuff that I still like!
DA: What was Novaczar’s biggest achievement in the past 12 months? And what’s next on the intergalactic agenda?
Novaczar: I would say NOVACZAR’s biggest achievement in the past 12 months was being cast on Queen of the Universe, the world’s first-ever live singing international drag queen singing competition as the youngest queen on the cast and only one from New York City. Up Next for NOVACZAR you can catch her in her new monthly residency at PANGEA in the lower East side every month for her new cabaret titled “SUPERNOVA!” Also, you can expect a lot more music, more creative content, an appearance at RuPaul’s DraCon in LA in May of 2022.
Be sure to follow Novaczar on the following social media:
Visit www.novaczar.com
Follow Instagram and TikTok @novaczar
