Sasha Colby: Stripped, RuPaul, and so Much More

Sasha Colby is perhaps best known as the current reigning queen of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” (she was the winner of Season 15), but that is only the tip of the iceberg that is Sasha Colby. We were lucky enough to chat with her about all of it: from her impressive resume to her time on RuPaul’s Drag Race to the importance of representation and – of course – her must-see show, Stripped, which will be at the Fillmore in Minneapolis on Sunday, April 7th.

Sasha, who is sometimes referred to as “your favorite drag queen’s favorite drag queen” began her career long before she won her season of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” and her impact extends far past the accolades she has received. In her 20 years of being a professional drag performer she has found time to do it all. “I’m a trans activist, pageant winner (Miss Continental in 2012), an actor, performer, dancer, a drag mother…and a pretty funny entertainer,” Sasha says, “all wrapped up in a rocking body.”

Through the years the essence of what Sasha brings to drag has remained remarkably consistent – although she’ll be the first to tell you that what she is doing now looks different than when she was first starting out. “The more you do pageants, the more you perform, the more connections you make and the more your drag can evolve for an outside spectator,” she muses, “But I feel like for myself, my drag performance and the way I perform has stayed the same.”

For Sasha, drag has always been about finding the story at the center of her performances. “This feeling of storytelling is innate to me. I always try to put that first and foremost when I do numbers. I need a story. I need a character. Even if it’s just for me,” she says, “I’ve always been able to tap into that first love.”

Sasha’s knack for storytelling, her impeccable sense of style, her stage presence, and her comedic talents have all contributed to her status as a drag icon. In addition to her skills and talent, she is also beloved because of her unique set of life experiences and identities. “The intersectionality of just me being me allows me to really connect with a lot of people,” Sasha explains, “There’s so many different ways that I can connect with people, and I find that intersectionality to be really easy.”

Over the years Sasha has realized that the diversity of people who see themselves reflected in her is quite vast. “I represent so many kinds of groups. Native Hawaiians, but then not just Native Hawaiians; any indigenous culture,” explains Sasha. “I get a lot of Polynesian people that can identify with me. A lot of First Nations people…identify with the indigenous part of myself. And then there’s the trans part of myself… [and] people who have gotten out of very strict religious backgrounds. They can relate to my story.”

Finding love for herself and pride in her identity has been a journey. “It’s not as scary as when you’re younger and you think you’re all these things that no one gets,” says Sasha. “But then you get older and you realize…there’s so many people like you and there’s so many people you can reach.”

That reach grew exponentially during Sasha’s time on “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” which was an exciting chapter in Sasha’s career as a drag performer. “Being on a reality show in general is wild,” says Sasha, “And then…[Drag Race is] like every reality show combined. You got to do ‘Project Runway,’ plus ‘America’s Next Top Model,’ plus ‘Big Brother,’ plus you’re voting people out like ‘Survivor.’”

Needless to say, being on the show was a whirlwind – chaotic and thrilling and over in the seeming blink of an eye. Sasha found that two things particularly helped her when approaching the show.

First was her pageant experience. “My pageant experience helped me to allow myself to prepare as much as I could to not be prepared for when I get there,” says Sasha. “[You prepare] so you can be able to catch these fly balls that are thrown at you.”

Second, Sasha kept reminding herself to remain grateful for the experience and the exposure that came along with it. “I tried to help myself by staying centered.  Understanding [that]…even if you don’t win…[just being on] this show can make you a star,” explains Sasha.

As we all know Sasha did not have to settle for just being a participant. “Luckily, I got to bust through the whole door and grab the crown…I got out of my own head and was able to have a lot of fun in the process.”

Winning RuPaul’s Drag Race was a great launching pad to even more opportunities, which brings us back to Stripped. “It’s nice to do this victory lap this year and tour all over the world,” says Sasha.

When asked what audiences should expect from Stripped, Sasha becomes thoughtful. “Expect the unexpected, I got to say…A lot of people, they know me from pageants, …YouTube or from Drag Race.” Stripped will be different.

“This show is the first time I get to bring people into my world. Usually, as performers, we go into other people’s worlds, but this is a place that I got to create for myself,” says Sasha. “It feels really familiar to me in the way that I’m storytelling, but I don’t think a lot of people have seen this side of me. There’s these many sides of me that they can see.”

In addition to those sides of Sasha that fans will be newly introduced to, Stripped is ultimately a celebration of Sasha’s love of drag. “Stripped is really me stripping back to why I love drag so much,” says Sasha, “It’s always nice to tap back and that’s what I’ve been doing lately.”

Tickets to Stripped are available through Live Nation and can be found on Sasha Colby’s website under the Tour section.  The show is at the Fillmore in Minneapolis at 7 PM on Sunday, April 7^th.

Sasha Colby: Stripped Tour
April 7 at 8:00 PM (Doors Open at 7:00 PM)
The Fillmore, 525 N. 5th St., Minneapolis
$51.00-105.00
www.livenation.com/venue/KovZ917AxCO/fillmore-minneapolis-presented-by-affinity-plus-events