Here we are on a hungover Sunday, watching Drag Race Season Two for, yes, the third time* and falling hard for Jujubee all over again. Then we were reminded of the time we interviewed her in 2012 – so we thought we’d post it here for y’all to read because what? Reading is fundamental.
Hey Jujubee, you said on Season 2 you got bullied as a kid for being gay. Can you tell us more about that?
Well, I feel like every kid gets bullied and taunted now and again but it was never an issue for me because I just never accepted them talking about me. It never escalated too much. I never really cared what other people thought.
Who inspired you to do drag?
Obviously RuPaul. She was the only drag queen that everyone in the world knows and I had my drag mother Charisma who is a great mentor.
You said you were going to wait before gay marriage is legal everywhere in America before getting married. Do you still stand by that?
I hope it happens soon. It’s kind of scary because not a lot of people agree with that. We’re going to see how long we can wait it out. It could be a really long time. It’s 2012, we’re going into 2013, I mean let’s just be happy.
You’re pro a lot of different causes….
I love cats, can I tell you? One’s Mister and one is Priss. They are like little kids I think they are amazing. I have a hard time with people who are cruel to animals. I feel like animals are just tiny little souls that make us happy and I don’t think we should use them for bullshit basically. Sorry about the language.
Is there anything you want to achieve through Jujubee?
I’ve always wanted to sing and I’ve always wanted to record some songs but I haven’t had the courage to do so because there’s this thing called stage fright that I carry with me all the time. But when I’m Jujubee I kind of pop into this character and it makes everything more comfortable for me. I’m hoping the character will definitely help me create some beautiful sounds for you guys. I’m working on stuff right now. I really want to write, own and feel the lyrics and stuff.
Have you experienced a lot of racism within either the gay world or the drag world?
I haven’t experienced any kind of racism – it was more an appearance type thing. I don’t know if it was how I dress or my type of drag but a lot of queens who have been doing it a really long time will look at queens like myself or Raven and just say ‘Oh they are not doing it the right way.’ That’s really the only kind of criticism I’ve received, for like not wearing beaded gowns, like say Shannel, and I think Shannel is beautiful. I love that she can do that but I just want to pack lightly when I travel.
Alexis tried to throw me shade by saying I had bought my dress from a department store but it’s funny because my shoes were Jeffrey Campbells, those are great shoes, my little skirt I got from a costume shop but my top was made for me. That was one thing that was made for me. But I don’t mind buying things because I feel like it’s more styling than anything. Anyone can go and buy something but when you actually have to put something together and create something that reflects who you are or whatever challenge you’re in, it’s fun.
Which other women make up Jujubee?
I’m a huge Toni Braxton fan. She’s so demure but sexy. And of course Whitney has always been the vocal upgrade that you want when you’re lip-syncing. You want to have every inflection that she has. The Bodyguard was my first CD. I was eight when I got that soundtrack. I only listened to the first six songs. Everything else was just the movie stuff.
Like Michelle Visage’s track? Haha…You and Tatianna all ok now?
I love Tatianna. When Sahara passed Tatianna text me and I was like ‘Oh my gosh, what’s going on?’ So I called her and I was like ‘Are you ok?’ She was like ‘I’m ok. Are you ok?’ and we just talked, reminiscing about times with Sahara. I have no bad blood with Tatianna.
How would it feel to win?
I would be ecstatic and this is just the beginning like a RuPaul song. It would be amazing to be the winner.
What would you want to achieve with the title?
I want to finish my music and do a little bit more drag.
Would your music be influenced by the Asian pop craze?
I’m kind of an R’n’B girl but I like trying new things out.
Do you girls actually get catty with each other or is it just editing?
A lot of people wouldn’t notice as we don’t tell people this all the time but it is a long filming process. It’s literally like 12 hours a day and it takes 2 days to film an episode. So you think about all that time in drag and you’re in this room which is really hot. So there are going to be some catty moments whether people want them or not. With that being said there is so much footage to fit into 47 minutes. So a lot of it is about amazing editing, telling some beautiful stories on this competition because it’s a crazy journey especially in pairs.
How was working with Raven?
Oh Raven is awesome. The first day I walked on set of Season Two I was like ‘She’s going to be my best friend and if not I am going to hate her forever.’ She said the feeling was mutual so we just started becoming friends. David is such a great guy. He is so talented.
What was your favourite look this season?
In that white catsuit I felt like a sausage.
Who was your favourite guest judge?
Elvira was really kind of amazing. I couldn’t stop staring at her.
