Adore Delano: RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars Season 2

Interviews
Eileen Shapiro
Sep 5, 2016
0
9 minutes read

An Authentically Awesome RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars Season 2

Adore Delano—singer, musician, drag queen and “RuPaul’s Drag Race” season six runner up—is probably the queen I know the least about; however, by the time I finished speaking to her, I wished that she was the queen I knew the most about! With her high-spirited, effervescent personality and her rivetingly hilarious answers, I fell instantly in love with her.

Adore Delano (aka Daniel Anthony “Danny” Noriega), first appeared on television as a contestant on “American Idol” in 2008 as Danny Noriega, making it into the semifinals. Following “American Idol,” and an invitation from both Rosie and Ellen to perform for their venues, Adore became a contestant on season six of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” and was the co-runner-up to Bianca Del Rio. She has also released two studio albums: “Till Death Do Us Party” and “After the Party.”

Constantly touring all over the world, she became one of the queens for this season’s “RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars Season 2.”

You can really sing! You are also a fabulous drag queen. I’m wondering which came first: your singing or your queendom?
Well, I’ve been singing all my life. My mother has videos of me singing in 1991, which is always entertaining for the family. So, I was always getting into her makeup as well. It was very interesting as a child. When I was 13 and started performing in makeup, kind of Pete Burns inspired, I kind of meshed them together in my preteen years.

A 13-year-old drag queen—how cute.
Literally! They used to call me RuPaul in my middle school. I used to get so mad, but now I’m like “Good!”

How do you compare the way you felt about being summoned to do the “All-Stars” and being called to be in season six of “Drag Race”?
Well, it’s less exciting, because you already know what to expect, kind of. It’s more like nerve-racking, because you know all of the girls regardless of who they are, because we don’t know who they are until you go into the work room. I was nervous about that, because I didn’t want to fight with anybody I already knew, but I don’t mind fighting with a bitch that’s a stranger.

How do you feel about the possibility of sending one of your sisters home?
It sucks! It really does. I tell my friends that it’s a good thing I’m not that close to any of them. No, it’s just that we all work together, and we’re all really close knit. It’s definitely a weird feeling, sending one of your friends that you work with home. It was pretty shitty.

Aside from “Drag Race” and “All-Stars,” what have you been doing?
I’ve just been nonstop touring. I’ve just been working around the world. I’ve been out of America more than I’ve been in America this year. It’s cool. I’m forever grateful. I’m constantly working on new music. I’m constantly meeting people around the world. It’s great, so I really can’t complain.

Do you have a favorite country that you like to visit?
I love Canada. I really do. I like the U.K. as well; I love Manchester. But I love Canada. There are just nice people there.

There are a lot of baby drag queens just starting out. Can you give them some advice?
Yeah. I think you should build off your inspirations as a kid: what inspired you, what was your definition of beauty, what do you think is beautiful, not what Raven thinks is beautiful or Michelle. It’s important to go to the core of your school, and the core of your heart, and figure out what makes your character. I’m looking in my living room right now, and I have a vinyl of Amy Winehouse, and Tab Hunter hanging on my wall, and I can actually say that I’m inspired by both of those artists. I really think it’s important for kids to implement that, because it’s OK to be inspired, but it’s not OK to imitate. I see a lot of people trying to imitate Raven or Pearl. That’s not how these girls got on the show. It’s because of their definitions of beauty and how they represent it.

So you are a new addition to a crayon box. What color are you?
Where do you live? We’re gonna get a drink. I like you already. My first season of the show, I said I was a glittery crayon. I remember when I was a kid, there were always these crayons, something like that little glittery crayon that came in the special edition.

You are! You’re a superhero; what’s your power?
I want to be invisible! I’m a big ass pervert, so that would be awesome!

I love you, and we are going to have a drink! So now pick two celebrities to be your parents.
Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt.

Good choices. Now, are you working on any new projects at the moment, or do you have any in mind?
Of course, especially with the management I work with, which I’m forever grateful for. There’s a lot of projects. There is one in particular that I’m super excited about, and it has nothing to do with music or drag, but I can’t say anything about it yet. It’s in early development. I’m so passionate and excited about it.

Call me back when you can discuss; I’d love to know! Your music and the songs on your albums are really creative. Do you write those songs?
Yes, every song I co-write with a woman named Ashley, and she is amazing. She is super comfortable to work with.

Do you have a “besty” in “All-Star” this season?
I don’t. Alaska is kind of like the smartest one. It’s a totally a different kind of vibe. I loved Tatiana as soon as I walked in. I gravitated towards her. Every time I work with her, we are just like peas in a pod. I love her so much. Alaska is awesome.

All of you guys are awesome. There isn’t one in the bunch that I would throw off! When you’re touring, you probably don’t have a second to breathe. How do you maintain any kind of normalcy in life?
You don’t. I told the girls from season seven this. I told Violet this, that once you do the show, your life will never be the same. You are never going to have a normal life, unless you have a formula developed. Right now I’m touring, and if I wanted to I could tour every day of my life, but I have to have the holidays off. So what I do is I work every single day, and take the holidays off, and I’ll take about three months off, because I can afford that. With this job and the show, you will always have work. Hopefully you have a boyfriend.

Do you have a boyfriend?
Hell, I can’t trust nobody.

My type of girl! If you could say anything to your fans, what would it be?
I would just say to surround yourself with your own tribe, and high school is not real life—it’s kind of like a preppy point for Apple that you have to deal with. Do whatever makes you happy, and don’t listen to anybody, including your parents.
I can’t wait till this prints. If you could do anything in life and as much of it, what would it be?
I would want to become a successful entrepreneur, take care of my family and have about two houses. I think that will probably happen within the next four years.

I bet you’re almost there.
I always say this year coming up is going to be a cool year, but it’s not gonna be the year that’s like, “Oh my God, I did it.” I think in a year or two, it’s going to be pretty fucking crazy.

How did you choose your name?
That’s a funny story. My brother’s friend was a gangster. I’m from a Mexican family, so my brother has gangster friends. His friend’s name was Adore, and she used to write it on walls. I just saw it one day, and I said, “I’m stealing that name.” He said, “You better not.” I entered this competition, and my name was Adore.

Did she fight you?
No, I would beat her ass!

Any last words?
My makeup may be flaking, but the show must go on!