By Jim Silvestri
Getting her drag name and look inspirations from interesting places, new dark glamour clown and supermodel chanteuse on the scene X-Emma is here to slay.
Thotyssey: Greetings, X-Emma. How is your summer treating you so far?
X-Emma: My summer has been hectic. I’ve been a creature of the night…like, it’s literally sleep all day and then go out at night, like a fucking bat.
T: Meh, who needs the sun? Do you generally prefer the “darker,” more monstrous spectrum of drag over the “I’m just a pretty girl” end of things?
X: There is definitely a duality to my drag. I hate to be put in a box. I love to look like a circus clown monster, but I also love to serve “beautiful fucking woman.” I’m a model when I’m not doing drag, and I’ve got to utilize the face, honey.
Is drag less a “gender” expression to you than a visual art statement or a cosplay sort of experience?
Hmm…I think all of the above.
Fair enough. So, where are you from originally and how did the drag journey begin for you?
I am from Orange County, California. I started drag in my bedroom, practicing makeup and stealing my mom’s clothes. It wasn’t until I moved to New York that I found a place where I could actually express that interest.
How might you describe the numbers you like to do today, and where you get your look inspirations from?
I want to tell stories. I want to have concepts. I get my inspiration definitely from club kids of the past…and also doing poppers.
How did the name come to you?
I grew up with severe eczema; it bled and hurt, and I could never stop scratching it. It was so bad, I got it on my eyelids. Now I take steroids, and it went away.
What an ordeal! So “X-Emma” is like taking ownership of that, in a way.
Yeah. I also just like the name.
Good luck! And finally: if X-Emma were in the X-Men, what would her mutant power be?
OMG, that’s a tough one! I think it would be the power to shapeshift. Oh wait, maybe teleport. Or a fire blender!
Why not all three!? Thanks, X-Emma.
Read full interview on Thotyssey.com
Follow X-Emma on IG: @x.emma.the.queen
