LANA JA'RAE WANTS TO BE EVERYWHERE

 LANA JA’RAE WANTS TO BE EVERYWHERE

Is the bus still running? For Lana Ja’rae, it most certainly is. Lana got her start in drag only a few years ago and has already made quite the name for herself after placing sixth on the 12-time Emmy nominated season 17 of RuPaul’s Drag Race. Amidst her busy summer tour schedule, Lana got together with her friend, Aurora Ivy, to discuss growing up Black and queer in Texas, how Matilda the Musical inspired her to start doing drag, and what’s next for her after Drag Race. 

AURORA IVY: Hi, Lana. Let’s start from the beginning: when did you come out and what was it like growing up queer in Texas?

LANA JA’RAE: I actually didn't come out. Growing up queer in Texas wasn't the best thing.  Maybe it could have been the best thing. I don’t know; I feel like growing up queer in Texas might be a little better now than what it was growing up for me. I grew up in a Black household--very, very religious and very strict, which I think every household is that way. I didn’t feel like I needed to come out, nor did I particularly want to. I knew that if I told anyone, I wouldn’t be accepted, and all I wanted was to be accepted growing up. So I just said, you know what? Fuck it. I'm just gonna be queer and just live and do it. And did it!

AI: Absolutely. You've stated in the past that you prefer to use they/them pronouns while out of drag. Can you tell me a little bit more about your gender journey and identity?

LJ: People actually don't know this, and I have never actually publicly said this to anybody, but when I went on Drag Race, I was fully in the process of transitioning. I thought I was trans--like a trans woman. But after being on Drag Race and taking more time to think and grow more comfortable in my gender expression, I've learned that I am non-binary. I don't conform to any gender really. I'm just living in the spectrum of gender and having fun with it. Some days I wake up more masc, and some days I wake up more femme. If I wanna feel like a girl, I feel like a girl. If I wanna feel like a boy, I feel like a boy. But never a man. Absolutely not. Never he/him  because I don't think anybody should identify as he/him. Honestly.

AI: How did you get started in drag? 

LJ: The catalyst of me starting in drag was my senior year musical Matilda, in which I played Miss Trunchbull. It was the first time I actually got on a stage and performed in drag. If you wanna call it that. It was the first time I felt comfortable wearing heels and being openly queer in front of people. It definitely planted a little nugget in my brain that I might want to explore this feeling further and maybe make it into some sort of career.

AI: Going from there, how did you meet Luxx Noir London, and how has your relationship influenced your drag and your life in general? 

LJ: Well, I have been following Luxx for what feels like forever. I think we were friends on social media for like two or three years before I even met her because I was obsessed with how she did makeup online. When I moved to New York, I did a pageant called The Ultimate Diva Pageant, hosted by JanelleNo.5, which I famously lost twice. I am the world's biggest loser. [Laughs]. I've never won anything in my life, but it's okay. I'm winning in life, which is the best thing ever. Anyway, I did that pageant and was runner-up. She saw me perform and was like: Hey. I see such a bright future for you. I wanna nurture your talent and make you be the best star in the world. And she did that! I'm very grateful for her. Ever since that pageant, we've gotten closer, and she's kept me under her wing. She’s just been the best bitch ever. I love her. 

AI: Well, speaking of divas… 

LJ: Oh wait, that's a good segue. Not you eating.

AI: Right? Okay. Who were your childhood divas and what about your childhood divas drew you to them?

LJ: I don't really think I had a childhood diva growing up. I mean, the only divas that I’ve really idolized are RuPaul and Naomi Campbell, but that came later on in life. My idols growing up were the strong Black women in my life--my mom and my grandma and my older sister. I didn't have access to pop culture really. We really only listened to gospel music growing up. If it wasn't in the Bible, it was not in the house. Beyoncé wasn’t in the Bible, so I didn't really get to worship her as much as I would've liked growing up. But if I had to pick a diva, it would be RuPaul. That's the first person I saw and was like, what is this? Who is this? How is this? And how can I be that? 

AI: What was the biggest thing you learned from your time on Drag Race?

LJ: I think the biggest thing that I've learned being on Drag Race was that I actually belong in any room that I am in. I feel like before I was on Drag Race, I kind of faked it till I made it. Being on Drag Race has taught me that: one, I am not as good as I thought I was, but also two, it confirmed what I already knew, that I wasn't as good as I thought I was, and that I need to put more time into my craft. There's always room for improvement. I wake up every day and try to be better than I was yesterday. Drag Race helped teach me that.

AI: Um, if you could have done anything differently with your time on Drag Race, would you have? What would you have changed? 

LJ: I don't think I would've changed anything, honestly. I am a huge believer in the idea that everything happens for a reason. I try to live life without any regret because there's always something worse that could’ve happened. I should be very grateful for the things that happened because on Drag Race I complain about being safe, which is amazing, and we saw what that got me. I'm very content with how everything went out, and I think that it went the way it was supposed to. It taught me a lot about myself in the end and made me be the star that I am today. I can only be grateful and appreciative. But if I was there longer, it would've been over for all their toes.

AI: Well, what's next for Lana? 

LJ: What's next for Lana? What isn't next for Lana is an easier question. I feel like I've achieved my dream at such a young age, and now I have the opportunity to just like, break into everything and do everything. I want to dabble and dibble in every single thing that's out there. The fashion world is my main goal. I love performing, I love touring, I love dancing for everyone in the world; but I don’t want to be doing stunts for the rest of my life. My body is beautiful, and I need to nurture that. I like to just be behind the camera and walk and look pretty and pose. So I would love to be in magazines, spreads billboards, campaigns, posters everywhere. I wanna be everywhere and shoved down everyone's throats. I want everyone to live, laugh, Lana Forever. Period. Okay. Anything to say, to close off the interview, Aurora?

AI: Thank you for having me, Miss Lana Ja’rae. 

LJ: You should say: Thank you for coming, Lana. [Laughs.]

AI: Oh, wow. [Laughs.]

*This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity and your viewing pleasure. 

Lensed by AJ Jordan (@ajjordanphoto)

Styled by Lunetta Green (@lunetta.pdf)

Style Asst: David Ingram (@davidingrammm), Natalie Rockhold (@natalierockhold)