It’s hard to believe that Barcelona’s most diverse drag night, Pluma, is celebrating it’s seventh anniversary. Hard to believe because Pluma started the year Loverboy hauled ass out of the UK and set up ‘camp’ in Barcelona. Seven years already?! It’s been a thrill seeing it grow from the rough’n’ready Raval to now raising the roof of Razzmatazz.
To celebrate their cumpleaños the team will be holding The Face of Pluma ’24 Drag Contest. Joining the judging panel will be Drag Race España’s Pink Chadora while mother Joan Oh will be hosting the party with DJ BigBalls on the decks.
To celebrate Pluma’s birthday bash, we spoke with Special Guest Pink Chadora and the OG Joan Oh to find out more about this year’s event…
PINK CHADORA
What advice would you give contestants?
The greatest advice I can give them is to enjoy what they do and have fun, this is the key to the public having fun too. On the other hand they have to make the most of the opportunity to create new fantasies. I have always taken competitions as a way to give free rein to creativity and to get to new peaks. Then from there to strengthen aspects of my drag and understand it better.
What are you looking for from the contestants?
As well as being talented, I will really value the contestants having their own identity, the difference sometimes can be found in their style, the way they express themselves, in their makeup or in the way they laugh, for me personality is really important.
What have you learned about judging from your experience in Drag Race?
The jury always sees things that the television cannot show, the things that happen live, in the moment. Like the chills you feel when watching a play in a theatre or listening to a song for the first time. Some things work better on television and others less. I think the majority of times the judges adjust to the reality of the situation but they don’t have to just to have a good day! Haha…
Why is Pluma important to you?
Giving a voice to projects like Pluma is part of my love of doing drag. I always have one hand in doing activities that promote creativity, the idea of chosen family between people in the collective. They are also fun and safe spaces.
What is your favourite Mariah Carey song?
One of her songs that I have always been obsessed with is ‘Bringin on the Heartbreak.’ She doesn’t do covers, she just improves whatever she touches!
JOAN OH
Congrats on 7 years of Pluma!! Take us back to Day One. How, where and when did it start?
Thank you!! Pluma started in 2017 in the backroom of La Casa De La Pradera, Raval. At that time there really wasn’t any performance/drag-centred parties happening in Barcelona, so I did what I do best, mobilised a group of show-offs and put on a night where we could all be in the spotlight!!
In the beginning I was the organiser AND the DJ AND the host AND performer, but luckily now I have my amazing partner DJ BigBalls who is the resident music man, which leaves me more time for lipstick and sequins! Pluma was an instant hit and straight off the bat, the party has been running monthly for the last 7 years!!
What have been the highlights for you so far?
OOH – so many memories! But my top few are:
– On opening night, so many people attended the party that the police came and shut it down! That was when I knew we really had something special on our hands!
– Our amazing residency in the now lost, Culture Club (It’s now a cheese-themed restaurant!) Those were some of the wildest nights, where ANYTHING could happen – and did! All the performers were really flexing their creative muscles and the ‘Drag Race Rule Book’ wasn’t heavily influencing what people thought they should be bringing to the table (at least not in Spain). It was raw, it was wild, it’s all a bit hazy!!
– Last October we threw a Madonna themed halloween party ‘Madonnaween’ in Believe Club. It was packed wall to wall with people dressed as various eras of Madonna, all the shows were Madonna, all the music was Madonna. It was a big glorious queer Madonna orgy!
What are the plans for it in the future?
It’s certainly not easy running a monthly event and we have faced many hurdles and had to constantly evolve to keep our heads above water in the perilous world of nightlife – BUT we are not going anywhere! This year you can see Pluma in Barcelona (of course) and also in Ibiza and London. We have plans to go global baby, so expect to see us in another 7 years!!
How major to be having the party at Razz. Why did you decide to throw the party there?
We have moved around the city quite a bit as we have grown, trying out different spaces. We have been at La Casa De La Pradera, Freedonia, Metro (RIP), Apolo and most recently in Believe.
We wanted to make this anniversary and 4th Drag Contest our biggest and best celebration to date – so Razzmatazz felt like the most obvious choice!! Who knows where we might end up next – Palau St Jordi?!
Amazing having such a varied range of contestants. Tell us about diversity and inclusivity at Pluma…
Pluma has definitely been a pioneer of inclusion since its beginnings. We have ALWAYS welcomed all performers to share our stage regardless of gender, race, sexuality, age or experience. We also believe that the crowd is just as important as the performers. It isn’t an ‘Us and You’ experience its a ‘WE’ experience.
I want people to be able to look at us on stage and see themselves being able to do that too – because they can! That’s why inclusion and diversity is important because, to quote Marian Wright Edelman ‘You cannot be what you cannot see.’
What will you be looking for from contestants?
Whoever wins the contest will not just get a 100% genuine fake plastic crown and a cash prize – they will go on to form part of the Pluma Family, which for me, is the more important element of the contest. So I will be looking for someone who is not only talented, but grounded, fun and who has a good heart!
However, I do not judge the contestants – that’s why we have an independent panel including this year our fab All Star from Drag Race Spain – Pink Chadora (I’m a huge fan!) So its up to the judges to see the heart in the next winner! ‘Good Luck – and don’t fuck it up’
If all these qualities were in one Mariah Carey song which would it be?
Without a doubt, the song that sums up the uniting of Pluma with this year’s Drag Contest winner would be ‘We Belong Together’!
Pluma’s The Face of Pluma Drag Contest takes place at Razzmatazz on 29th June.
Tickets onsale now at www.salarazzmatazz.com
