Return of the Queens (part II): Jinkx Monsoon

Return of the Queens (part II): Jinkx Monsoon
Image: RuPaull's Drag Race season five winner Jinkx Monsoon (Supplied photo)

OUR world is jammed packed with talented entertainers all vying for their chance at the spotlight, so when a flamed hair drag queen burst onto the scene announcing she was “Seattle’s youngest MILF”, she got my attention.

Winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race season five, Jinkx Monsoon aka “Seattle’s premier Jewish narcoleptic drag queen”, has proved to be one of the most enduring contestants on the reality show.

[showads ad=MREC] The theatre school graduate is a quadruple threat: she has released two albums, written and performed in two of her own cabaret shows and appeared in countless musicals including the title role in Hedwig and the Angry Inch.

Jinkx and I caught up ahead of her return to Australia for a series of club shows where she promises to make each one unique.

“Every city will get their own Jinkx Monsoon experience,” she tells me.

“When I perform at a club, all I care about is making my audience happy, so I cater my show to the kind of people I know in the city.

“One thing Kenny (tour director) and I love doing is researching the city and trying to incorporate what we learn about each city into my show that night.”

As a seasoned traveller to our sunburnt land I ask Jinkx what quirks she’ll add to her Australian shows.

“Well Perth and its people are kind of rough around the edges and I like that,” she tells me.

“So I might bring a more punk influenced set, aggressive in-your-face set to Perth whereas in Melbourne I might be a little more posh and little bit more old-school glamour.

“And in Brisbane it’s all about the party. Brisbane people like to party until 5am.”

Along with Amsterdam and London, Australia is one of Jinkx’s favourite places to visit and she’s made some great friends Down Under.

“Australians treat me like I’m a little bit exotic… maybe it’s my own vanity (that I like it),” she says.

“Having gone there I’ve made friendships just being in a town for a week that have lasted for years now.”

RuPaull's Drag Race season five winner Jinkx Monsoon (Supplied photo)
RuPaull’s Drag Race season five winner Jinkx Monsoon (Supplied photo)

Jinkx starred on Drag Race when she was just 25 years old. Her success expedited her 10-year career plan and she managed to tick off a lot of goals in a condensed amount of time.

“Before Drag Race I never would have thought any of this was possible,” she says.

“I say what I’ve accomplished in the last three years, I’d set out to do in 10 years.

“When you’re someone who creates your own art and you do that for your career exclusively, it’s really exciting when you start getting annual gigs, because that’s job security.”

As a life-long lover of the drag artform, Jinkx Monsoon stands out for me not only because of her kick-ass name — she’s named after Absolutely Fabulous’ main character, Edina Monsoon — but because she is the complete package.

A trained broadway singer with a set of pipes that could bring a house down, Jinkx is eclectically talented and encompasses an old-school style of drag that is irreverent, funny and intelligent.

I ask what gives her the drive to keep up with her crazy schedule, while creating hilarious new material.

“This is absolutely all I’ve ever wanted to do with my life, to be a performer,” she says.

Drag Race didn’t just expose me to the world, but it gave me a launchpad… now I feel like anything I want to do, I can decide to do.”

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Jinkx Monsoon Australian tour details:

Melbourne | Friday, January 8 at GH Hotel
Sydney | Saturday, January 9 at ARQ
Brisbane | Sunday, January 10 at Fluffy
Adelaide | Friday, January 15 at Apple Bar
Perth | Saturday, January  16 at Venue TBA

RELATED: RETURN OF THE QUEENS (PART I): ALASKA THUNDERFUCK 5000

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**This article was first published in the January edition of the Star Observer, which is available now. Click here to find out where you can grab a copy in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide, Canberra and select regional/coastal areas.

Read the January edition of the Star Observer in digital format:

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