It’s official! Priyanka is the first ever winner of Canada’s Drag Race!
The Toronto-based drag queen won the title of Canada’s Next Drag Superstar on the inaugural season of Canada’s Drag Race Thursday evening. She is the first winner of the Drag Race franchise of Indian descent and the third queen of colour to win a season of Drag Race in 2020, with Jaida Essence Hall dubbed winner of Drag Race season 12 and Shea Coulée crowned winner of All Stars 5.
For her runway finale look, Priyanka paid homage to her Indo-Caribbean roots, donning a Lehenga Choli, a three-piece ensemble worn by Indian women on ceremonial occasions, festivals and weddings.
“This look I’m wearing is why I love doing drag because I get to represent an entire community of people,” the 29-year-old performer said on the show. “And this beautiful Lehenga that I’m wearing is screaming my name. I’m showing you my roots.”
She continued, “I named myself Priyanka so that people would know that there is in an Indo-Caribbean West Indian queen coming on stage so that they know that they’re represented. That’s the reason why I make you scream you all scream my name all the time. To make you remember that a girl named Priyanka can be successful.”
In an interview with EW, Priyanka reflected on the importance of her historic win.
“Growing up, there weren’t a lot of people like me on TV,” she told the publication. “It’s kind of interesting now to be Canada’s first drag superstar, because now someone who looks like me can be like, ‘Oh, I guess I can do that too!’ We’re normalizing people of colour winning things. Shea Coulée. Jaida Essence Hall. That’s normal!”
Condragulations to our queen!
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