Ahead of her headlining performance at the iconic Mother Pride Block Party, we had the pleasure of speaking to the one and only Jinkx Monsoon. The Queen of All Queens spoke about her recent run as Judy Garland in End of the Rainbow, her upcoming EP, her excitement for Mother Pride Block Party and returning to Ireland, and the power of queer resistance and queer joy.

If somehow you aren’t already familiar with Jinkx Monsoon, she is the winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 5 and RuPaul’s Drag Race All-Stars Season 7, where she won the title of Queen of All Queens. More than that, Jinkx is an incredibly talented singer and actor, having released several EPs and albums as well as appearing on Broadway and Doctor Who, and recently as Mary Todd Lincoln in the instant queer classic Oh, Mary!. She has also just wrapped her run as Judy Garland in End of the Rainbow, a role with deep connections to the queer community, as well as Monsoon, herself.

“Of course I’m a fan of Judy. She’s such a universally known figure to queer people, and that has brought this weird synchronicity into my life where I feel really aligned with Judy, and everyone who embraces the queer community and draws their strength from the queer community and gives it back to the queer community. ‘Cause there is a special magic in living your life in service to your community, and the queer community is a rich, vast, diverse, worldwide community.

“The more and more I give myself to my audiences, the more I feel like I receive from them. And as a witch, this has become very, very essential in my life.”

Speaking on taking this energetic charge and passion into her next gig, headlining Mother Pride Block Party, Jinkx Monsoon said, “I’m really excited to take all the adrenaline I’ve been gathering doing this mountain of a show and bring it to Pride. Because I feel galvanized. I feel like I’m fucking Judy Garland right now. I can do Pride. Bring it on!”

Monsoon has also recently released her single, ‘Planet Yes’, ahead of her upcoming EP, Leo Moon. The song hits just in time for Pride, as it is an undeniable Pride anthem, imagining a queer utopia with an irrepressible sense of optimism.

Speaking on the project, Monsoon said: “Our EP that’s about to be released is the next five tracks from our inevitable next full feature album. It’s like our EP’s ‘Come Out, Come Out Wherever You Are’, you know? I want it to be a queer anthem of community and all the misfits and all the tread-upon coming together to form their own alliance in which they protect and create for each other.”

Wrapping End of the Rainbow and releasing ‘Planet Yes’, all in the height of Pride season, has prepared Jinkx Monsoon perfectly for her performance this Saturday, June 27, at Mother Pride Block Party. Speaking to her fans about what to expect, the multi-hyphenate performer jests, “Meet me at the end of the rainbow”.

“I always tell jokes. I love telling jokes… And once you put a mic in my hand and put me in front of an audience, it’s hard to get me to stop. I will be singing some songs, of course. I’ll probably do an original, a cover, and you know, maybe, maybe if the mood strikes, a Judy Garland song,” she says wryly.

“We’ll just have to see, okay? I like to decide my set list, like, the night before, based on the vibe I’m getting from the city, if that makes sense.”

Monsoon is buzzing to return to Ireland to perform, especially for Pride, as it is desperately needed with the state of the world at present.

“It’s been a while since I’ve been to Ireland, and I’m very, very excited to return to Dublin. I just feel like it’s very special that I get to go celebrate Pride with such a vibrant queer community in such a supportive city, you know?

“I’m excited to go be queer with queer people after playing Judy Garland. I need my own victory lap after playing out the end of her life night after night, eight times a week.

“You know, the world is… I don’t need to explain the world to you. So all of these moments of celebration have such significance. Any time we take up space, any time we are unapologetically loud in the face of all these people trying to demonise us while they sit in houses of lies built on dirty money and objectification, it’s maddening, so we have to party, damn it.”

Monsoon also remembers Dublin fondly from previous trips, having been well and truly introduced to the city through our very own legends, Victoria Secret and Regina George. The queens brought her to the Leprechaun Museum, before she performed at the very much missed queer venue, The Dragon, followed by an impromptu performance at Bingo with Shirley Temple Bar at The George.

“I had so much fun that day. Oh, where did we perform, The Dragon? It’s one of those spaces that I’m so proud that I performed at because what do you mean I’m gonna perform on this catwalk all night suspended above the bar? And everyone keeps showing me videos of people falling off, like, ‘Don’t do this.’

“I also got pulled up to perform the ‘Rhythm of Life’ with the cast of the local drag bingo, and that was a lot of fun. When I first went, I went in.”

Jinkx has had an incredible career so far, and has bridged into more and more spaces that are not exclusively tailored to queer people. But how does she manage the pressure of representing first and foremost herself, but also a community at large?

“I balance the pressure by reminding myself it’s not all about me, you know? I also say that it wasn’t my choice that so many people decided to put a target on me and my fellow trans sisters and brothers and siblings.

“We didn’t ask to be targeted in this way, but if you’re gonna put a target on us, we’re gonna turn it into a spotlight.”

And what does the performer have to say to her queer fans at this particularly difficult time?

“Life is dark, and the world is dark, but that’s why we are each other’s light in these moments, you know? I think that there is so much hope and joy when you zoom in. Community-wise, I see us taking care of each other, and thriving and celebrating each other. And then when I zoom out, I get frustrated that the rest of the world can’t be like us. Happy queer people at Pride, you know? Just f*cking go dance in the streets and stop all this. That’s reductive, but I hope you get it.”

You can see Jinkx Monsoon live at Mother Pride Block Party this Saturday, June 27, at the National Museum of Ireland, Collins Barracks. Get your tickets here.

 

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