Juno Birch, the hilariously outlandish blue alien who’d love nothing more than to speak to the manager of Earth, crash lands into the Soho Theatre from 4th to 16th November and probes the absurdity of life on Earth in her brand new stand-up comedy show ‘Probed’.
Expect jumbo hair, jarring fashion and hysterical jokes from the extra terrestrial icon all the way from the distant planet of Manchester as she shares her struggles of life on Earth through the lens of her little pink sunglasses.
Juno Birch is a British comedian and artist, who rose to fame performing professionally in late 2018. Since then, she has received significant media attention including sell out worldwide tours “Attack of the Stunning” and “The Juno Show”, and international events alongside high level brand partnerships. Birch has grown a substantial cult-like following on social media and YouTube for her unique drag aesthetic, which features blue skin, overly large blonde hair, marigold dishwashing gloves and an all-round retro vibe.
As a touring entertainer, she has been travelling the world with her solo comedy shows. In 2022 she toured her first show entitled “Attack of the Stunning” featuring her fellow drag queen Liquorice Black, which played to sell out audiences in 35 cities in the UK, Australia and North America. In 2023 she returned with her one woman stand up comedy show called “The Juno Show” playing to large theatres across the UK and North America to a combined audience of 40,000 fans.
In addition to their online and offline presence, live events and tours, Juno’s world of creations extends to clay sculptures, illustrations and paintings that “blur the lines between masculine and feminine attributes”. Expressing her gender dysphoria and celebrating the beauty of being an ‘alien.’
Growing up in the North West of England, Juno came out as a transgender woman at the age of thirteen. She has always used many mediums of art to showcase their journey. In 2017 her illustration work was exhibited in The People’s History museum as part of ‘Continuum: Framing Trans lives.’ She has since created many sculptures and paintings that have been exhibited online and in magazines with press features with some of the biggest brands such as Vogue, Paper, Dazed and more.
In 2022 Birch was featured on Discovery and HGTV in the series Trixie Motel where a guest room was designed after Juno’s drag aesthetic and art.
Who is Juno Birch and how do you describe yourself?
I’m a stunning alien that crash landed on Earth in 1962 and since then I’ve been unsuccessfully disguising myself as a human being. I’d say I’m the Mr Bean of drag.
What shall we expect from this show?
Probed is a full stand up comedy show, I delve deep into my upbringing, being trans and navigating Earth. It’s a lot of taking the piss out of myself to be honest and being a shady bitch
You rose to fame performing in 2018 you have done sold-out worldwide shows all over the world! How do you feel being so famous and recognised?
Love it! When I was little I’d pretend I was famous and perform in my bedroom and now I get to do this for a living it’s wonderful! Also, never going to complain about people shouting stunning at me in the street.
Has fame changed you?
Yes, so much so that my head has gotten so big my neck aches, but in all honesty, no. I’m still the working class sack of weirdness I’ve always been.
How are you using art to showcase your journey?
Painting and sculpture has always been a way to express my transition in a humorous way, humour has always been my coping mechanism, because let’s be honest being a transgender woman isn’t easy and I’ve usually found humour has been a way to connect with other people and accept myself. I always say, delusion is the key to confidence .
How did you come up with Juno’s aesthetics and what makes Juno so unique?
It all started when I wrote a script for a short film featuring aliens disguised as women who work in a beauty salon and then it evolved into sculpture and then eventually onto my own face. I’d say Im unique because I don’t really class myself a normal drag queen, I’m kind of like a mascot, like Elvira, pee wee Herman or Mr bean, a real life cartoon character trying to fit in with normal society,
What is the beauty of being an ‘alien’?
Being different is beautiful , so being transgender is like being an alien sometimes, and aliens are beautiful.
When are you getting married?
We are thinking next year! We haven’t made any plans yet but it will be a very fabulous wedding. My fiance’s last name is Lopes so when we get married I’ll technically be a J Lo. People keep asking me if I’ll be getting married in full alien drag, which I think is such a hilarious question, that’s like asking a dinner lady if she’ll get married in an apron.
You have talked about gender dysphoria and you have shared your transition journey. How do you identify and what advice would you give to people who look up to you?
I’ve identified as a woman since I was 14 years old and my pronouns are she/her. My advice is that life is short and you can’t spend your time on Earth worrying about how people perceive you, you have to just not give a flying shit. I think sometimes being a bit delusional can help.
In Trixie Motel there is a guest room that was designed after Juno’s drag aesthetic and art. How does that make you feel?
It’s very flattering I think my style has always been very 60s kitsch Palm Springs so it makes sense that they’d have a Juno room! I just wish I could live there full time to be honest I love Palm Springs.
What is your favourite colour?
I’d say lavender because its all the trans pride colours mixed together.
What are your future plans?
Well I’m very ambitious and kinda deluded and I’ve always wanted to make a movie about Juno the Alien, how the creature crash landed in the desert and gradually became the blue clown you see today and all the trouble she got in during her journey. I think it would be very fun, kind of like Edward Scissorhands meets pee wees big adventure.I also hope to tour my new show Probed eventually! Stand up is my favourite thing to do so I’m hoping I can bring this show to the rest of the world.
Oh and another thing, I know i could go on for hours about all the ideas I have for the future, but one day I’d love to make a big art book full of all my stuff I’ve made, sculptures drawings and paintings! One day I’ll make it happen – yes that’s happening.
Instagram @junobirch YouTube: @JunoBirch X: @JunoBirch TikTok: @junobirch8
YASS Magazine 