Drag Queens Kali Forni-Kate and Sabrina Babyslut unite as Jawbreakers, a DJ/Producing Duo

Kali Forni-Kate and Sabrina Babyslut are drag producer/DJs! Together, they are known as the Jawbreakers and their debut music video for “Boyfriend” emphasizes how the pair are not only DJing their parties, they are their parties. 

The single is the first from Just A Taste, their EP of delicious dance, pop and tech house songs that is releasing this spring. Just A Taste, the debut EP from the drag-duo DJ-production team known as Jawbreakers, dishes out dance, pop and tech house songs suitable for clubs and partygoers at home enjoying a late-night kiki. “The EP is a sampling platter of beats with something for everyone,” says Kali Forni-Kate of Jawbreakers.  “It’s Just A Taste, because there is 100% more to come,” adds her collaborator, Sabrina Babyslut. With songs like “This Is Dirty” and “Ciao Bella,” the EP reflects the group’s live DJ shows that emphasize how Jawbreakers are not only playing the party, they are the party. “Boyfriend,” the EP’s first release, is a modern-day remake of Ashlee Simpson’s 2005 hit that chronicled her stealing Wilmer Valderrama from Lindsay Lohan. The Jawbreaker version features vocals from Amunda (formerly from Operator Please).  Its accompanying music video, directed by Nyssa Mitchell, conceptualized by Jawbreakers with editing and FX by Zachary McSweeney, is a technicolor dream, with Kali and Sabrina dressed in eye-catching lewks. The Just A Taste EP is being distributed through Extrovert Music, a division of Vicious Recordings, and will be available on Apple Music, Spotify and all digital platforms on April 1.  Jawbreaker’s “Boyfriend” music video will be available on YouTube on January 21.

Kali and Sabrina first met in 2016, performing in a Britney Spears tribute show in Melbourne.  They immediately clicked as both came from similar middle-class, nuclear family backgrounds, discovered drag via their passions for musical theatre, and began their individual adventures into the art form after high school.   When they learned of their shared interest in music production, they decided to join forces as a DJ duo.    They bought a mixer and six months later they were in business.

The duo has already headlined several international festivals including Sydney Mardi Gras and Milkshake Festival in Netherlands. Their next big gig will be Summer Camp Festival where they will perform alongside Years and Years, Big Freedia and The Veronicas. They are also slated to perform the next Goodlife U18 event, as well as Adelaide Festival, St Kilda Festival and Melbourne Pride.

We spoke with duo from their home down under.

The new photos are spectacular!  What did you have to do to prepare for the shoot? 

Kali:  Thank you so much! We scoured the thrift stores to find the most random Y2K items for the set.  I actually electrocuted myself trying to replace the bulb in the fish lamp that is in some of the pics. That’s dedication!

Has the camera always loved you? 

Sabrina:   Yes, it always has and we love the camera back, as long as the bad photos get deleted.  The truth is Tyra Banks scouted me from my ultrasound photos and that’s where I found my passion for modeling. 

What’s more important – the drag or the beats?

Kali:  They both go so hand in hand.  As soon as we start producing a track, we immediately think “what wig and outfit are we going to wear with this track?”.  It helps to establish the vibe of the track and the direction its going in.

When did you know you had a hit on your hands with “Boyfriend”?

Sabrina:   Right away.  The song felt so fresh yet nostalgic at the same time.  It sparked memories from when we were young and carefree!

Kali:  Also, working with vocalist AMUNDAH, formerly from Operator Please who we also loved growing up, was the cherry on top.

Ashlee Simpson’s 2005 version of “Boyfriend” chronicled her stealing Wilmer Valderrama from Lindsay Lohan.  Were you team Ashlee or Lindsay?  

Sabrina:   I was 7 when the song came out.  I was a lot more mesmerized by how pretty Ashlee looked in the music video!

Kali:  I was 12 and I remember reading about the drama in Cosmopolitan. I loved both girls!

Was Wilmer even worth fighting for?

Sabrina:   Sisters before Misters any day!

What superhero do you each most identify with? 

Sabrina:  Violet from the Incredibles.  She was my favorite growing up and I feel we look and act similar.

Kali:  I’m more of a mutant type of girlie. I loved Mystique from X-men. She was so powerful, being able to morph and adapt to any setting.  I relate to that on a personal level. 

What makes you smile? 

Sabrina:  When people tell us we have helped them build confidence and be their true selves.

Kali:  Garlic bread.

What makes you angry? 

Sabrina:  Rude people.

Kali:  People who underestimate the powers of two drag queens.

Your house is on fire. What one possession would you save? 

Kali:  I’d take my complete Sims collection.

Sabrina:  My peloton!   It’s pretty heavy so I would need a well-muscled fire fighter to help me!

You’ve been given 24 hours to live. How do you spend your day? 

Sabrina:  I’d spend the day at an amusement park and then go to an all you can eat Japanese restaurant. I would give away all my stuff and say bye to everyone on a two-hour long IG live.

Kali:  I would fly to meet a top neurosurgeon and tech company to extract and preserve my brain and create a hologram so I can keep hustling even after my death. Or, maybe I would just visit my parents or something.

You can travel back in time. Where would you go, and what would you get up to?

Sabrina:  I would love to go to the early 2000’s and be a teenager or young adult and wear all the Y2K fashion l love today. 

Kali:  I would take the current Robodog model back to the 2000’s when Tekno dogs were a thing so they can come up with something better by 2022 because I am disappointed in the current progress. 

What is the most beloved item of clothing in your wardrobe? 

Kali:  We love our white thigh high socks and white chunky heels. They go with nearly all of our outfits and add a preppy vibe to everything we wear.

You’ve been abducted by aliens. What is your parting message to planet Earth? 

Sabrina:  #streamboyfriendonspotify

words: John Stein

Jawbreakers’ “Just A Taste” EP is being distributed through Extrovert Music, a division of Vicious Recordings, and will be available on Apple Music, Spotify and all digital platforms on April 1.  Jawbreaker’s “Boyfriend” is available on Spotify and its music video is available on YouTube.  Follow on Instagram @ JawbreakersDJ