It’s not every day Rhea Litré slides into your DMs to tell you that she’s coming to London – and seeing as here at Loverboy we are all filthy opportunists we couldn’t wait to get our hands on everyone’s favourite Lovergirl. Our creative director, John Brock, caught up with Rhea to discuss gods, queens and superstars while Greg Bailey got behind the lens…

 

For those of us who don’t know, WHO is Rhea Litré?
Rhea Litré is a business woman, party girl and everything your mother doesn’t want you to be.

How did you come up with the name?
Rhea is the mother of all the Greek gods and Litré is the name of a stone that Apollo gave her. I have been doing drag for thirty one years now, because after all you’re born naked and the rest is drag.

You have two drag mothers, Mayhem and Raja. How did this happen?
I found my first drag mother in Mayhem. After asking her three times, she finally agreed to put me in drag and set the bar, telling me that if I won the amateur competition ‘Drag Idol’ in Upland, CA then I could be her daughter.
But then when I walked up on stage that night, I noticed this larger than life goddess, who introduced herself to me as Raja. She told me I could not get on her stage with my Payless pumps. So she asked my size, grabbed me some of hers to wear and said, ‘Now you’re a supermodel.’ I performed JLo’s ‘Get Right’ and won! So that night I found a drag mother in Mayhem whilst Raja took me under her wing.

You were bullied in school. How do you think this affected your outlook on life?
I learned to brush things off and realise life gets better. I always knew there was so much more than High School. At the end of the day I knew I was going to be a…SUPERSTAR! Haha…

Can you tell us about your past? I know there is a story there…
I was first married to Keniro. I loved him even more than I loved myself and maybe that’s why it didn’t work out. I even have his name tattooed on my neck. But I was constantly trying to be someone else, trying to be the man I thought he wanted. I used to blame him for our breakup, but now I realise it was me who caused the problems.
I still love him, I will always love him. Now, I just wish we had stayed married longer so I could have had my UK citizenship. Ha!

You work closely with Marco Marco. What are you guys working on next?
I love Marco for believing in my talent and who I am. The brand makes me feel sexy, stylish and extremely rich! I have a feeling that the Marco-Rhea marriage will never diminish.

As a role model within the community, have you felt any differences since the events in Orlando?
It is so tragic that a horrific event like Orlando has to happen before people can come together and show love. But if you look at history, that is the way mankind has grown. Hopefully we can all take from this that love is so much stronger than fear or hate.

You are known for your musical ability. How important is music to you?
Our household was always bumping music. My mother listened to everything – rock, pop, soul & tejano – all big influences on me. My mom was so passionate about music, she choked my band teacher with her own scarf after she called me a faggot.

We are living for your new single ‘Lovergirl’ – how did this come about?
My mom loved Teena Marie and I heard her constantly growing up. I wanted to pay tribute to that. I love the song and the lyrics ring so true to me, I just want to be everyone’s Lovergirl – I will rock your world. If you haven’t heard it yet, check out my version. Markaholic really nailed the production, he made it current and created an amazing Dubstep Dance break in there too. A whole remix album will be released on Audio4Play Records, I’m really excited for that.

Is there anyone else you’re working with right now?
I have a couple of songs that I’m working on with Raja and just recently had the best time performing with a live band @ Dragapalooza. Hitting the stage with Heavy Hitters like Courtney Act, Sharon Needles, Trixie Mattel and Willam inspires me to create more and more art for the world. But I am dying to do a track with Todrick Hall, Adore Delano and the Queen of all the Housewives, Erika Jayne. If you’re reading this REACH OUT!

You’ve proven that you can be successful without the launch pad of Drag Race. What would you say to others just starting out?
Doing it yourself is so much more rewarding. Just because someone is on TV, it doesn’t make them a star. TV cameras don’t make you a star. Being a star is something that you are born with, that’s why you should always be yourself.

Would you ever go on the show?’
I’ve been in so many shows, you’ll have to be more specific. Haha… I love being on TV, it really helps validate what you’re doing, I’ve done American Idol, America’s Next Top Model, danced alongside Pink at The American Music Awards etc. But RuPaul’s Drag Race would be the thick creamy icing on top! Bring it On! I would love to show the world what #TeamRhea is all about.

If you had to give some words of advice to little Joshua, what would they be?
Don’t get married, use condoms and pay your taxes! The IRS don’t play and don’t accept drink tickets.

The single ‘Lovergirl’ is available on iTunes now.
Rhea will be returning to the UK in November for HolyTrannity’s Drag Tech.
You can follow Rhea at www.rhealitre.com and on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Find more from Greg Bailey at www.alrightdarling.com, Facebook, Twitter & Instagram.