This Sunday 25^th July, the finale of Drag Race España saw Carmen Farala, Killer Queen and Sagittaria battle it out for the title of Spain’s first Drag Superstar! It’s been a herstory making season, filled with lots of fabulous Spanish flare. The breath-taking and nail-biting finale resulted in Carmen Farala being crowned the first Spanish Drag Superstar and we are all gagging.

YASS Magazine is bringing an exclusive interview with the first Drag Queen Superstar and ultimate icon, Carmen Farala.

How does it feel to be the first Drag Queen Superstar of Spain?

I feel really honoured and happy to be able to represent Spanish drag outside our country. There are so many good performers in Spain and there is such a long tradition of drag! Being the first Spanish drag superstar is definitely a great responsibility and I will keep working hard as I did on the show to make sure the art of Spanish drag gets the exposure it deserves.

Did you expect that you would go that far in the competition?

I always trusted myself and my way of doing things, I mean, I believe you have to work hard to achieve certain goals, but you know what they say, if you put all your passion into something you can achieve anything, and that is how it happened to me. My ultimate goal was to be on the final, winning was something that could or could not happen as it was a really tough competition, but until the very last moment I gave my all and happily I snatched that crown!

What were the best and worst moments during the show?

One of the hardest moments in the competition was definitely the third week. I did not feel confident during that maxi-challenge. I am a really self-demanding person so I tend to expect a lot from myself, and during that challenge I thought I could have pushed a bit harder with my character. Regardless of me being saved by the judges, I was not satisfied with what I had done so I felt really low about that. On the contrary, my best moment during the show was the final lip sync battle doing Rocio Durcal’s “La gata bajo la Lluvia”. It was my only lip sync during the whole competition and I truly enjoyed it. 

What did the show teach you and how has your style evolved since you entered the show?

I learnt a lot during the show, not only at a professional level but also at a personal one. I explored other areas of drag that I have not done before , like comedy, and it seems that people loved that new side of Carmen! I also learnt a lot from the other girls on the show, you know, their own experiences doing drag, new ways of doing things, and at a personal level it was very rewarding to get to know better the reality of those who define as non-binary like some of the contestants of the show, something that I was not really familiar with – even being a LGBTQ+ person- and I got to learn a lot and expand my awareness of other realities.

How has the reaction of Spanish people been?

All the way through I felt the love and support from the fans, probably at the beginning people might have expected that I was just a pretty face and that was it. But from the very first challenge I wanted to prove everyone that I had so much more to give. It makes me really happy the way the fans have related to my style of drag and appreciated the work and effort that it takes to bring that “realness” illusion that , somehow, can look effortless at first sight.

What message would you like to send to your other contestants and to the other finalists?

As I said during the show, you don’t need to be the best dancer, nor the best singer, or the best actress or the funniest to win this competition, but you have to be the hardest worker… as Britney taught all of us, “You better work bitch”

Did you make any friendships during the show?

I never thought I would stablish such true friendships as I did during the show, but this experience has created a strong bond between all competitors, or as I call them now, my sisters. Now that we are all back to the real world I know there are certain struggles that only my sisters can understand, because they have lived the same. It is a really strong link. I love all of them but I certainly my relation with Dovima Nurmi is the most special, that bitch stole my heart! She is one of those friends that you know will be there for the rest of your life and her friendship is the biggest award.

How was it to work with Supremme De Luxe and to be judged by Los Javis and Ana Locking?

Working with Supremme was such a delight! We already knew each other as we both have worked in Madrid’s nightlife and I always considered her one of the greatest artists of drag. I also knew Ana Locking as I had the honour to walk on one of her fashion shows during Mercedez-Benz Madrid Fashion Week, but getting to know her better was an absolute pleasure! She is exactly as you see her on the show, so funny, so full of light and joy! Los Javis have been also an incredible discovery! I was a fan of their creative projects like Paquita Salas, La Llamada or Veneno and I knew that, as judges, they would bring really good critiques, but what surprised me most was how friendly and caring and devoted they were with all of us, we felt we were lifetime friends! I thing they are absolutely brilliant as judges!

What makes Spanish drag different to the rest of the world?

I think there is not so much of a difference when it comes to the way we do drag in Spain. Traditionally, because of our joyful and outspoken Spanish character, the public has demanded that we do more comedy or entertainment rather than beautiful looks. However, this tends to change, and now fans expect from us to be really well-rounded drag artists.

How did you start doing drag?

Since I was a kid I always felt attracted to the world of fashion, make up and all the beauty rituals of the feminine world. I remember looking at my mum and trying to learn the way she put make up on and the way she styled her hair until one day I asked myself, why don’t I do the same? And then it came a local drag competition in my city and I got the courage to do it for the first time and the very moment I put on my first drag look I knew I wanted to do it forever.

What are the biggest misconceptions people have regarding what drag is?

There are indeed many misconceptions about drag. Some people think, speaking from ignorance, that drag is something sordid or dodgy because they associate drag with the nightlife and the bars and everything that is negative, but thanks to platforms like Drag Race now people can see that drag is not dark, neither corrupt, on the contrary drag is an artistic way of self-expression that brings together many talents, it involves music, dance, performance, make-up, fashion, comedy…! Drag is a really generous form of art because is all about entertainment, joy, fun! And all just for the applause! The good thing of Drag Race is that is shows the backstage of every show, of every look, of every performance, and that makes people appreciate all our hard work. All of us, the drag queens like to wear sparkling sequin dresses and colourful wigs to call people’s attention so they know we are here, we exist, and that the fight for visibility is not over. Maybe in the future, who knows, we will wear these dresses and wigs just to feel pretty.

Who are your Spanish drag inspirations?

My character is actually not inspired by drag, but of certain icons like 90’s supermodels like Cindy Crawford or Naomi Campbell, or pop divas like JLo or Victoria’s Secret’s Angels. Also by beauty contests like Miss Venezuela or Miss Universe and, of course, my sisters the Kardashians have had a great influence in my way of doing drag and in my ultra-feminine look, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t admire many Spanish drags queens; there are so many talented artists!

What are your future plans?

I am the kind of person that lives one day at a time, so I only have short-terms plans. At the moment I am fully immersed, like my sisters, in the official show from Drag Race Spain called “Gran Hotel de las Reinas” that will be touring many cities across Spain on the upcoming months. But, in the future, I would also like to visit Latin America where I have so many fans, I feel I owe them a visit! And I would also like to go the USA and maybe work with some of artist from the Rupaul Drag Race family, that would be an honor! I certainly want to keep developing my career in the fashion industry, but I am open to new opportunities and I want try new things!

*Images courtesy of World of Wonder

More of Carmen Farala here: https://www.instagram.com/carmenfarala

“Drag Race España is available to watch exclusively on the streamer of all things drag, WOW Presents Plus. Subscribe via: https://uk.wowpresentsplus.com/”